---
title: "Input To Put In with Dana Roth"

description: "SF-based animator, bass player, composer and producer, Dana Roth brings groove to everything she creates. We talked about the rhythm of visuals, of illustrations, and of course, bass guitar. Her debut album, Airship, absolutely rips, as does everything else she spends her time on — including this episode!"

status: complete

date: 2026-06-23

kind: guest

guestSlugs:
  - dana-roth

listenUrl: "https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/Input-To-Put-In-with-Dana-Roth-e3l2jpv"
spotifyUrl: "https://open.spotify.com/episode/4WBNmewhbc3bXWlicM6hsu"
appleUrl: "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/input-to-put-in-with-dana-roth/id1567355195?i=1000773849975&uo=4"

topicsDiscussed:
  - "Bass"
  - "The pandemic"
  - "Collaboration"
  - "Creativity"
  - "Animation timed to music and DIY music videos"
  - "Berklee burnout and self-taught animation"
  - "Debut album Airship"
  - "Music school vs. learning on your own"
  - "Trust and groove in bass sessions"
  - "Rhythm in visuals and illustration"

hostNote: |
  **Dana Roth** is an SF animator, bassist, composer, and producer whose groove shows up in visuals and sound alike. She graduated **Berklee** in 2020 straight into the pandemic, burned out on music for a minute, and taught herself animation — which looped her back to bass, her debut album **Airship**, and a practice where rhythm in picture and rhythm in the pocket keep feeding each other.
  
  We talk through learning animation vs. music school, the chaos of making your own music videos, trusting collaborators to let you be yourself on bass, and why putting a soundtrack on something makes the whole thing feel more magical.

selectedMoments:
  - label: "Bass first, Berklee 2016–2020"
    startSec: 91
    note: "Started on bass, studied at Berklee, graduated into COVID and Zoom finals."
  - label: "School burnout → animation"
    startSec: 137
    note: "Post-Berklee burnout; COVID gave her time to finally learn animation."
  - label: "Rhythm in animation timing"
    startSec: 225
    note: "Music training shapes how she times frames to the beat."
  - label: "Chaotic but intentional music videos"
    startSec: 290
    note: "Making her own visuals — conscious of animation rhythm against the track."
  - label: "Animation is slow and expensive"
    startSec: 412
    note: "How long a short actually takes vs. what audiences assume."
  - label: "The emotional rollercoaster of creating"
    startSec: 588
    note: "Self-doubt vs. other people's apparent intentionality."
  - label: "Music school vs. teaching yourself"
    startSec: 720
    note: "Formal training, mentors, and becoming your own weird version of the craft."
  - label: "Animation community ↔ music community"
    startSec: 902
    note: "Overlap between her visual work and the players she records with."
  - label: "Trust on bass — give more when you're yourself"
    startSec: 1802
    note: "When a collaborator wants her voice, not a generic part."
  - label: "Airship and where to find Dana"
    startSec: 2348
    note: "Debut album, Instagram, animation + music."

excerptQuotes:
  - text: "I started as a bass player pretty much... I went to Berklee College of Music, started 2016. I graduated 2020 into the pandemic..."
    startSec: 89
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I had a bit of a school Berklee burnout... I always kind of wanted to learn how to animate but never had the time, and this was like again COVID so I just went for it."
    startSec: 148
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I think people who do this are very conscious of it, but I just try to bring this extra level of like being conscious of the timing of the animation and how it relates to the music."
    startSec: 298
    reviewed: true
  - text: "I don't know, I sometimes have this idea that other people are like more intentional. I can envision the thing and like get there."
    startSec: 687
    reviewed: true
  - text: "But I guess it's just part of it, like learning something completely on your own can allow you to learn in your own specific way and you can kind of become like your own weird version of that thing."
    startSec: 810
    reviewed: true
  - text: "When I feel trusted and when I feel like someone wants me to do myself, I feel like I do give more."
    startSec: 1802
    reviewed: true
  - text: "It's just so powerful and incredible and it can... put a soundtrack to it, everything becomes so much more magical and beautiful."
    startSec: 2299
    reviewed: true
  - text: "My album Airship is on all platforms find me on Instagram, I do animation, I do music..."
    startSec: 2348
    reviewed: true

faq:
  - question: "What is Dana Roth's background in music and animation?"
    answer: "Dana Roth is an animator, bass player, and composer who studied at Berklee College of Music and developed her animation skills during the pandemic."
  - question: "How did COVID-19 impact Dana Roth's creative process?"
    answer: "During the pandemic, Dana experienced burnout from music, prompting her to explore animation, which led to a revival of her passion for music."
  - question: "What is Dana Roth's debut album 'Airship' about?"
    answer: "'Airship' reflects Dana's unique sound and artistic vision, integrating her skills in both music and animation."

transcriptPublished: false

draft: false
---