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Articles by Stuart Black
Renting Out Your Home Studio by the Hour: What to Agree On
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Before the first booking, settle seven things with every renter: the price and minimum block, the deposit, the cancellation rule, what the hourly rate includes, who pays for damage, who owns the session files, and who is allowed in the room.
7 Smart Home Studio Design Ideas for a More Creative and Productive Workspace
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! A useful home studio makes recording, editing, and listening easier. It starts with a room arrangement that suits the work: equipment within reach, clear floor space, sensible speaker placement, and a place to put accessories when a session ends.
Healthcare marketing is back in the Effies. Now let’s make it count.
It’s taken a while, but Healthcare Marketing has a dedicated category once again at the Australian Effie Awards. For the uninitiated, the ‘Effies’ are run by Advertising Council Australia. The awards assess marketing campaigns across numerous categories and are judged by senior industry leaders, marketers, and researchers. Tonight, the Australian advertising industry will gather in Sydney to celebrate the campaigns that have delivered demonstrable results. It’s a welcome return.
Why this Awards comeback matters
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Lewitt LW6 Review: Does Wireless Finally Make Sense In The Studio?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… I’ve largely stopped getting excited about new headphones.
Do Curtains Help With Echo? Acoustic Curtains, Soundproofing, and What Actually Works
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Short answer: Heavy custom curtains can absorb a meaningful amount of mid- and high-frequency sound, making them useful for reducing echo, flutter, and harsh reflections from glass. However, they are not a substitute for soundproofing.
From Gaming Hobby to Side Hustle: Building a Better Audio Setup
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Gaming can remain a hobby while giving you a useful starting point for creative work. If you already spend time playing, talking with friends, analyzing matches, or following new releases, you already have material that can become videos, streams, reviews, tutorials, podcasts, or commentary.
Acer OHR703 Review: Big Bass, But At What Cost?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… When you hear the name Acer, headphones probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. Laptops? Sure. Monitors? Absolutely. But audio? That’s what made the OHR703 interesting to me from the start.
Fosi Audio C3 Review: Is StepSense Worth The Hype?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
FiiO K17 Review: Worth $1000?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so.. The FiiO K17 sits at the top of the company’s desktop DAC/amp lineup, bringing flagship features, enormous power, and enough inputs and outputs to satisfy even the most deranged audiophile.
NF ACOUS NM25 Review: Can An IEM Be Too Accurate?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… When you hear the word “monitor,” certain things should immediately come to mind.
Adam Audio T7V Review: Better Than The Yamaha HS7?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… I’ve been using the Yamaha HS7 for a few years, but recently got a chance to try Adam Audio’s T7V.
Why Your Headphones Decide More Competitive Games Than Your Aim Does
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Most competitive gaming advice starts and ends with the same three things: aim trainers, mouse sensitivity, and monitor refresh rate. Audio gets a footnote, if it gets mentioned at all. That has always struck me as backwards.
Beyerdynamic DT900 Pro X Review: Mixing Meets Musicality
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Beyerdynamic’s DT900 Pro X sits in an interesting middle ground between the previously reviewed DT770 Pro X and DT990 Pro X.
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro X Review: Precision Over Passion
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Beyerdynamic’s DT770 Pro X aims to continue a tradition of excellence in build quality, comfort, tuning, and overall sound. Positioned as an update to the venerable DT770, it looks strikingly similar.
Edifier MR5 Review: Honest Sound, Outstanding Value
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… The Edifier MR5 is an affordable powered studio monitor aimed at beginners, content creators, and home studio enthusiasts looking for accurate sound without spending a fortune.
The Best Headphones For Tracking & Recording
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… When it comes to the best headphones for tracking & recording, the most important consideration to make is isolation.
How To Use Compression In FL Studio (Beginner’s Guide)
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Compression is one of the most misunderstood tools in music production. Ask a beginner what it does, and you’ll likely hear something about making tracks louder.
Fosi Audio MD3 Review: A Different Kind Of DAC
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s review will cover Fosi Audio’s MD3, a small portable Amplifier + DAC combo meant for listening to music with a pair of headphones. We’ll cover build quality, features, performance, and more.
Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro X Review: A Modernized Classic
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Beyerdynamic’s DT990 Pro X is a well-built, comfortable over-ear headphone with excellent tuning, great resolution, and above-average soundstage.
