Girls Twiddling Knobs

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Are you worried about financing your music making as we head into the next few months? Listen up because this Golden Nugget episode has some amazing advice inside. We’re going back to a conversation Isobel had in EP#58 with one of her students, Sam Crane, about how she was able to access £3,000 of support to record her music all thanks to her newly acquired home recording skills.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{02:27} How applying for funding can give you clarity as an artist
{05:46} Sam's top tips for a successful application
{09:07} Episode summary

Listen to Sam's music here >>

Listen to the full original episode HERE >>

And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend.

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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

Thinking of making a musical change of direction? This Golden Nugget episode is for you. Inside, Isobel takes you through a powerful exercise from EP#46 to get clarity on whether this is the right thing for you as an artists and what a musical change-up might look like for you as an individual.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{02:02} When would you change direction in your music?
{03:40} Why would you change direction in your music?
{05:18} What happens next?
{06:25} A simple, powerful exercise to help you change musical direction
{10:12} Episode summary

Listen to the full original episode HERE >>

And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend.

—----------------------------

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

Explore more episodes here.

Listen on Spotify.

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community >>

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

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 worry that making music is all too trivial in comparison to the serious challenges we're facing these days?

Welcome to the first of a new feature here on Girls Twiddling Knobs - bite sized takeaways from the podcast archive showcasing a tip, technique or hit of inspiration that we're calling Golden Nuggets.

Inside this first episode, Isobel delves back to EP#06 to share a fresh perspective on why making music is vital right now, precisely because of the challenges we're facing.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{00:00} Intro
{02:31} What value has music had in your hardest, darkest times?
{04:49} Why your music is important and needs to be shared
{05:59} It's not an 'either-or' choice, it's a 'both-and' choice
{06:51} Are you giving in to your inner critic?

Listen to the full original episode HERE >>

And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and share it with a friend.

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

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 role of a music manager can be pretty tough; not only do you have all the hopes and dreams of your artists wheying heavy on your shoulders but you also do all the hard-ball industry negotiations and career strategising too - none of which you can ever be sure will actually work out.

But as well as this, today's guest, Vanessa Threadgold, was also faced with an even bigger challenge throughout her career: how to make sure her female artists were protected against studio environments that, at worst, were unwelcoming and, at worst, down right exploitative and abusive.

Inside this episode, Vanessa shares how this question led her to co-found Cactus City, a music studio and social enterprise helping women to have safer studio experiences and more opportunities to build a profitable music career too. 

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{07:21} How Vanessa found her career in the music industry
{18:07} Redefining success as a musician
{33:41} What led Vanessa to set up Cactus City and create a safe recording space for women
{52:15} In what other ways does Cactus City cultivate positive change in the music industry?
{55:44} Maintaining a healthy work-life balance
{01:23:26} How to start monetising your music
{01:32:30} Ways to keep updated and get involved with Cactus City
{01:33:59} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Fancy making your own safe studio space at home? Download my FREE 3 Step Guide To Sound Treating Your Home Recording Space >>

Find out more about Cactus City >>

Music Royalties Explained >>

PRS for Music (UK performing right body) >>

PPL (UK master rights body) >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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

After dropping out of studying drama and visual art, Mel Uye-Parker started picking up multi-track recorders, recording vocals in studios, writing songs for other artists and eventually studying recording and composition. Now, she’s an artist with over two decades under her belt and programme leader of ICMP’s Creative Music Production MA.

Inside this episode Isobel gets to hear about all of this as well as how Mel’s identity as a black, gay woman has shaped her experience of the wider white-hetero dominant culture of music production. Mel also shared about the music she’s making today, including a new release under her artist project, OMOTE.

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Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:42} Musical identity
{16:00} How Mel got into music production
{32:08} Experiencing imposter syndrome as a producer
{37:54} Has Mel’s identity affected her experience as an artist and an educator?
{55:08} Mel’s new project ‘OMOTE’
{01:05:58} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Find out more about Mel’s work >>
Follow the OMOTE project on Instagram >>  

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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 terms signal flow and signal chain are widely used in music production and audio engineering. But unless you’ve formally studied this area or spent time learning the ropes in a recording studio, you may not be as familiar with what they mean or how they work.

Inside this episode, Isobel breaks down the basic components of both and how they relate to making music inside a DAW at home. You’ll also find out the three most common issues you can stumble across in your signal flow and chain and how to fix them too.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey, admin support from Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{03:59} Intro
{05:06} Where does the term ‘signal flow’ originate?
{07:13} What is a modern definition of a ‘signal chain in music recording?
{08:53} Three common signal flow/chain issues & how to fix them?
{12:30} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Download Isobel’s 10 FREE Tools to Start Recording Your Music From Home PDF Guide >>

Understanding The Audio Signal Chain, read the article on giveanote.com >>

Signal Chain: Order of Operations, read the article on iZotope.com >>

Signal Flow, read the article on SoundGirls.com >>

Signal Chain: How to Put Your Effects in the Right Order, read the article on Landr.com >>

How To Troubleshoot Your Signal Path, read the article on Sweetwater.com >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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

Not many producers enter into the industry at quite the rate or age that this week’s guest did, but at just 21 years old, Charlie Deakin Davies was already producing countless artists, winning prestigious awards and producing the audio for Balcony TV.

