Twenty Thousand Hertz – "Guess That Sound 2025: YouTube Channel Champs"

Release Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Dallas Taylor
Guests: Carlos Torres (Jeopardy Sound Mixer), Jake Hartsfield (Vulfpeck FOH Engineer), John Michael Hinton (Magician), Producer: Grace East

Episode Overview

This festive edition of Twenty Thousand Hertz trades its usual deep dives into iconic sounds for the annual "Guess That Sound" mystery game show. Now renamed and in its sixth year, the holiday episode assembles three YouTube channel favorites—sound pros and a magician—to battle for the title of Maestro of Mystery Sounds. Over 18 rounds, they race to name everyday, obscure, or iconic noises, revealing stories behind them and sharing laughs, friendly trash talk, and surprising sound nerdery.

Key Sections & Insights

The Contestants & Format

[03:36–05:06]

• Who’s Playing:
  • Carlos Torres: Renowned production sound mixer (Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Vulfpeck shows).
  • Jake Hartsfield: Mixing engineer for live and studio music, FOH for Vulfpeck.
  • John Michael Hinton: Magician, twice fooled Penn & Teller, expert on sound in magic.
• How It Works:
  • 18 mystery sounds to guess.
  • Points: 3 (no hints), 2 (one hint), 1 (two hints), plus partials for close answers.
  • Winner gets a trophy shipped to their home.

Notable moment:
"Does that not feel... this is the first time that feels absolutely wrong that we don't have a buzzer. We literally have the production sound mixer of Jeopardy! on."
—Dallas Taylor [05:42]

Game Highlights & Memorable Moments

Sound 1: Airplane Seatbelt Chime

[06:12–07:27]

• Answer: Two-tone airplane seatbelt chime.
• Story: Chime dates to at least 1978; frequencies and decay times were standardized.

*"The origin of these chimes is pretty murky... the earliest reference we could find was from a 1978 document listing the exact specs for how these tones should sound."
—Dallas Taylor [06:55]

Sound 2: Spyglass Entertainment Logo

[07:48–09:39]

• Answer: Audio logo for Spyglass Entertainment (film production company for The Sixth Sense, Seabiscuit).
• Memorable riff:
  "It's the kid sitting on the moon!" – Carlos [08:10]
  "No, that's Dreamworks." – Dallas [08:13]

Sound 3: Boomwhackers (Percussion Tubes)

[10:07–12:29]

• Discussion: Several guests recall seeing or playing them as kids.
• Fun Fact: Plastic tubes of varying sizes; name is a favorite.
• Quote:
  "Boomwhackers is an awesome name, isn't it?" —Jake [11:52]

Sound 4: Black-footed Albatross (Bird Courtship)

[12:39–14:56]

• Answer: Courtship calls from Black-footed Albatrosses.
• Highlight:
  "I've never heard that combination of words together." – Carlos [15:00]
• Fact: These birds use brays, whistles, and bill clattering; referenced by Coleridge.

Sound 5: Dig Dug Arcade Theme

[15:55–18:13]

• Answer: Dig Dug (Classic arcade game by Namco).
• Inside info: Melody was used in place of footsteps, due to limitations of gaming hardware.
• Contestant banter:
  "I'm curling my toes... I thought it was going to be fun." – Carlos [17:33]

Other Notable Sounds & Stories

Game Show Wrong Answer Sound – Press Your Luck

[19:37–22:31]

• Answer: The “Whammy” sound from Press Your Luck.
• Fun story: Whammy character would dance, insult to injury when players lost money.

Appliance Melodies

[22:41–23:24]

• Answer: Instant Vortex air fryer “done” chime.
• Discussion: The popularity of upbeat appliance tunes.

Vintage Electronic Toys

[24:08–26:34]

• Answer: 1976 Mattel Auto Race (first fully electronic handheld game).
• Quote:
  "Oh, yeah, okay. Carlos, your prize if you win is us shipping you a Mattel Auto Race." —Grace [26:07]

Song Intros & Sonic Easter Eggs

• YYZ by Rush, intro in Morse code ([27:11–28:26])
• Pixar Lamp (Luxo Jr.) springs and bounce ([33:47–34:39])
• AOL Instant Messenger drop sound ([34:44–35:56])
• Flexatone percussion (as used in GTA: San Andreas theme) ([36:25–37:43])

Website Audio Logos

[39:20–40:46]

• Answer: Wikipedia’s official sonic logo (~2022 global contest).

