Ways of Knowing
Episodes
85 – Sound Audio: Birth of Modern Radio
29 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The modern generation of audio makers lies in the shadow of this show.
84 – Sound Audio: Father Cares
22 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
NPR used to be willing to experiment with the format of the radio it made.
83 – Sound Audio: Edward R. Murrow
15 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bringing the war into your living room.
82 – Sound Audio: Lou Gherig
08 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
The reverberation is awesome.
81 – Sound Audio: Boring
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
It's so good it will put you to sleep and you'll be happy about it.
80 – Sound Audio: The Last of the Zeppelins
24 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Radio reporting live on scene pretty much started with the Hindenburg.
79 – Sound Audio: Growing Up
18 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Things change fast.
78 – Sound Audio: Year in Food
10 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandwich beef sandw...
77 – Sound Audio: Idea of North
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Everybody's talking at the same time.
76 – Textile Manufacturing
14 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We know Penelope could use one. Unclear whether anybody today can.
75 – The Last Singer of His Kind
07 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
He is the only one who has ever been recorded singing this way.
74 – Spanish Lottery
31 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
So many winning numbers, so so many hours of singing.
73 – Amorous Arachnids
24 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If I had eight legs and pedipalps, I'd probably do this too.
72 – Cow Bell
17 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
European cows grazing.
71 – Gassy Exchange
11 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Gas imploding under water isn't relegated just to your bathtub.
70 – Car Laughter
03 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Laughter from beyond the grave.
69 – Feeding Time
26 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A day in the life of nature at Yellowstone National Park.
68 – A Sylvan Inferno
19 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A fire rages in Yellowstone National Park.
67 – Aqueous Eruptions
13 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The first in a series of recordings from Yellowstone National Park.
66 – WATS to Come
23 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
We've been gone a while, but new episodes are coming! Here's a taste.
Last Day – Wigwam
09 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The World According to Sound rolls into Manheim, PA, to drop off its inimitable Claire Brothers loudspeakers and effectively bring their tour to an en...
Day 17 – Green Room
26 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A few minutes before showtime in Boston.
Day 15 – Quintessenshell
25 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Ambulations along a beach on Cape Cod.
Day 13 – Leef Blowing
10 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
At a gas station in Lee, Massachusetts.
Day 12 – Smith Opera House
09 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
A soundcheck from the balcony of an empty opera house.
Day 5 – Skidmore
30 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
An hour and a half before our show at Skidmore, we got an inside tip about a reverberant paradise.
Day 2 – Post-show Detox
26 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The morning after the first live show in Burlington, VT, WATS needed to do a little cleaning.
Day 1 – Sleet Sounds and Van Troubles
25 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of The World According to Sound's East Coast tour, inclement weather in Vermont gave our tour van some problems.
65 – Brain Artery
28 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The soothing sounds of blood pumping through your brain.
64 – Number Stations
14 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Achtung! I guess if I had to secretly communicate with foreign agents, I'd just say a bunch of random numbers too.
63 – Coal Miner
04 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
33 percent of America's electricity comes from coal. You're probably using energy generated from that black rock right now. It's extracted from the gr...
62 – American Unrest: Immigration Ban Protest 1/28/17
30 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Not all of America takes kindly to Trump's ban of immigrants.
61 – Funnel Bubble
24 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Making plum wine in your kitchen is unexpectedly melodious.
60 – Rebel Yell
18 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The confederate war cry resembled "a foxhunt yip mixed up with sort of a banshee squall."
59 – Telephonic Symphony
05 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
The mellifluous tones of a Japanese electronics store.
58 – American Unrest: Presidential Protest 11/9/16
10 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The sound of Donald Trump getting elected in San Francisco.
57 – Oldest Song
15 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This song shows that Western music is almost a 1,000 years older than we used to believe.
56 – Musique Concrète
13 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
About a hundred years ago, Berlin sounded like this.
55 – Watery Pipes
08 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The Pacific Ocean's uncanny undulations.
54 – Debatable Debate
06 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Language as anti-content.
53 – Leaf Blower
30 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you need to make do with the greenery at hand.
WATS Live Show
09 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Come sit in the dark with us and take in some aural delights!
WATS Special: The Sounds of Music
12 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The first long episode of The World According to Sound. Whoa.
52 – Google Song
07 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It could be a grim future for music.
51 – A Sonic Barber Pole
05 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This auditory illusion is almost enough to make you go mad.
50 – Whistle Register
28 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Mariah Carey made this famous, but its been a part of pop for a long time.
49 – Yaybahar
21 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This acoustic instrument can kick the ass of any electric one.
