By The Female DIY Musician
The #1 feminist music tech podcast, featuring deep-diving episodes into all things music production and home recording and fascinating guest episodes with women making music with technology, hosted
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The podcast currently has 118 episodes available.
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Luckily, there’s far more conversations happening about musicians’ mental health these days. But how might gender impact our experience of things like depression and anxiety? And how might this differ in a music technology setting, specifically? Because, while this is something that’s often touched upon in wider conversations around gender and music technology, it’s rarely fully explored in its own right.
Inside this conversation, Isobel chats with musicians’ therapist and counsellor, Denise Devenis about the intricacies and complexities of being a woman or gender minority in music tech spaces and how this can contribute to burnout specifically. They also discuss what the industry can do better to prevent these challenges, how Denise works specifically with musicians in her private practice and how you can access support if you’re affected by any of the issues we discuss in this episode.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
Therapy & Counselling Support
Sexual Harassment & Abuse
Musicians’ Mental Health
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted by Isobel Anderson and produced by Isobel Anderson and Jade Bailey.
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In a world that’s always online, how do we stay true to ourselves as artists? This week on Girls Twiddling Knobs, we tackle this question with the fiercely original electronic music producer Maria Uzor.
Growing up as a Black artist in a predominantly White area of the UK, Maria often felt like an outsider. But she turned that feeling into a sound that’s bold, raw, and unmistakably hers. Join us as we explore how Maria channels her unique experiences into a blend of basement grittiness and cosmic vision.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
✨ How Maria creates from an authentic place despite social media pressures
🎛️ An inside look at her production process for her album, Soft Cuts
🎤 Why live performances help her reclaim space as a Black female artist
🎚️ The highs and lows of going solo versus releasing on a label
It’s an inspiring chat about resilience, authenticity, and creating art that truly matters.
Once you’ve listened, share what you thought of the episode in a review wherever you're listening. We’d love to hear from you! 🌟
Check out Maria Uzor’s website >>
Find Maria on Instagram >>
Maria’s live performance gear:
Ableton Push >>
Novation Launch Controller >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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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 unique facets of our existence and identity does sound allow us to explore as women and gender diverse artists? This is one of the big questions that emerges inside this conversation with three of the five 2024 Oram Award winners.
Whether it be through choreography, performance art, hacking or design, Lola De La Mata, xname and The Silver Field are all artists who have come to sound through alternative pathways. Inside this episode, you’ll learn about the role that sound and experimental music plays in their practice, how they harness technology to express deeply personal and sensitive experiences and we’ll also listen to some of their work too.
You’ll also learn more from one of the 2024 judges Dr Mariam Rezaei about the Oram Awards themselves, including the judging process and how you can apply for the next round.
Find out more about:
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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
Join Isobel for all the juicy details on what you can expect to find inside of Season 06 of the podcast, dropping on October 24th.
Listen and subscribe to the podcast: https://femalediymusician.com/podcast
And share the podcast with a friend so we can spread the word, and making music technology a better place for women and gender diverse people.
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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
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 >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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
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 >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
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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
Ready for a binaural sound adventure?
We’re wrapping up S05 of Girls Twiddling Knobs with an extra-special episode where, together, we take an immersive binaural deep dive into the ecosystem that is NYX.
NYX are often described as an electronic drone choir and are a group of women and non-binary vocalists and non-vocalists who use music technology to create dense, musical creations and performance experiences with artists such as GTK alumni Gazelle Twin, amongst many others.
Recorded live at Hidden Notes festival in September, Isobel accompanied the collective over two days to document not just their use of music technology, but also how this is informed by a deep personal connection and somatic practices.
This episode also required a different editing approach than usual, so expect to hear lots of sound design and soundscape composition throughout!
We’ve got an hour of immersive sonic goodness waiting for you - which is of course, what we’re all about here at Girls Twiddling Knobs - so sit back, relax and remember to grab some headphones for the best audio experience.
You can check out NYX here >>
You can check out Hidden Notes festival here >>
Featuring the voices of NYX: Sian O’Gorman, Philippa Neels, Alicia Jane Turner, Ruth Corey, Phoebe Pimlott, Shireen Qureshi, Cecilia Morgan (Cil) and Laura Misch
Recorded, edited, produced and narrated by Isobel Anderson.
