The Acoustic Worlds of Radiolab Creator Jad Abumrad
Twenty Thousand Hertz - The stories behind the world's most recognizable and interesting sounds.
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.
More description
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.
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