Disneyland’s Star Tours Chime

[40:50–41:27]

• Answer: Chime plays before boarding, embedded in generations of Disney memories.

Animals & Memes

• Koala mating call:
  • Surprise: Gruff, deep bellow—completely opposite to the animal's cuddly image.
  • "Well, I wouldn't expect a koala to sound like that." – Jake [48:03]
• Australian Crosswalk signal:
  • Used in Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” ([44:47–45:19])
• Doom Imp Defeat sourced from camel vocalizations ([41:41–43:15])

Scores & Winner

• Final Tally ([45:37–49:13]):
  • 1st: John Michael Hinton (13 points)
  • 2nd (tie): Carlos Torres & Jake Hartsfield

Winner’s Reaction:
"Oh, I cannot wait to put this next to my Fool Us trophy." – John [49:13]

Notable Quotes

• "Does that not feel... absolutely wrong that we don’t have a buzzer? We have the production sound mixer of Jeopardy! on." – Dallas [05:42]
• "Boomwhackers is an awesome name, isn’t it?" – Jake [11:52]
• "I'm curling my toes... I thought it was going to be fun." – Carlos [17:33]
• "That’s the Whammy sound effect from the game show Press Your Luck. When a player lands on a Whammy space, this sound plays and they lose all the money they’ve earned so far." – Dallas [22:24]
• "Camels are beautiful animals, but they’re just like, meh." – Dallas [43:15]
• "Sounds like my neighbor." – Carlos, on the koala call [48:36]
• "Next time, less video game sounds and more like, cultural beat sounds." – Carlos [49:23]
• "Challenge accepted." – Dallas, when John revealed his Disney dominance [41:00]

Timestamps for Notable Segments

• [03:36] — Introduction of guests and rules
• [06:12] — Game begins (Sound 1, airplane chime)
• [10:07] — Sound 3: Boomwhackers
• [15:55] — Sound 5: Dig Dug
• [19:37] — Sound 6: Press Your Luck "Whammy"
• [24:08] — Sound 8: Mattel Auto Race game
• [27:11] — Sound 9: Rush "YYZ" intro
• [33:47] — Sound 10: Pixar Lamp
• [34:44] — Sound 11: AOL Messenger drop
• [36:25] — Sound 12: Flexatone
• [39:20] — Sound 14: Wikipedia sound logo
• [40:50] — Sound 15: Disneyland Star Tours Chime
• [43:55] — Sound 17: Australian crosswalk indicator (as sampled in Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”)
• [47:58] — Sound 18: Koala mating call
• [49:13] — Final scores and trophy awarded

Tone & Style

The episode is playful and fast-paced, full of friendly ribbing (“Don’t disappear me, Carlos.”), deep sound trivia, and a dash of competitive spirit between audio pros. There’s frequent laughter, references to classic pop culture, and encouragement from Dallas and producer Grace as the guests struggle (and sometimes fail) to unearth obscure answers.

Takeaways

• Even experts are often stumped by sound. The magic lies in the stories, not just correct guesses.
• Everyday noises have fascinating origins: airplane chimes, crosswalk beeps, appliance melodies, even video game “wrong answer” sounds.
• The process reveals both the science and the good humor of those who work with sound.

See Also

• Guests’ Work:
  • Carlos Torres – Sound mixer breakdowns (YouTube/DallasTaylorMP3)
  • Jake Hartsfield – Live mixing with Vulfpeck (Red Rocks videos)
  • John Michael Hinton – Penn & Teller performances, sound in magic (johnmichaelhinton.com)

Final Note

For sound lovers, nostalgia nerds, and casual listeners alike, this episode captures the quirky joy of sonic recognition—and the warmth of sharing it with others.

Happy holidays from Twenty Thousand Hertz!