Girls Twiddling Knobs – Details, episodes & analysis

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Join us for the first ever Live Girls Twiddling Knobs episode, recorded at Towner Gallery on August 2nd, 2024.

inside, Isobel talks with sound and lino artist, Daisy Stewart-Darling about her new project Lino Waves: Soundscapes of the Living Coast, which documents the changing East Sussex coastline through field recordings and large scale lino works.

We touch on critical acoustic ecology, recording non-human voices, combining sound with visual mediums and how to present this democratically in a gallery context all with sound examples from the project. We also take a tour of one of Towner's current exhibitions, Rising Tides, Melting Ice by Emma Stibbon, and discuss the synergies between this and Daisy's project.

This epsiode is sponsored by our fabulous Knob Twiddler merch, of which all proceeds go towards us making and sharing the podcast. Get yours here >>

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

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Following last week’s epic binaural finale episode, Isobel is back for one last music tech chat to bring Season 05 of Girls Twiddling Knobs to a close.

This final wrap up episode is the perfect way to get a whistle stop tour of any episodes you might have missed and glean any final little golden nuggets from the last few weeks.

This season, we've had some of the most amazing guests including NYX, DJ Paulette, Cathy Lane, Josephine Zwaan and many more, and they've all shared their skills, expertise, music and immense amounts of personal vulnerability and insight.

We've also covered some really important topics through my solo deep dive episodes, including the power of community over confidence when it comes to women using music technology and choosing the right software for you.

All together, these episodes make a powerful statement of women taking control of their own path in music and sound.

And while this is the end of another season of Girls Twiddling Knobs, this final wrap up episode also reflects on 2023 coming to a close, and our intentions and hopes for the New Year ahead.

Thank you for listening to Season 05 of Girls Twiddling Knobs, we have some really exciting plans being hatched for the podcast next year, and we're looking forward to sharing more with you soon.

See you in 2024!

GTK HQ xx

You can pre-order DJ Paulette’s book here >>

And you can check out all of Season 05 (and all the previous seasons) here >>

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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Do you struggle with perfectionism? We totally get it - it can be easy to put off recording your music out of the belief that every single element of it needs to be perfect. It can also be tricky to find time to dedicate solely to making music; so perfectionism combined with limited time can make it really difficult to actually sit down and get the music made. 

Inside this episode Isobel discusses the importance of taking ‘imperfect action’ when making music, and explains how using the ‘assignment method’ helped her ditch the perfectionism and spend meaningful time making music. Remember, done is better than perfect!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

{00:00} Intro
{02:39} Why Isobel started using the assignment method
{05:29} What is the assignment method?
{13:18} How you can start using the assignment method in your music-making
{17:39} Episode Summary

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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We all feel fear from time-to-time; it’s part of being human. But what if fear was stopping you from sharing parts of yourself that are integral to your own growth and development as a musician and a woman? Inside this week’s episode, Isobel explores this tricky but important emotion, in a bid to gain some insight into how we can feel fear AND still share our voice and make our mark as female musicians.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & FREE Live Workshop details
{03:27} What is fear?
{09:52} Fear and Self-Esteem: What’s the connection with music technology?
{24:42} How accepting fear can make us less fearful in our artistic work
{29:07} The realisation I always come back to
{31:49} The choice we can make, right now
{33:04} Summary & next week’s teaser

Save your place on my FREE workshop ‘3 Key Secrets to Making Pro Recordings of your Music from Home’ HERE >>

Listen to the episode here
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Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

Does making pro sounding home recordings require an expensive, fancy home studio? While a girl can dream (#studiogoals), there’s always more than one way to skin a cat… or recording. Inside this week’s episode, Isobel breaks down the equipment for under £100 that will get you recordings you’re proud of. Yes Cinderella, you shall go to the DIY recording ball!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & FREE 5-Day Challenge details
{02:11} What’s a ‘home studio’?
{07:53} Perfectionism regarding home equipment
{14:55} My top 3 pieces of equipment (grand total of £100)
{19:09} Free techniques you can use
{21:11} Where could this take you from here?
{22:42} Summary and next week’s teaser

Join the FREE 5 Day Clean Up Your Recordings (you dirty girl) Challenge taking place from Jan 29th - Feb 4th >>

Listen to Episode 04 of the podcast to hear about my own home recording set up >>

Check out my FREE 3-step Sound Treatment Guide >> 

Equipment to get you started:
Pro Tools First
Garageband
Seinheisser HD-201 headphones
Behringer C-1U
Pro-coustix Ultraflex pack of 24 tiles

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify
Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