48 – Cat Organ
14 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A cat organ fit for a king. Or, at least a prince.
47 – Sonic Stalactites
07 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Gotta do a little spelunking to play these pipes.
46 – Chasing Away the Homeless: a How-to
31 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A classic, but not classy way to keep the poor away from your place of business.
45 – Cat Music
24 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Just because you like Beethoven doesn't mean your cat does.
44 – Drumming Like the Wind
17 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Convulsing for a minute with sticks in your hands.
43 – Torture Music
10 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Many American pop hits have been used for a dark purpose.
42 – Auctioneer
03 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Sell! Sell! Sell!
41 – Concentration Camp Music
26 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
During the Holocaust, prisoners in concentration camps wrote songs like this.
40 – Singing Roads
19 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The road less travelled never sang to you, did it?
39 – The Secret Sounds Giraffes Make When the Sun Goes Down
12 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Speaking with our dappled, long-necked animal friends.
38 – Idioglossia
05 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Inventing a language at the age of two. Sign up on our website to hear more episodes: http://bit.ly/1oGTcHz
37 – Singing Sand
29 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If the sand should sing your praises, they would outnumber the stars in heaven. Sign up on our website to hear more episodes: http://bit.ly/1oGTcHz
36 – Washing Machine Music
22 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Musique concrète takes a trip to the laundromat. Sign up on our website to hear more episodes: http://bit.ly/1oGTcHz
35 – Involuntary Vocalization
15 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We wonder if piano teachers actually instruct their students to squeal, groan, and hum as they play. Read More: http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.o...
34 – Ants
08 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
God, ants are SO loud when they walk! Thanks to Stephen Frost for the recording. Check out his other projects here! http://www.earthvibes.com.au
31, 32 & 33 – Infrasound
01 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Listening to sounds you can't actually hear. Read more: http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/2016/03/01/31-infrasound.html
30 – Man Bird
23 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
I too would like to have an ornithological larynx.
29 – Ode to Joy
16 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
This piece of music has been co-opted like no other. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org
28 – Consuming
22 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The most powerful economy in the world at work. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org
27 – Mechanical Music
17 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The randomness of a hundred different rhythms. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
26 – ASLSP
15 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
This song will finish in about another 600 years. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
25 – Gravitational Waves
10 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Hearing the ripples in space-time. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
24 – WiFi
08 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Being surrounded by invisible streams of data. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
23 – Stukas
03 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
By the time you hear this trumpet, it's probably too late.
22 – The Hour of Charm
01 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
According to some, you need more than musical talent to make charming music. The recording of The Hour of Charm in this episode was preserved by the ...
21 – Achromatopsia
24 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Let's take a listen to the rainbow. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
20 – Wikipedia
19 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The world's largest encyclopedia as music. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
19 – Cease To Exist
17 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Be careful of which songs you cover. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
18 – Look at Your Game Girl
17 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes the less you know about the artist the better. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
17 – Glossolalia
12 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The sounds of people channeling the divine. To hear more episodes go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org
16 – The Iliad
10 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A dead language brought back to life. To hear more episodes go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org
15 – Hold Music
05 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The sound of your life on hold. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
14 – Tinnitus
03 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Between 10 and 15 percent of us hear things like this constantly. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org
12 – 8-bit Death
27 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Dealing with digital death. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
13 – A Silent Song
23 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you just don't want to hear anything in a song. To hear more episodes, go to http://www.theworldaccordingtosound.org/
11 – End of the World Song
22 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
We still don't understand how CNN would know when to play this. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
10 – Grunting
20 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Athletes deep in focus. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
9 – Earth Whistlers
15 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
These noises can be heard all around the earth. Constantly. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
8 - Prisencolinensinainciusol
12 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A gibberish song with a secret message. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
7 – Sochiapam Chinantec
08 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Just a couple of guys having a little chat. The recordings come from the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Mexico. http://bit.ly/1LoofSW To hear mor...
6 – Monsieur Lefires
06 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Odorless and harmonious toots.
5 – Auditory Hallucinations
28 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jarrad Wale made a recording that lets you into someone else's head. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
2 – Daisy Bell
28 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A masterpiece from IBM and HAL. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
4 – Bridge Songs
28 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jodi Rose records the secret songs of bridges all over the world. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
3 – Mimicry
28 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Bird is definitely the word. To hear more episodes, go to www.theworldaccordingtosound.org.
1 – Mud Pots
29 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Bloop. Bloop bloop. Sign up on our website to hear more episodes: http://bit.ly/1oGTcHz