When Everything Stopped, He Started Listening

The Acoustic Worlds of Radiolab Creator Jad Abumrad

Before Radiolab became a cultural phenomenon, it was an experiment… one that Jad Abumrad [http://jadabumrad.com/bio.html] built voice by voice, sound by sound. In this episode, Jad walks Dallas through his journey with the show, from its scrappy beginning in a New York basement, to leading a massive team, and ultimately stepping away. Along the way, he breaks down his signature sound design and storytelling techniques, and how he’s carried those into newer projects like Dolly Parton’s America and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man. Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026 [https://20k.org/2026]. See Dallas tour Jad's studio on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIpK370SLgs]. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠ [https://defactosound.com/]. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://20k.org/plus]. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dallastaylor.mp3?sub_confirmation=1] to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://mystery.20k.org/]. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dallastaylor.mp3/], ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@dallastaylor.mp3], ⁠Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/dallastaylorsound], and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallastaylor/]. Subscribe to Radiolab [https://radiolab.org/how-to-listen], More Perfect [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolabmoreperfect], Dolly Parton’s America [https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america], and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man [https://lnk.to/felakuti] wherever you get your podcasts. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠ [http://shopify.com/20k]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.quo.com/20k] for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠ [https://gusto.com/20k]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

He was deaf for 35 years + Listener Stories kickoff

Last year, we ran three full episodes of listener-produced stories. But one beautiful story was just a little too long for the final cut… and we couldn’t leave it behind. In this episode, sound designer Jesse Herrera [https://www.herrerasound.com/] tells the story of his grandfather, who lived in silence for 35 years before receiving a cochlear implant, and the overwhelming, joyful process of learning to hear again. Afterwards, Dallas and Casey reflect on last year’s Listener Stories and kick off this year’s competition.  Learn about this year’s Listener Stories competition and submit your story at 20k.org/2026 [https://20k.org/2026]. To make a donation to the Harry Hakeem Scholarship Fund supporting the education of children with hearing loss, visit peiabq.org/giving [http://peiabq.org/giving]. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠ [https://defactosound.com/]. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://20k.org/plus]. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dallastaylor.mp3?sub_confirmation=1] to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://mystery.20k.org/]. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dallastaylor.mp3/], ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@dallastaylor.mp3], ⁠Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/dallastaylorsound], and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallastaylor/]. Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at ⁠sonos.com⁠ [https://sonos.com/]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.quo.com/20k] for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠ [https://gusto.com/20k]. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠ [http://shopify.com/20k]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Harry Potter and the Sound Designer’s Stone

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 [http://linkedin.com/in/willcohen] and Lawrence Kendrick [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lkendrick/] of String and Tins [https://www.stringandtins.com/]. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠ [https://defactosound.com/]. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://20k.org/plus]. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dallastaylor.mp3?sub_confirmation=1] to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://mystery.20k.org/]. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dallastaylor.mp3/], ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@dallastaylor.mp3], ⁠Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/dallastaylorsound], and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallastaylor/]. Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.reddit.com/r/20k/]. Follow You’ll Hear It [https://lnk.to/youllhearitpc] wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRLA8svy3YM9b4y-ITYYtaA]. Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at ⁠sonos.com⁠ [https://sonos.com/]. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠ [https://gusto.com/20k]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

When Everything Stopped, He Started Listening

David Jeffers [https://quadriphonicsound.com/] has always understood the world through sound. As a kid, he bounced beats between tape decks and built speaker boxes from spare parts. After college, he founded an underground hip hop label. Then came the day that split his life in two. And in the quiet that followed, David started listening more deeply… and piece by piece, he built a new life, guided not by what he lost, but what he could create. For news about ⁠Quad Life⁠ [https://www.quadlifedoc.com/], the upcoming documentary about David, follow Quad_Life_Doc [https://www.instagram.com/quad_life_doc/] on ⁠Instagram⁠. Explore David’s sound design work and book with him at ⁠quadriphonicsound.com⁠ [https://quadriphonicsound.com]. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠Defacto Sound⁠ [https://defactosound.com/]. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://20k.org/plus]. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dallastaylor.mp3?sub_confirmation=1] to see our video series. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://mystery.20k.org/]. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dallastaylor.mp3/], ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@dallastaylor.mp3], ⁠Facebook⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/dallastaylorsound], and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallastaylor/]. Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.reddit.com/r/20k/]. Explore incredible speakers, soundbars, and more at ⁠sonos.com⁠ [https://sonos.com/]. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠ [https://gusto.com/20k]. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠ [http://shopify.com/20k]. Visit ⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.quo.com/20k] for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The State of the 20K Multiverse™

What happens when a podcast about sound gets into video? In this special behind-the-scenes episode, producer Grace East flips the script and interviews Dallas about his leap into visual storytelling, and how the different pieces of the 20K Multiverse all fit together. From backstage at SNL, to Disney Imagineering’s archives, to real-life Bluey locations, Dallas reveals the anxieties, lucky breaks, and human connections behind our new video series. Subscribe on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dallastaylor.mp3?sub_confirmation=1] to see our video series. Follow Dallas on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dallastaylor.mp3/], ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.tiktok.com/@dallastaylor.mp3], ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/dallastaylorsound], and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallastaylor/]. Join our community on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reddit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.reddit.com/r/20k/]. Twenty Thousand Hertz is produced by ⁠⁠Defacto Sound⁠⁠ [https://defactosound.com/]. Support the show and get ad-free episodes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠20k.org/plus⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://20k.org/plus]. If you know what this week's mystery sound is, tell us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mystery.20k.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://mystery.20k.org/]. Follow You’ll Hear It [https://lnk.to/youllhearitpc] wherever you get your podcasts, or subscribe on Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRLA8svy3YM9b4y-ITYYtaA]. Get 3 months of free payroll at ⁠gusto.com/20k⁠ [https://gusto.com/20k]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]