Abbey Road Institute, a global music production and sound engineering school, has officially announced the opening of its Mumbai campus. The new facility is housed within Bay Owl Studios, a multi-room commercial audio production space in the city and is set to begin its first cohort in October 2025. The move marks Abbey Road Institute’s first foray into India, aligning with the country’s rapidly expanding music and entertainment ecosystem. With growth across film, OTT platforms, streaming services, independent music, and podcasts, the demand for skilled audio professionals has surged. The Institute aims to address a longstanding gap in hands-on, industry-relevant audio education. The Institute’s “learn by doing” philosophy thrives in such environments, where education is integrated with daily studio practice. The one-year, cohort-based Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, adapted from Abbey Road Institute London, combines daily theory and hands-on training across music production, audio engineering, mixing, mastering, live and film sound, music business and more. The establishment of the Mumbai campus followed over a year of planning and coordination between Bay Owl Studios and the Abbey Road Institute global team.

The core academic team includes Varun Parikh (Institute Director), Puneet Samtani (Head Lecturer), and Anushka Lewis (Academic Facilitator). Varun is an award-winning mix engineer and is also the founder of Bay Owl Studios; Puneet was the chief engineer at Nirvana Studios and has collaborated with industry legends such as Ranjit Barot,A.R. Rahman and Ustad Zakir Hussain; Anushka is a singer-songwriter, composer and one of India’s few contemporary harpists. Both Samtani and Lewis bring prior experience in music education leadership roles. The faculty also includes visiting lecturers such as Richard Francis, Mujeeb Dadarkar, Ashyar Balsara, Clement Rooney, and Raghav Meattle.

Students will receive a minimum of 80 hours of bookable studio time in Bay Owl’s rooms, along with access to dedicated workstations and production suites. Opportunities for shadowing and assisting on commercial sessions will be available where appropriate, allowing students to gain insight into professional workflows and studio etiquette.

Building on the momentum from the launch, the Institute held an Open House featuring UK drummer and producer Richard Spaven at Bay Owl Studios as well. The session offered students and attendees a rare opportunity to engage directly with Spaven. “We invited Richard because his work sits at the intersection of acoustic craft and contemporary production, a perfect fit for our ‘learn by doing’ approach,” said Varun Parikh, Institute Director. The response to the event was notably strong, drawing a mix of aspiring producers, drummers, and working engineers. Attendees asked practical, career-focused questions, and the session has already led to follow-up campus visits and enrolments.

Richard Spaven's Open House for students at Bay Owl Studios is indicative of Abbey Road's commitment, by offering the students access to the best professionals in the field

Abbey Road Institute Mumbai also announced a series of more upcoming Open House sessions featuring prominent industry professionals. These include producer and artist Karan Kanchan, a joint session on studio craft with Vasundhara Vee and Shriya Rao, a conversation with veteran engineer KJ Singh, and a production breakdown with Chandana Bala Kalyan. Each session’s designed to offer students insight into studio workflows, collaboration, and performance.

Industry response to the Institute’s outreach has been overwhelmingly positive. According to Parikh, professionals have shown enthusiasm not just for the brand, but for the opportunity to mentor and shape the next generation of audio talent. “The Abbey Road name carries immediate recognition. Everyone knows what Abbey Road Studios stands for, and many believe this presence can lift the bar for training, practice, and professional standards across our ecosystem. The consensus is that this is a timely step for the industry,” he elaborated.

The Institute also emphasises a portfolio-first mindset. By graduation, each student will leave with a body of work created in a commercial facility, rather than classroom exercises. Graduates are eligible to attend the annual global graduation ceremony in London, which includes an exclusive student-only recording workshop at Abbey Road Studios. In addition to the main diploma programme, Abbey Road Institute Mumbai is preparing to launch a calendar of short-term and masterclass programmes. These include an Advanced Diploma in Audio Post-Production for Film and TV, a Song Production Masterclass, Dolby Atmos Mixing for Music, Music Theory for Producers, and a Drums Production Masterclass. The overarching mission is to enable Indian talent to compete and thrive on the global stage.

Published on 20th October 2025