Oh, say can you see?

You're listening to 20,000 Hertz.

I'm Dallas Taylor.

Back at the 2013 presidential inauguration,

superstar Beyonce sang the Star-Spangled Banner.

But she didn't do it live.

Beyonce admitted to lip-syncing.

Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check,

I did not feel comfortable taking a risk.

It was about the president and the inauguration, and I wanted to make him

in my country proud. So I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track.

Beyonce's decision to lip sync acknowledges the importance of taking sound very seriously,

especially during a live performance. Big events rely on great designers,

mixers, microphones, speakers,

and a whole host of other things

in order to sound effortless to an audience.

At least, that's true today,

but it wasn't always that way.

For generations, there was no sound system in the theater.

Everybody strained to listen in those days.

Today, audiences are inundated with earbuds and other forms of mechanical reproduction,

so they don't longer strain to listen in the theater.

...