Do you ever look at other musicians who seem to know exactly what they’re doing with music tech and think “I wish I knew what I was doing like THEY do”? To look at the amazingly talented electronic musician, Una Monaghan, you might think exactly that. But inside this incredibly honest conversation, we learn that even someone at the top of their game like Una, has these niggling, and universally human, inner thoughts.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:20} How Una got started in music technology
{13:31} Una’s first experience of the studio
{20:18} Pros, cons and tips for working in the studio
{25:40} Letting go of perfection
{34:08} Building confidence, overcoming doubt and allowing yourself to be vulnerable
{50:58} Balancing PHD studies, creating music and being a freelance engineer
{53:57} Using electronics in live Irish traditional music and setting up Fair Plé
{59:35} Una’s top tips for getting started

Take my quick and easy quiz, Discover Your Female Producer Spirit Guide >>

Get in touch with Una Monaghan
Website: www.unamonaghan.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/una_pix
Twitter: www.twitter.com/una_music
Listen to her album ‘For’ here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify
Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

Marking achievements, learning from mistakes and setting goals you can feel truly excited by for 2021.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{03:51} How has 2020 affected your confidence?
{10:52} We really need to give ourselves a break
{16:15} We need to learn from the mistakes we’ve made (and the changes we’ve faced)
{19:03} We need to dig deep and find courage moving into 2021
{23:00} It’s time to set some bold music goals
{26:44} Summary and next week’s teaser

Download your FREE 2021 Music Goals Planner >>

Vick Bain's 'The Gender Pay-Gap in Music' Article>>

BBC: 'Musicians will lose two-thirds of their income in 2020' blog post >>

Listen to Episode 06: Making Your Music AND Making a Difference >>

SMART goals explained >>


Listen to the episode here

Listen on Spotify


Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

What better way to welcome in the New Year than raising a glass to the unsung heroines of music technology, past and present? And there’s no-one better to do this with than Oxford Professor, Gascia Ouzounian. So, join Gascia and Isobel for a New Year’s tipple and a natter about some of the amazing ladies that have paved the way in music tech and get inspired for what you could achieve in 2021.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{03:19} Gascia reflects on 2020
{07:53} New Year Resolutions and the importance of slowing down
{13:13} How Gascia got into music technology, finding her niche in Sound Art and becoming an educator
{17:55} Gascia talks about writing her new book, ‘Stereophonica’
{26:58} Composing graphic scores in her latest project ‘Recomposing the City’
{31:22} Gascia shares her top women from music tech history
{54:15} Honouring women who overcame gender bias
{01:02:17} Importance of carving your own path
{01:15:47} Women in Music and Race
{01:22:29} Women in Music and Disability
{01:26:19} Gascia’s advice for women in music

Discover your female producer spirit guide. Take the quiz NOW >>

Remember, Gascia has an awesome sounding book, Stereophonica, coming out in February, which you can pre order now from MIT Press >>

Find our more about her latest project ‘Recomposing the City’ here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

Inside this special Christmas Eve episode, the GTK podcast gives you the gift of analogue. Or to be specific, Isobel sits down with engineer and producer Julie McLarnon and finds out how the creativity and magic of analogue recording enticed Julie to create a 100% analogue studio set within Northern Ireland’s beautiful Mourne Mountains.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{07:12} How Julie got started in analogue recording
{12:10} Working in a studio environment and learning about production
{19:00} Julie’s experience of working in male-dominated environments and dealing with ‘Imposter Syndrome’
{31:43} Motherhood and setting boundaries
{36:52} Assertiveness in the studio
{42:26} Setting up her studio ‘Analogue Catalogue’ and recording using analogue techniques
{49:48} Sound-treating the studio for analogue recording
{55:22} Julie’s top 3 tips for recording in the studio

Download my FREE 3 Step Guide to Sound Treating your Home Recording Space >> 

If you want to find out more about Julie and her studio go to www.analoguecat.com and if you’re interested in that mixtape Julie mentioned, you can find it over at their bandcamp page www.analoguecatalogue.bandcamp.com.

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify
Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

If you loved listening to this week's episode of the podcast, leave a review wherever you're listening now and let me know 💜💜💜

Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯‍♀️

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

Send us a text

2020’s been quite the year and there’s no denying the challenges many of us have faced. Between the global pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the devastating impacts of climate change, it could feel like making music is just too self indulgent and trivial in comparison.

But inside this episode, we’re getting a reality check, my friend, because I’m going to show you why right now, the world needs your music more than ever.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro and quiz details
{03:45} Why making music might feel trivial right now
{07:05} Do womxn undervalue their creative expression more than men?
{11:11} What value has music had in your hardest, darkest times?
{13:31} Isobel’s experience of using music as a way of healing
{16:30} Moving from an ‘either/or’ attitude to a ‘both/and’ attitude
{19:01} Summary and next week’s teaser

Don’t forget to grab your FREE 3-Step Guide to Sound Treating your Recording Space HERE>>

Links to the articles Isobel references:
Article published in the journal Psychological Science by Devon Proudfoot, Aaron C. Kay, Christy Z. Koval

Article published in the journal Learning and Individual Differences by Karwowski, Gralewski & Szumski

Listen to the episode here
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Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>