Home Studio Recordings

About Home Studio Recordings

Why I Built This Site

I'm Tim Strat, founder and editor-in-chief of Home Studio Recordings. I've spent more than 20 years in the music industry — recording, mixing, and sound design — and somewhere along the way I got tired of reading gear "reviews" written by people who'd clearly never plugged in a microphone.

When I started recording out of my own space, I struggled with the same things most people do: room modes, gain staging, picking a budget interface that didn't sound like a toy. There wasn't a resource that gave straight, hands-on answers instead of recycled marketing copy — so I built one. Home Studio Recordings started as a place to share what I'd actually learned, and it's grown into a full library of equipment reviews, recording tutorials, and free tools, with help from other working engineers and producers along the way.

My Philosophy on Audio Engineering

I believe "studio-quality" sound isn't about owning the most expensive gear — it's about understanding how to use what you already have. You can record professional results in a spare bedroom, a closet, or a treated corner of a living room if you understand the signal chain and the room you're working in.

That philosophy shapes everything we publish:

  • We Prioritize Hands-On Testing. Wherever possible, we put gear to work in a real recording environment ourselves rather than just reading spec sheets. When that's not feasible for every product, we lean on a mix of manufacturer documentation, verified user feedback, and our own engineering background to give you an honest read — and we're upfront in each review about which is which.
  • We Focus on the "Why." We don't just tell you what to buy — we explain the signal flow, the acoustic theory, and the technical reasoning behind every recommendation, whether that's in our audio interface buying guide or our breakdown of what gain staging actually does.
  • Transparency Over Sponsorship. Home Studio Recordings participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which helps keep the site running, but affiliate revenue never buys a positive review. If a product has a real flaw, we say so — full details are in our Affiliate Disclosure.

Transparency, authenticity, and genuine hands-on experience are the standards we hold every article to — no gatekeeping, no fluff.

Meet the Team

Tim Strat — Founder & Editor-in-Chief I've spent 20+ years working across recording, mixing, and sound design, collaborating with artists and engineers throughout the industry. My focus on this site is the practical side of home recording: signal flow, acoustic treatment, and helping people avoid wasting money on gear that doesn't fit their setup.

  • My DAW of choice: Logic Pro X
  • Current studio highlights: Solid State Logic 2+
  • Where to find my work: Spotify
  • Connect with me on LinkedIn

James Quinn — Writer, Engineer & Musician James has worked in the industry for over 10 years with both mainstream and independent artists, and is known for shaping a distinctive sound in the records he works on. He's also a musician himself, often contributing guitar or bass to the projects he engineers — which shows up in how he writes about recording technique on this site.

How We Keep Information Accurate

The audio gear market moves fast — new interfaces, discontinued mics, DAW updates that change a workflow overnight. That's why we regularly revisit and update our own recommendations, from our audio interface and studio monitor guides to our acoustic treatment tutorials, to make sure they reflect current 2026 standards. When something is discontinued or a piece of software changes the game, we update the article — we don't leave you working from outdated advice.

If you want to test your own setup or ears while you read, try our free tools: the Studio Room Mode Calculator, the Frequency Ear Training Quiz, or the Online Mic Test.

Let's Connect

We love hearing from other producers. If you have a question about a specific piece of gear, you're stuck on a mix, or you think you have content (articles, gear, interviews, studio photos) worth sharing with our audience, reach out:

Last Updated: June 26, 2026