In Mix’s annual look at studio design, we present some of the most exciting new or refurbished recording studios that have opened during the past year. Included are innovative new workspaces for composers, musicians, engineers and producers all around the globe, presented in random order. Don’t pass up Part One!
SoundStudio412 | Candler, N.C.
Steven Durr Designs
SoundStudio412, founded by Garrett N. Derhofer, originally opened in January 2017 and then reopened in late 2024 with improvements implemented by Steve Durr of Steven Durr Designs and builder Justin Autrey. Built for musicians by musicians, the studio offers an acoustically neutral 715-squarefoot live room with a 130-squarefoot iso booth. The 260-square-foot control room houses a 48-channel Calrec S2 console and a “Voice of the Theater”-style monitor system incorporating Altec Lansing and Pioneer TAD components driven by Bryston amps. Bass traps, broadband absorbers and ceiling clouds ensure a flat and true control room listening environment. An extensive wiring infrastructure connecting hallways and an upstairs deck supports a variety of tracking options. A multi-camera video setup is available and is also used for remote sessions.
The Living Room Studios | Athens, Greece
Jeff Hedback, HdAcoustics
After a years-long search and design process involving owner Pat Mavromatis and Jeff Hedback of HdAcoustics, The Living Room Studios in Athens, Greece, has unveiled its new Dolby Atmos control room, which is also one of only eight Auro-3D mix-certified studios globally.
Room acoustics encompass an HdAcoustics custom-designed rear wall acoustical slat system with large in-room bass trapping soffits across the side and rear walls. A 48-channel D&R Cinemix II 5.1-surround analog console forms the centerpiece, with Kali Audio Atmos/Auro-3D immersive monitoring, plus a Barefoot Sound stereo pair. The immersive speaker layout, modeled by HdAcoustics, includes two subwoofers on the 13-foot ceiling at modal null locations.
Q Division Studios, Studio B | Cambridge, Mass.
Sonic-Space, Lou Clark
Designed primarily as a stereo and Atmos mix room, centered on an SSL XL Desk, Avid converters and a MTRX Studio, Studio B also features a small vocal and instrumental overdub booth. Sonic-Space’s Lou Clark worked with acoustic contractor Eric Pierce of Soundwall Construction and building architect Edrich VanBeuzekom of EvB Design on the project. The stereo (Neumann and Fulcrum) and Atmos (Neumann) monitors are hidden behind removable access panels. A custom upper-wall plywood panel system helps maintain sound energy in the room and scatter it off ceiling diffusion without reflecting energy back to the mix position. A couple of dozen tuned absorbers, including above the mix position, control room resonances below 150 Hz. The lounge houses a customized instrument storage system designed by Eric Pearce of Soundwall Construction.
Faro House | Jose Ignacio, Uruguay
WSDG
Musician, engineer and philanthropist Rodolfo Klenik opened Faro House, a high-end destination recording studio in picturesque Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, at the beginning of 2025. WSDG’s David Molho and the WSDG team—Sergio Molho, Silvia Molho, Leandro Kirjner, Federico Paez, Nahuel Zaccagnino, Martin Greco, Estefania Pontirolli and Jonathan Bickoff—utilized REDI Acoustics’ NIRO advanced acoustic prediction and modeling software for acoustic optimization of the space. At the center of the high-ceilinged, 365-square-foot control room is an Avid S1 controller with ATC main monitors and a Neumann immersive speaker system supporting Dolby Atmos, a first in Uruguay. Two large windows in the 670-square-foot live room, which holds up to eight people, provide views of the surrounding natural environment, or can be covered with motorized theatrical curtains.