Additional composition and sound design also by Isobel Anderson.
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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
Have you ever questioned the way that music technology software is designed? And how the tech tools and gear we use might look and feel completely different if they were designed by different humans (i.e. not just predominantly white, cis, heterosexual men living in the West). Well, this question didn’t just bother today’s guest, producer and researcher, Josephine Zwaan. It led her to write a masters thesis that totally reimagines how a DAW could behave through the lens of African philosophy, exploring ways to ‘decolonise the loop’.
Josephine is a multifaceted, creative force who uses research as a tool to challenge and rethink existing frameworks and practices and creates music under the moniker of Suzooki Swift. She also co-founded rosetta, a Netherlands based initiative supporting female and nonbinary music producers, with an emphasis on education and community building.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{03:25} Josephine on her alter-ego, SUZOOKI SWIFT
{06:06} Josephine on her track SWIMMIN’
{12:56} Josephine on discovering her strengths in collaborations
{15:49} What brought Josephine into music production?
{20:15} Josephine on setting up her platform rosetta.
{22:15} Inside Josephine’s research on decolonising the loop
{57:10} Episode Summary
Check out Josephine's Website >>
Connect with Josephine on Instagram >>
Check out Josephine's platform rosetta >>
rosetta on Instagram >>
Suzooki Swift on Instagram >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯♀️
---------------------------------------------------
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
Feeling overwhelmed by all the recording software choices? Been using the same DAW for a while and feel like it’s time to switch it up? Haven’t started recording your music because you don’t have the right gear? If so, this episode is a MUST LISTEN because we’re breaking down the pros and cons of a variety of recording softwares and demystifying this often overwhelming decision.
If you’re curious what software Isobel uses, you also won’t be disappointed because inside you’ll learn her top favourite 3 DAWs and why, when and what she uses them for. And if you’re not even sure what a DAW is, don’t worry! We’re breaking all of this down, and more :)
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{02:31} What is a DAW?
{04:37} Why does it feel so hard to choose a DAW?
{13:24} Isobel's run-through of 7 popular DAWs
{36:58} Isobel's Top 3 DAWs
{39:21} Episode Summary
Check out Ableton Live >>
Check out Logic Pro X >>
Check out Pro Tools >>
Check out FL Studio >>
Check out Cubase >>
Check out Cakewalk >>
Check out GarageBand >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯♀️
---------------------------------------------------
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
It’s not easy growing a career in the arts but it’s down right tough if you’re living with a disability too. In this episode, Isobel is joined by journalist, digital producer and disabled rights activist Meg Fozzard to discuss the challenges disabled artists can face, the things the industry can do better and strategies Meg has developed over the years to grow her career whilst having a disability.
Inside, you’ll gain some really practical knowledge on things like access riders and funding but also hear how it felt for Meg to become disabled right after she’d graduated from university and was starting her career in the arts. Whether you’re a disabled artist, temporarily able artist or working to make music and the creative arts more inclusive, this episode is a must listen.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{05:02} Meg’s experience as a Producer
{06:51} The importance of recognising disability as being fluid
{10:16} Meg’s story of becoming disabled after graduating university
{19:18} Meg on how becoming disabled has impacted her work
{22:36} Meg’s advice to freelancers navigating the creative industries
{30:06} What is an access rider and how to write one
{33:57} Where are the creative industries getting things right in relation to disability access?
{35:24} Meg on her experience producing the podcast Equal Too
{39:28} How can able-bodied individuals support their disabled peers?
{42:16} Meg on the Access to Work scheme
{44:08} Organisations helping people with disabilities in the creative sector
{46:35} Episode Summary
Find out more about Meg Fozzard >>
Check out the charity Drake Music >>
Find out more about the UK government’s Access to Work scheme >>
Check out the Disabled Artists Networking Community >>
Ready to level up your music making with the powerful art of field recording? Download my new FREE Essential Gear Checklist to Start Field Recording With Your Smartphone >>
Loved this week's episode? Share it with a friend 👯♀️
---------------------------------------------------
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 >>
The podcast currently has 118 episodes available.
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