Girls Twiddling Knobs

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In this week’s episode Isobel chats with post-production audio engineer Emma Butt about a fascinating piece of research she published recently into lack of diversity within the field of  post-production sound in UK television. Emma shares why and how she took on this important project, her career to date and her ambitious plans for creating more diversity in her industry moving forward.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{02:52} Emma recalls experiencing sexism in her first job in live sound
{12:10} Not conforming doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong
{21:43} Studying sound engineering and beginning her career in TV post-production
{37:38} Emma explains her research findings into diversity within post-production roles
{55:26} Using her findings to launch a new scheme to ensure diversity in the industry
{01:01:28} Top tips for getting started
{01:04:23} Summary & next week’s teaser

Emma Butt Website >>

Emma’s article ‘Diversity in Post-Production Sound Roles in UK Television Production’ in Reprezentology (2020: 12-21) >>

Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity >>

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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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

The link between dyslexia and creativity is widely agreed, so it’s no surprise that many musicians are dyslexic. So far, so good. But could this form of neurodiversity change musicians’ experience of music tech, both in negative and positive ways? This isn’t a widely explored area of research, but inside this episode, Isobel explores if and how her dyslexia may, in fact, have had a profound impact upon her own music tech journey and why this might be the case for other musicians too.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & how to sound-treat your recording space
{02:27} Overview of this week’s episode
{04:37} What is dyslexia?
{08:58} How does dyslexia affect learning?
{18:32} My experience of having dyslexia as a composer and producer
{25:09} The broader impact of having dyslexia on making electronic music
{31:07} How does a dyslexic music producer make music?
{38:11} Summary & next week’s teaser

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

REFERENCES
British Dyslexia Association >>
Get a dyslexia screening test >>
N. Powell, et al., (2004). ‘Dyslexia and learning computer programming’, Innovation in Teaching and Learning in Information and Computer Sciences, 3(2), pp.1-12.
Jaarsma, B.S., Ruijssenaars, A.J.J.M. and Van den Broeck, W., (1998). Dyslexia and learning musical notation: A pilot study. Annals of Dyslexia, 48(1), pp.137-154.
Listen to Isobel’s album CHALK / FLINT >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

NOTE: Since recording this episode, Liz has changed their name to Eddie, and their pronouns to they/them.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve sometimes wished you had a little more confidence. This might be around technology, but it could also be to do with your creativity in general and even feeling able to ask questions when you’re learning new skills. Inside this week’s episode I’m joined by the wonderful Dr. Liz Dobson, who has researched into how creative spaces can become more diverse and collaborative, especially with regards to music tech.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & how to find your female producer spirit guide!
{03:25} Who is Dr. Liz Dobson and how did she get into music tech?
{10:07} Creating a positive and productive learning environment
{19:46} Yorkshire Sound Women Network
{25:48} Leading a female-only space
{34:02} How necessary is ‘confidence’ in music tech?
{40:02] Importance of learning in a supportive community
{48:28} Summary & next week’s teaser

Ready to discover your female producer spirit guide? Take the quiz now >>

Read more about the Yorkshire Sound Women Network >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

When I mention sample packs, who do you think they’re made by? Are you picturing a male producer, busting out some beets in his LA studio? Just me? This week, Isobel speaks with composer / producer Neeta Sarl about her work making sample packs for major music software brands, like Ampify, and how you can get started using these powerful, creative tools in your own music too. The best bit? You can start on your phone and you DON’T have to be an expert.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{03:15} When and how Neeta got started with music tech
{07:57} Becoming a full-time composer and producer
{10:48} Why you should be identifying yourself as a producer
{21:28} How Neeta takes the pressure out of social media and uses it for fun
{24:49} Sample packs: how to use, experiment and personalise them for your music
{42:30} Getting started with sample packs using just your phone!
{46:56} Summary & next week’s teaser

Rate and review the podcast and have a shout out from Isobel >>

Check out Ampify’s video documenting Neeta’s creative process in building sample packs >>

Listen to Neeta’s music here >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

