The Acoustic Worlds of Radiolab Creator Jad Abumrad

Twenty Thousand Hertz

Dallas Taylor

Design, Music, Music Commentary, Arts

4.9 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2026

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Before Radiolab became a cultural phenomenon, it was an experiment… one that Jad Abumrad 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. See Dallas tour Jad's studio on Youtube. 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. Subscribe to Radiolab, More Perfect, Dolly Parton’s America, and Fela Kuti: Fear No Man wherever you get your podcasts. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month Shopify trial at ⁠⁠⁠shopify.com/20k⁠⁠⁠. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠quo.com/20k⁠⁠⁠⁠ for 20% of your first 6 months of business phone software. 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	Before we get started, a reminder that our second annual listener story competition is running right now.
0:06.9	This is your chance to submit a fully produced mini story that will play for over 100,000 people on this podcast.
0:14.0	Your story just has to relate to sound in some way, shape, or form.
0:18.1	It could be a personal story from your life or a sound topic you've always been
0:22.1	fascinated by. It should also be around five minutes or less and be appropriate for all ages.
0:28.1	To tell the story, you can include guest interviews, narration, music, sound design, anything that
0:33.7	makes it engaging. And you can use the credits to promote your business, your podcast, or anything else. Just like last year, we'll collect the winning stories into a special
0:42.9	series of episodes this summer. The top creator will also get a $500 credit to our online store,
0:49.0	so you and your whole crew can be decked out in 20K swag. The deadline for submissions is May 31st, so don't put it off.
0:56.7	Get started now. To see the full details and submit your story, visit 20k.org slash 2026. Or tap the link in the episode notes.
1:09.1	You're listening to 20,000 Hertz.
1:13.9	The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
1:19.6	I'm Dallas Taylor.
1:21.7	Over the last 10 years of 20,000 Hertz, we've explored sound from so many different angles,
1:27.1	from films and TV shows
1:29.3	to history, brain science, and beyond. But I would be remiss if we never covered the person
1:34.8	who I consider the most recognizable and interesting sound designer in podcasting. I also think
1:41.3	about this person as simply being one of the greatest sound designers in history.
1:45.9	And that's Jad Aboumerod, who I first knew as the creator of Radio Lab.
1:52.3	You're listening to Radio Lab.
1:55.1	Radio Lab.
1:55.6	From W. N. Y.
	...

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