Girls Twiddling Knobs

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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
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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.

Watch this episode on YouTube

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Send us Fan Mail

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

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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

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

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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

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

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

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

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
Listen on Spotify here

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

What kind of producer’s repertoire stretches from Rod Stewart to UK Garage? Not everyone can answer that question, but SJAE certainly can. Inside this week’s episode, Isobel talks to the LA based Welsh producer about her career to date, how lockdown has affected her music and her pro production tip - you’re going to love this episode.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{02:22} Making music during a pandemic
{04:36} How SJAE got started in music
{09:23} Producing her first professional record
{13:00} Overcoming ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and self-doubt
{20:08} Making mistakes and moving on
{25:27} Trusting your instinct
{28:04} Life in LA
{33:46} Working with Rod Stewart
{42:13} Transitioning into composing and producing for TV & Film
{46:00} Top 3 tips for getting started in recording and production

Download my FREE PDF guide, 10 FREE Tools To Start Recording Your Music HERE >>

Links to the equipment mentioned in this episode:
Waves CLA Vocals Plugin >>

Check out SJae’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

With so many options out there to start recording your music, but it can be hard to know where to start. Inside this week’s episode Isobel pulls back the curtain on her own home recording space and breaks down the key components you want to consider when you’re self-recording your music.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00}  Intro
{3:27}  Choosing your home-recording space
{6:35}  Sound Treatment 101
{11:15}  Selecting your headphones and monitors
{14:54}  Isobel’s microphones
{17:24}  Isobel’s audio Interface
{18:34}  Isobel’s DAWs


Download your FREE 3-Step PDF Guide to Sound Treating your Recording Space HERE >>

Check out my video walkthrough of my own home-recording space HERE >>

Links to the equipment mentioned in this episode:
FOAM PANELS
Pro-coustix Ultraflex Wedge >>

HEADPHONES
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Headphones >>
Seinheisser Headphones >>

MICROPHONES
RODE NT USB >>
Sure SM58 >>
Neumann TLM 102 >> 
Aston Spirit Multipattern Condenser >>
Zoom H4n Pro >>

AUDIO INTERFACE
Scarlett 2i2 Audio interface >>

DAWs
Pro Tools >>
Ableton Live >>

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

If you’ve ever felt totally overwhelmed by all the techniques and tools there are to master in order to record your own music, this episode is for you. Inside, Isobel shares why striving for ‘getting it all right’ may be exactly where you’re going wrong.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro and competition details!
{3:25} The most destructive recording and production misconceptions
{5:23} Why these are particularly harmful to female identifying musicians
{9:22} Why these misconceptions exist
{12:10} How this could be affecting your recording process & output
{17:42} Why there’s another way

Fancy winning a £50 gift voucher to spend on home-recording equipment?
All you have to do to enter is:

1. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes 
2. Share a screenshot on instagram and/or Facebook and tag The Female DIY Musician. 

Listen to the episode HERE
Listen on Spotify HERE
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

Ever wondered about the process of scoring for film and TV? Inside this 2nd Episode  of the podcast, Isobel talks to self taught film and TV composer Victoria Wijeratne about her career to date. We also hear her top three tips for writing to picture so this is a MUST listen for any budding film composers.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{02:40}  Victoria’s approach to textures in her music and her ‘hybrid’ practice
{07:26}  Victoria’s top 3 tips for getting started writing to picture
{24:42}  Making music during lockdown
{30:50}  Victoria’s creative process when writing for film and TV
{36:54}  Collaboration and losing your ego
{40:40}  The stripped back recording set-up in Victoria’s minimal home-studio
{51:05}  The feeling you get when you record in studios
{58:40}  Mastering in the film and TV composing process

Fancy winning a £50 gift voucher to spend on home-recording equipment?
All you have to do to enter is:

1. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes 
2. Share a screenshot on instagram and/or Facebook and tag The Female DIY Musician. 

You can check out Victoria’s music HERE

Links for the equipment we mention in the podcast too:
Archive website (free library of moving image)AKAI MIDI Keyboard >>
RODE Microphones >>

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

What does a two hour daily commute across London, the break of the internet and a quarter life crisis have to do with recording and releasing music? Inside this first episode of Girls Twiddling Knobs, Isobel shares her own journey into taking back control as a womxn in music.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{03:37} Isobel shares why she was never comfortable being a cog in the music industry machine
{07:10} When Isobel realised “no one was coming”
{13:03} Why self-doubt can be the biggest obstacle for women in music
{15:52} Self-recording lead to self-releasing, and suddenly something clicked
{17:40} Feeling in control of the recording and releasing process
{19:55} The all illusive Spotify royalties
{22:45} Finding the right path for you as an individual musician
{23:45} Summary and competition details!!

Fancy winning a £50 gift voucher to spend on home-recording equipment? 

All you have to do to enter is:

1. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes 
2. Share a screenshot on instagram and/or Facebook and tag The Female DIY Musician.

Listen to Isobel’s music on Spotify HERE >>
Find out more about Isobel’s creative practice over on her website 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.