It’s hard enough being an underrepresented group within any field. It’s even harder when your creation of alternative spaces for these groups to come together is questioned, or even trolled. Inside this week’s episode, Isobel shares the overall backlash to the premise of her recent free live, female only, workshop from a small minority of strangers on the internet, and why she even had to ban one of them all together. She also shares why she believes femxle-only spaces are crucial in making music technology more inclusive in the long-term.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & FINAL reminder for Home Recording Academy
{03:53} The premise of my free Live workshop
{04:51} How was the response and experience of participants?
{10:30} The backlash received from random people on the internet
{18:02} Why I banned one person
{24:24} The need for femxle only spaces to make music-technology more inclusive.
{29:50} Why Home Recording Academy is so unique in truly tackling the issue of diversity in music technology
{33:28} Summary & next week’s teaser

Enrolment for Home Recording Academy closes on Friday 12th at midnight GMT. Find out more and grab your spot here >>

REFERENCES
Best of The Hanforth Parish Council Planning & Environment committee >>
Equality and diversity FAQs, Birmingham University >>
Reflections from Professor Liz Dobson of her Huddersfield Go Compose & Yorkshire Sound Women Network summer schools >>
The Second Sound, book Edited by Julia Eckhardt and Leen De Graeve) >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

In this final episode in our 3 part series on overcoming your Music Tech Gremlins, Isobel is joined by Mayfair Lady (AKA Grace). Inside, Grace shares the discomfort she used to feel around music technology and the difficult situations she found herself in trusting other people to record her music for her. Now, she’s surprising herself and other people with the recordings she is making herself, from her own home studio. But how did she turn the corner and overcome her inner music tech gremlins? Find out inside...

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro & Home Recording Academy details!
{03:22} Overview of Grace’s journey and her artist project, Mayfair Lady
{06:08} The factors that held Grace back from home-recording for so long
{10:50} Experience of working with male producers
{13:05} How HRA was a game-changer for Grace
{15:34} Finding support, empowerment and new collaborations in the course community
{18:58} Using her music tech toolkit to record and release her debut single
{30:08} Grace’s advice on getting started and carving your own success
{34:49} Summary & next week’s teaser

Grab your spot on my FREE Live workshop 3 Key Secrets to Making Pro Recordings of your Music from Home HERE >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

We continue our Music Tech Gremlins 3 parter with a fascinating conversation with Laura Loft, a musician who has re-defined her career and launched a trail-blazing new project Big Emotions, made possible through her own home recording and production skills. But as Laura tells Isobel, music tech used to be the last thing she wanted to do as a musician. Now?  She’s opened up a whole new world both musically and career-wise too.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro and FREE Live Workshop details!
{03:52} How her music tech mindset stopped her from creating music
{13:30} Finding her love for recording with HRA
{22:40} How the female community improved Laura’s confidence
{32:48} Laura’s latest project ‘Big Emotions’
{38:20} Redefining success
{46:50} Summary & Part 3’s teaser

Grab your spot on my FREE Live workshop 3 Key Secrets to Making Pro Recordings of your Music from Home HERE >>

Laura’s project Big Emotions is well worth checking out. Just head to lauraloftmusic.com/big-emotions

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

How are your music tech gremlins these days? We’ve all got them: that nagging little voice telling us we should give up when our DAW decides it won't bounce out our track; that inner judgemental sneer when it takes us more than half an hour to work out what that plugin does. In this 3 part, Music Tech Gremlins special, Isobel chats with three Home Recording Academy alumni about how they’ve learned to make bold moves recording and sharing their music, despite their initial struggles with self-confidence. This first conversation is with the Belfast based musician, Paula Stevenson.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro and FREE Live Workshop details!
{06:31} Facing her fear of the Music Tech Gremlins
{11:10} How home-recording skills can give you confidence in the studio
{24:27} How a supportive female community helped Paula deal with technophobia
{32:07} Dealing with perfectionism and why we should never stop learning
{40:13} Summary and Part 2’s teaser

Enrol in Home Recording Academy and start recording your music yourself. Doors close February 12th >>

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

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
Listen on Spotify
Join the Female DIY Musician Tribe Community on Facebook

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

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

---------------------------------------------------

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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.