Twenty Thousand Hertz is a great new podcast I just stumbled upon today. The first episode I heard was on the NBC Chimes, the very first trademarked sound. I was surprised to learn that there are only about a hundred sounds so iconic that they’ve received this designation. (Other examples include Homer’s “Doh!” and the MGM lion’s roar.)
Another episode I enjoyed was titled The Sound of Extinction. It detailed a bunch of noises — like an old telephone dial tone — that you simply just don’t hear any longer. It’s a very high-quality podcast produced by Defacto Sound, a Maryland company that handles soundtracks for video games, television, movies, etc. If you get a chance, give it a listen.