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Luxury destination studio provides the ideal getaway for A-List artists seeking total creative focus
36C Destination Studios is a private residential recording retreat for A-List artists looking for the ultimate creative getaway. Located inside a gated palatial estate on Lake Oconee, the combined studio complex and living space is a purposeful mix of high-end amenities and modern recording capabilities that together make for an inspiring and comfortable location for creativity. The studio is the brainchild of producer/engineer Evan Holland, who sought out elite studio design and integration team Malekpour Design Partners (MPD) to bring his concept for the ultimate, full-service destination studio into reality.
A serene creative retreat for A-list artists
Holland is a long-time resident and veteran of Atlanta’s recording community, and has seen the city’s musical profile rise over the past few decades. His concept for 36C grew out of a desire to provide the artists coming into town with a more private environment away from the increasing hustle and bustle crowding the city’s studios. “The artists I’m working with want a true ‘retreat’ space that is safe, private, and away from the typical ‘city studio’ experience which tends to be louder and involve a lot more people who may or may not be welcome in the creative process,” he explains. “I envisioned 36C as being this serene location out of the public eye and with elite level amenities and production capabilities. This promotes a better writing and production environment that lets the artists relax, create, and do their best work.”
“You come here and you get treated like family, and because it’s by referral only that’s a major value to these clients because they know they will truly have the place to themselves and be able to access the best of the best without having anyone looking over their shoulder.”
The amenities of 36C have all been carefully designed to keep everything close at hand and provide wellness and relaxation at every step. Guests also have access to an infinity pool, sauna, and an abundance of healthy food and drink options before they even step foot into the recording space. “I wanted it to feel like a mansion on the Italian coast and just make it abundantly clear that everything was taken care of from the moment they set foot on the property,” he says. “A-Listers have a lot of pressure and worries in their lives, and I wanted to eliminate it all so that the music is getting their full attention. Recording can be a very stressful experience and the music shows it at the end of the day. Setting up the environment properly makes a big difference for that.”
“When it came to the studio element, I wanted to explore a similar idea in the sense of it being a streamlined, high-end experience from top to bottom. I was familiar with MPD’s work from other studios I’d experienced with Augspurger Speakers, so they were the obvious choice to collaborate with.”
The total package for elite clientele
36C’s recording environment is built into an attic space on the property. Although this allowed it to be separated from the living and relaxation areas, it did present some initial challenges in terms of structure and acoustics. “I really gave them a ‘tough’ room to start with because of where it was and how the angles were set up made it a potential nightmare for the acoustics and integration,” Holland explains. “Dave and MPD set out to make the most of it, and developed a set of solutions that ultimately resulted in exactly what I needed – a tight and quiet recording space built for efficiency and the type of recording environment that serves my workflow.”
“I was very hands-on with the whole process, and ultimately we arrived at something that has everything I need and nothing I don’t.”
The studio design – which includes full-room isolation – and interiors were created by Dave Malekpour and Michael Bashkangi of MPD, with acoustic modeling by João Veira of Jovaci Acoustics. Special care was taken to blend all of these elements into a seamless environment that was both sonically and visually inspiring. “The studio is a blend of futuristic visual design and serious acoustic precision.” Malekpour states. “Every detail was designed to make the room feel inspiring, focused, and sonically reliable. This suits Evan’s workflow because he’s a songwriter himself which makes him a hands-on producer who needs a space that flows the way he does.”
“The added cosmetic details – the LED lightning, starry-sky ceiling – complete the picture to make it a room that immediately ‘wow’s when you walk into it.”
For gear, Holland favors a hybrid approach of analog and digital tools carefully chosen for a streamlined, creative workflow. Holland worked with Malekpour’s Pro Audio Design, a partner company to MDP, to choose the proper tools. The final setup includes a set of Augspurger Duo12V Monitors with Sub18s, Grace Design monitor control, Avid Carbon, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and Ableton Live as well as a curated set of analog preamps, compressors, and other outboard gear. “It’s all about having a fixed set of paintbrushes that I know really well and know I can do amazing work with,” Holland says. “My ‘sauce’ as a producer is my ability to contribute as a beatmaker, songwriter, and engineer on a session and be able to get the results quickly so my artists can fully immerse in their needs, let their guard down, and get into a creative mindframe that they can’t get into elsewhere.”
“It’s all about giving them 100% and letting them completely immerse. That’s the entire purpose of this space, and it’s able to do it incredibly well.”
“There’s some really cool studios out there, but there’s nothing I’ve ever seen that’s exactly like what we’ve accomplished with 36C,” he concludes. “It embodies what I love about my craft and how much soul and heart I think should go into making music. It’s a total package that I’m incredibly proud of, and Dave and his team at MPD were instrumental in getting us there.”
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