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Twenty Thousand Hertz

Harry Potter and the Sound Designer’s Stone

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Dallas Taylor

Design, Music, Music Commentary, Arts

4.94.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Harry Potter has been brought to life on page and screen. But what would it take to make the wizarding world come alive using sound alone? In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the new full-cast editions of the Harry Potter series, where a team of sound designers spent eighteen months crafting 130 hours of immersive audio. From the whistle of the Hogwarts Express to the rasp of the Dementors, every spell, creature, and location had to sound tangible and emotionally distinct. Featuring Will Cohen and Lawrence Kendrick of String and Tins. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠Facebook⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow You’ll Hear It wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe on Youtube. Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at ⁠sonos.com⁠. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

I love learning the backstories behind my favorite albums.

0:03.8

When I know what's going on in the artist's life at the time and what they were going for creatively,

0:09.4

it makes me appreciate the music that much more.

0:12.2

And that's what the You'll Hear at podcast is all about.

0:15.2

Each episode breaks down an iconic album from the expansive world of jazz,

0:19.5

and everything jazz touches. from Steely Dan to

0:22.8

Prince, to Radiohead, to Lauren Hill. Whether you play an instrument or just love music, you'll

0:28.8

never hear these albums the same way again. You'll hear it as Music Explored. Follow the show on

0:34.5

Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or subscribe on YouTube.

0:38.6

You're listening to 20,000 Hertz.

0:43.3

The stories behind the world's most iconic and fascinating sounds.

0:48.7

I'm Dallas Taylor.

0:50.7

Then there was a great scraping of chairs, and next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands

0:57.3

with everyone in the leaky cauldron.

1:00.8

I have three daughters, and I've been reading to all of them since they were born.

1:05.0

Lately, I've been reading the first Harry Potter book to my nine-year-old.

1:08.7

Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last.

1:12.5

So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud. Always wanted to shake your hand. I'm all of a...

1:19.6

And how do you feel when I read it to you? Like, how do you process it in your brain?

1:25.1

Since it's kind of like a mystery book, I like try to stick all the pieces

1:29.5

together as in clues and stuff and try to figure out what happens or what's just about to happen

1:37.8

next. Do you see pictures and stuff in your mind? Actually, yes, I think, well, sometimes. Not that many, though, just like a few.

...

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