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Music production isn't just about expensive gear and nerding out on the latest plug-in. It’s as much, if not more, about your ability to translate emotion through sound.  But this process is often difficult to pin down or articulate and rarely gets talked about on your average music tech course or YouTube video. So inside this week’s episode, Isobel is diving into the intangible process of translating emotion into sound. You’ll also learn three emotion driven production techniques that will help your music stop listeners in their tracks and speak to their soul.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{04:43} What we’re defining as emotion
{06:00} What we’re defining as sound
{06:51} How are they connected?
{10:02} Why this connection is the key to great music and professionally produced music
{15:15} 3 emotion driven production techniques to try in your own music
{23:26} Episode summary

Discover your Female Producer Spirit Guide. Take the quiz NOW >>

Check out Seth Horowitz’s book, The Universal Sense: How Hearing Shapes the Mind HERE >>
Read more about Harmonic Organisation and Culture-Specific Emotional Cues HERE >>
Listen to BBC Radio 4’s The Why Factor all about why we listen to sad songs HERE >>
Watch Rachel Claudio’s Ted Talk, ‘How to Translate the Feeling Into Sound’ HERE >>
Listen to David Oyelowo on BBC Radio 4’s The Film Programme HERE >>
Read Ana Tajadura-Jimenez’s PhD thesis on Embodied Psychoacoustics HERE >>

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 has ended, but you can stay connected to Isobel's artistic work here.

Girls Twiddling Knobs was hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey from Nov 2020-Jan 2026 and will remain live on all major podcast platforms throughout 2026.

We are grateful to the British Library who have archived the podcast in their Sound and Vision Collection.

Learn more about the Girls Twiddling Knobs legacy here.

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