Fast forward to now, and after two years working as one of Gary Barlow’s in-house songwriters and producers, Charlie has an established career working with some of today’s hottest musicians and bands. Alongside this, Charlie has co-founded the Trans Creative Collective, drawing from their own experience as gender non-binary and wanting to create more opportunities for other trans creatives.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{03:04} Intro
{05:18} Charlie’s journey into music production
{13:44} How they began working with Gary Barlow
{21:52} Their experience of working in the industry as non-binary
{35:48} A day in the life of a Music Producer
{52:00} Tips on how to secure work as a producer
{01:03:08} The Trans Creative Collective
{01:19:25} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Are you ready to find your perfect vocal mic? Take the 45 second quiz now >>

Find out more about Charlie’s work >>

Check out the Trans Creative Collective on Instagram >>

Watch the Abbey Road #TransDayOfVisibility documentary >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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 Rookes started making music, she didn’t have a clear plan but over the course of the last few years she’s not only forged an impressive career as a music producer, but co-founded a thriving community of other women in music tech too.

Inside this episode she talks to Isobel about how she started learning to self-produce as an artist and the allies that helped her cut her music production teeth. She also shares how her awareness of gender inequalities in the field led her and friend, Kate Tavini, to founding 2% Rising: an online community for women in production and studio engineering.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:30} Jenny’s pathway into music
{17:22} How Jenny learned to self-produce her music
{25:23} Tackling the gender imbalance in the music industry
{36:35} How 2% Rising came to formation and is transforming the careers of women in music
{57:59} Building a safe community to learn and connect
{01:08:25} What’s coming up next for Jenny?
{01:13:23} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Find out more about Rookes and her music >>

Check out 2% Rising >>

Find out more about the ‘We Move’ Music Hackspace events series >>

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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 might imposter syndrome affect your ability to record and release your music? Well, that’s probably pretty self explanatory. But inside this week’s episode actually looks at how recording and production skills may offer women a way of overcoming this tricky phenomenon.

Isobel also unpacks what Imposter syndrome is, how it might affect people in the creative Industries and, more specifically, women in music too. FInally, Isobel tackles the biggest Imposter syndrome trap you still might fall into, even after getting some much needed recording and production know-how.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{04:56} What is Imposter Syndrome?
{07:02} How does it manifest for women in music?
{09:23} Examples of female musicians who experience Imposter Syndrome
{12:24} How learning to record and produce yourself can dispell Imposter Syndrome
{15:37} But don't lots of female musicians feel  imposter syndrome around recording and
producing their music, isobel?
{18:46} The biggest trap to avoid, even so
{19:35} Episode Summary

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: A Study by Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes >>

Imposter syndrome affects 87% of people in the creative industries >>

Sherelle’s interview with Mixmag >>

Ashnikko’s interview with Forbe’s >>

Lady Gaga: 'I still feel like a kid in high school' >>

Home Recording Academy: Student Stories of Transformation >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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

Senem Pirler is a New York based, Turkish born, sound artist and academic whose practice is all about connection; Whether it's humans, plants or seemingly inanimate objects, Senem has a knack of finding ways to question profound ideas around identity, belonging and being present in the world.

Inside this week’s episode, Isobel gets the chance to hear how Senem started training as a classical pianist, then worked as a sound engineer and, eventually, studied for a PhD in electronic arts at Rensselaer under none other than the late Pauline Oliveros. In 2018, Senem was the recipient of The Malcolm S. Morse Graduate Research Enhancement Award to support her in honouring the work of her mentor Oliveros and Deep Listening.

Girls Twiddling Knobs is hosted and produced by Isobel Anderson with production support from Jade Bailey and Francesca O’Connor and is a Female DIY Musician Production.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
{0:00} Intro
{5:06} Let’s meet Senem Pirler
{9:44} How she got started in music technology and sound design
{13:38} Working with Pauline Oliveros
{25:49} Entanglement and Queer Theory
{30:40} Collaborations: ‘Unearthly Vibrations’ and ‘Moved in Light’
{44:46} Senem’s software recommendations
{49:13} Episode Summary

Other Notes:

• Correction: Senem connected the Neve Console.
• Instead of performing 'The Witness', Claire Chase, Susie Ibarra and Senem performed Pauline's other score titled '13 Changes'. Watch the video documentation here >>
  
  

Girls Twiddling Knobs listeners get 10% off iZotope's award-winning audio plugins and a 30 day free trial of their incredible Music Production Suite 4.1. Just use the code GIRLSPOD10 here >>

Download my 10 FREE Tools to Start Recording Your Music guide >>

Find out more about Senem and her work >>

Find out more about the Pauline Oliveros documentary >>

Listen to the episode here
Listen on Spotify

Join the Girls Twiddling Knobs Podcast Community here >>

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

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.