Dallas Taylor on podcasting and the power of sound
In this Q&A, Megaphone sits down with Twenty Thousand Hertz host and executive producer Dallas Taylor to discuss the history of his show and the state of podcasting today
What is your current day job like?
Dallas Taylor: I lead a sound design company called Defacto Sound. We do mixing and creative sound design for all kinds of projects, from commercial advertisements, to trailers for documentaries, shows and games. On a day to day basis, I oversee a team of sound designers, and work closely with them on our current projects. I also communicate with our clients about how to enhance their sonic presence.
The second part of my job is working on the podcast, Twenty Thousand Hertz, which was born out of Defacto Sound about four years ago. The show started as a passion project, but quickly gained a life of its own. These days, I work with our story editor, interview guests, and help with the high-level creative aspects of the show.
What gets you excited about the podcast business today?
DT: Over the last few years, I’ve noticed that people are putting more time into podcasts and treating them more seriously. The level of attention, detail, care and love that goes into this medium is higher than ever before. Personally, I really appreciate the boundaries that the podcast medium imposes on creators: you’re telling a story in a limited amount of time, using nothing but audio. You’ve got to be as creative as possible while working within that limited framework.
When Twenty Thousand Hertz started, I didn’t know if it would be a Youtube show or a podcast, but over time, I realized it made the most sense to tell stories about sound using only sound. Pushing our creativity within that restricted box is what allowed the show to thrive.
As you have seen Twenty Thousand Hertz develop, what has been the reaction?
DT: The scariest part about putting your work out there is not knowing if it’s going to resonate with people. My whole career has been in the sound and audio world, which is a small community. So when the show launched, my biggest worry was whether there were many people out there who love this topic as much as I do. But fortunately for us, the show really resonated with people, and I’m shocked at where we are now.
In the end, the seemingly “niche” appeal of our show ended up being a good thing, because there were so few shows covering the topics that we were. We go about our days hearing all of these interesting sounds, but we rarely stop and really think about them. It turned out that there was a pretty big audience for a show that uncovers those sonic stories, and helps you get more in touch with your sense of hearing.
What are some of your personal favorite podcasts?
DT: I love podcasts that take something you’ve experienced in your everyday life, and explode the whole history behind it. Early episodes of Radiolab and 99% Invisible did that brilliantly, and they were both big inspirations for Twenty Thousand Hertz. Another great one is Every Little Thing from Gimlet. It’s such a quirky little show, but I love Flora’s personality and how they unpack random questions. I also really like Song Exploder, which was another big inspiration for our show.
Are there any big lessons or observations from Covid-19 that you would like to share?
DT: For us, the immediate impact of Covid-19 was a significant decrease in listeners. We lost about 15% of our audience right off the bat, likely because so many people lost that commute to work where they’d listen to podcasts. We’re slowly working on gaining back those listeners.
The pandemic has also made recording guests a lot more complicated. Before the Covid-19, we would send guests into a nearby studio and pay for the studio time, or hire a sound person to go out and do the recording. These days, everyone we interview really has to think about their sound and their setup, which can be a hassle. On the other hand, it also means more people are thinking about sound quality and what it takes to get a good recording. So while it’s been a lot to figure out, it’s also caused a kind of renewed focus on sound, which is a good thing for everyone.