OneOdio Studio Max 2 Review: Better Than The Original?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s article covers OneOdio’s Studio Max 2, a headphone purportedly meant for, you guessed it, studio work. But does it work well for such a purpose?
Top 7 Beginner Guitar Playing Mistakes to Avoid
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! You pick up your first guitar full of excitement. Yet that excitement can disappear surprisingly quickly when your fingers start hurting, the strings buzz, and your recordings sound nothing like what you hear on YouTube.
Learning Piano As An Adult: Why It’s More Doable Than You Think
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Cover image: Handmrts My cousin picked up the piano at 41. She’d been saying “maybe someday” for about fifteen years before she finally just did it. Her first few months were rough — she’d text me photos of her hand positions, asking if they looked right. But two years later, she plays things I genuinely couldn’t do.
Best Headphones for Music Production in 2026 (Mixing & Recording Guide)
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Good equipment is necessary for music production. Although microphones, plugins, and audio interfaces come to mind first, headphones are equally crucial. Your mixing and recording choices, as well as your overall listening accuracy, can be enhanced with a quality pair of studio headphones.
NUBWO HD01 Review: 7506 Clone Done Better?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s NUBWO HD01 review will cover build quality, comfort, sound, amplification needs, genre pairing, a comparison to a familiar favorite, and more.
Melodies That Move Us: Why Music Feels So Personal
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Image: Pixabay You can hardly come across a person who isn’t passionate about music, at least to some extent. You don’t need to be a professional musician to feel the strength and power that it brings. Music, to most people, is deeply personal.
Apos x Community Rock Lobster Review: A Hit & Miss Proposition
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s review will cover the Apos x Community Rock Lobster, an IEM supposedly tuned for Metal, Rock, Indie, & Punk. We’ll cover build quality, comfort, sound, amplification needs, and more.
How to Get Your First Paid Gig as a Home Recording Engineer
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! The job of a recording engineer contains a lot of interesting tasks. These professionals use different techniques and electronic equipment to record, mix, manipulate, and edit sound for different media productions.
How Small Gear Upgrades Can Improve Live Performance Stability for Guitarists
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Live performances require confidence, concentration, and quality equipment. Guitarists practice hours and hours, and still, one technical problem can destroy a performance. A loose cable, a poor power supply, or a broken pedal can cut your sound. These might sound like minor issues, but they aren’t.
Beyerdynamic DT270 Pro Review: Viable Option For Studio Use?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s Beyerdynamic DT270 review will cover build quality, comfort, sound, practical applications like mixing/EQ, some comparisons to other closed-back headphones I have here, and more.
What is Headphone Impedance? [Definitive Guide]
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! This is part 1 in a series on Headphones and Their Drivers. What is Headphone Impedance? (You are here) What is Sensitivity in Headphones? What is Output Impedance? What is a Headphone Driver? What is a Planar Magnetic Driver? Hi friend and Welcome! What is Headphone Impedance?
Fosi Audio DS3 Review: An Upgrade Over DS2?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greets mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Today’s Fosi Audio DS3 review will cover build, features, performance, a comparison to their DS2, and more. By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll know if it’s worth a purchase.
11 Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Home Studio Workflow
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Building a home recording studio is an exciting leap. It promises creative freedom, endless tinkering, and the ability to capture inspiration the moment it strikes.
How to Build a Simple Home Recording Setup for Students on a Budget
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! You don’t need access to a commercial studio to get your tracks sounding good. Home recording setup for beginners lets students turn ideas into rough demos or completed projects without an investment in costly hardware.
NF ACOUS NH20 Review: Warm-Leaning, Detailed, and Studio-Ready
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Secure Recording: Keeping Your Digital Audio Files Safe
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Image: Pixabay The act of producing audio is inherently creative. It involves transforming an idea into something that can be heard, often using a computer as the primary tool for recording, editing, and mixing.
SOUNDPEATS Air5 Pro+ Review: Strong Resolution, Imperfect Tuning
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… In this SOUNDPEATS Air5 Pro+ Review, we’ll cover build quality, comfort, features & connectivity, sound, ease of use, and more. By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll know if it’s a smart investment.
FiiO KA11 Review: The Tiny DAC That Might Surprise You
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Fosi Audio IM4 Review: Big Resolution On A Small Budget?
>AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… What’s the deal with Fosi Audio’s IM4? Does it sound good? Is it built well? Should you buy it? Today we’ll review it and find out. By the end of this article, you’ll know if it’s worth a purchase.
FiiO FT1 Pro Review: The Truth About “Pro” Headphones
2 >AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… There’s quite a large handful of trash that gets slapped with the “Pro” moniker these days, but what about the FT1 Pro? Is FiiO just another copycat company trying to cut corners and circumvent the truth?
Fifine Ampligame SC8 Review: A Hit And Miss Proposition?
2 >AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. As an eBay affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. Don't forget to share if you found it helpful! Greetings mate and Welcome aboard! Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so… Is Fifine’s Ampligame SC8 a viable option for producers working inside FL Studio? Does it work with other DAWs that support ASIO4ALL? And how does it fare as strictly an audio interface or gaming DAC?
Stable isotope analysis of ectoparasites as a tool for understanding trophic interactions with mammalian hosts
INTRODUCTION Despite their prevalence and role in the transmission cycle of vector-borne diseases, the exact role of parasites within ecological food webs remains poorly understood (Sabadel et al., 2019; Thieltges et al., 2019).
Scotland at Aqua Nor: Innovation, collaboration and a bold vision for the blue economy
Published 27/08/2025 by Stuart Black 3 min read Marine and aquaculture By Stuart Black, Chief Executive, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Last week I had the opportunity to visit Trondheim, Norway, which served as the host for the world’s premier aquaculture show with 25,000 visitors from 80 countries. The event brought together leading businesses from across the globe to showcase a diverse range of innovative solutions shaping the future of the industry.
Celebrating 60 years - shaping the future of the Highlands and Islands
Published 22/08/2025 by Stuart Black 3 min read Economy Innovation By Stuart Black, Chief Executive of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) This year marks a milestone for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) as we celebrate 60 years since the founding of the Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB), HIE’s predecessor, in 1965. It gives us a moment to reflect on six decades of transformation, innovation and resilience across our region.
The blood-sucking tick Ixodes hexagonus reveals dietary stable isotope signatures of mammalian hosts
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Mortier GG, Black S, Kitchener AC, Sainsbury KA, McDonald RA, Hantke G, et al. (2025) The blood-sucking tick Ixodes hexagonus reveals dietary stable isotope signatures of mammalian hosts. PLoS One 20(7): e0327245.
From energy to enterprise: highlights from my visit to Orkney
On Thursday and Friday last week, I had the pleasure of visiting Orkney, meeting with businesses, partners and community representatives who are all playing a vital role in shaping its economic future. My visit began with a discussion of current issues with HIE’s local team including our area team leader in Orkney, Ruth Kirkpatrick and area manager for Orkney and Shetland, Katrina Wiseman.
How we revealed the life story of PG Tips chimp - written in her bones Original
Chimpanzees helped to make PG Tips tea famous with their iconic TV ads in the 1970s. But what happened to these animals afterwards? Our new study, using techniques previously used only on human remains, reveals the fascinating life story of Choppers, a celebrity chimpanzee, also known as Ada Lott from the PG Tips ads. Zoos have transformed over the last century. They once focused on entertainment, but in the UK zoos now have a greater emphasis on education, conservation, research and welfare.
The return of raptors to Scotland’s skies: Investigating the diets of reintroduced red kites and white-tailed eagles using stable isotopes
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Citation: Waterman J, Black S, Sykes N, Kitchener AC, Mills WF, Fellowes MDE (2025) The return of raptors to Scotland’s skies: Investigating the diets of reintroduced red kites and white-tailed eagles using stable isotopes. PLoS ONE 20(1): e0315945.
A3 conference shows worldwide reach of region’s life sciences sector
Published 19/09/2024 by Stuart Black 2 min read Life Sciences Economy Innovation Food and Drink Inward Investment If you want to get a feel for the Highlands and Islands’ place on the global life sciences map, look no further than the A3 conference taking place in Inverness this week (18 and 19 September). We have 200 guests from countries as far afield as Argentina, Spain, Germany, Bolivia, China, Norway, Switzerland, and all across the UK.
What we saw in Skye and Raasay
Published 10/09/2024 by Stuart Black 5 min read Economy Community development It’s always a valuable experience to see first-hand the impacts of some of HIE’s investments, especially in more rural and island parts of the region, and the wider context of these investments. This week our chairman Alistair Dodds and I took the opportunity to visit Skye and Raasay, with Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross area manager Alastair Nicolson. On Wednesday, we made four stops.
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