2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Roland, one of the most iconic music technology companies in the world. With thousands of legendary and great-sounding products including synthesisers, rhythm machines, effect processors, electronic drum kits, and software, the company has given us some of the most recognizable sounds in music history. In fact, entire genres of […]
Getting started in the music industry and as an independent artist is exciting and hard work. You not only have to write, play and perform your music but also manage rehearsals, emails, your burgeoning social media presence. You will be arranging recording sessions, gigs and even self-producing. All these elements are essential to succeed in […]
Abbey Road Studios today announces the second year of offering the Abbey Road Studios Scholarship Programme for young Black British producers and engineers. The world-renowned studio launched the initiative in 2021 to support up-and-coming music production students to study with us on our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering. The Scholarship Programme was […]
Back in the day, the main place to find the credits of an album was in the booklet of a CD or the back of the vinyl record sleeve. You could find the names of the musicians, the producers, engineers, mastering engineer… literally anyone involved in the making of that record. Collecting all that information […]
Angel, Islington is a buzzing and creative destination right at the heart of London. The area has it all; live music, comedy, theatre, work, leisure, shopping, and of course education. A community that we are delighted to be part of. This lively location is a hub for socialising and meeting other students and offers a […]
“It looks like a bloody Christmas tree!” That’s how sound engineer Arthur Haddy started the history of the most beloved classical and film orchestra recording technique. We are, of course, talking about the “Decca Tree”. The Decca Tree is an array of between three and five microphones that provides a well balanced and mono-compatible stereo […]
We not only have a new location over in Angel, but also a brand new fresh face on the team. Meet Lauren Coker our new Student Administrator and Marketing Assistant. Lauren joins us this month, having previously worked at Strongroom and Red Bull Studios. She is ready to dive straight in and get hands-on with […]
Frank Barretta has been an integral part of Angel Studios’ history. Starting out as a tea boy, then tape op for de Wolf Music in Soho. Frank joined the team at Angel as it opened in the early 80s and occupied different roles over the years. In part one of our interview with Frank, we […]
A recording studio is a collaborative and creative space, designed to capture those magical moments or ideas that happen during a session. The room where RECORDS are created. That’s how they’ve always been pictured in documentaries, interviews and films. But they are also much more than that. Studios are full of complex relationships, insecurities and […]
Jimi Hendrix once said, “Music is my religion”. With this philosophy in mind, it’s apt that our new space, Angel Recording Studios, was previously a church and place of worship. The historical building that houses the studio has a rich history and is a space with its own personality and idiosyncrasies, a perfect home for […]
We are delighted to announce the expansion of our flagship school Abbey Road Institute London this summer, which will see us move into and revive the currently closed Angel Recording Studios in Islington, just near Kings Cross. Angel Studios, a highly esteemed recording studio, has been home to many iconic recordings from Adele, Sam Smith, […]
Working in the music industry has many exciting aspects: it’s incredibly diverse, it requires ongoing skills development, wearing multiple hats, and it’s often seen as a non-traditional form of employment. However, interestingly enough, this type of ‘portfolio career’ is not only applicable to the music industry. It’s widespread, and following the latest research, it’s definitely […]
Affectionately known by both staff and students as simply ‘The Custom’ our Custom Series 75 powered by Neve console is an integral part of our students’ experience with us. We put a great emphasis on developing both creative and technical skills throughout our course, and recording and mixing on the console in our dedicated studio […]
Abbey Road is delighted to announce the launch of the Abbey Road Scholarship and work placement programme it is launching for young black British students. The programme, which begins in 2021, will cover the full cost of the course fees and contribute towards living expenses for two black British students to study on our Advanced […]
Producer and musician Jason O’Bryan joined the team at Abbey Road Institute London as a senior lecturer in 2015. After establishing a successful career working as an inhouse engineer his career shifted to focus on producing and engineering for the Dub Pistols. His music has always been heavily influenced by his early interest in hip […]
Do you want to be a music producer? Learn from expert audio engineers, music producers and music business professionals? Watch our short film about what it’s like to study music production at Abbey Road Institute London. Our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering can help you develop practical and creative skills, working knowledge […]
A unique aspect of Abbey Road Institute is the requirement for our students to play an instrument. From guitar and piano to drums and singing; a basic understanding of instrumentation is a key tool for successful producers and engineers. As a student, you’ll frequently find yourself performing throughout the course, from the ‘recreate a track’ […]
A Global Partnership Earlier this year we launched our partnership with Spinnup, Universal Music’s own digital distribution platform. Spinnup provides artists with a means to stream and sell their music on the world’s biggest DSPs such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, the list goes on. The digital platform gives access to a range of useful […]
Back in August Mat Mckinley led our Music Theory Fundamentals for Producers short course. It was an intensive weekend, deep-diving into how to effectively communicate with fellow musicians. Mat’s belief is that learning music theory can open creative doors and give music producers the ability to enhance their songwriting and become better musicians. We spoke […]
Solid-State Revolution After revolutionising pop music throughout the ’60s, The Beatles had one more trick in-store before the decade was over in the release of Abbey Road. The album marked a landmark in recording as it was The Beatles first stereo album recorded on the solid-state EMI TG12345; a console that would go on to […]
Current student and scouser Tom McConnell came to Abbey Road Institute inspired by four other Liverpudlian musicians who made a similar trip down south to record. For Tom, the heritage of Abbey Road made it the perfect place to record the new single ‘Data Was Callin’’ that comes out today for his project TV ME. […]
**This post was originally published on 18th January 2019 and has been updated on 22nd March 2019** Following on from our original blog, we’re now able to update you with more information about how our application for a Tier 4 sponsor license is progressing. This is the license we require to sponsor international students (non-EU/EAA) […]
Carlos Lellis worked closely with engineers at Abbey Road Studios to design our curriculum. He is extremely dedicated to our students’ success and has a wealth of wisdom to share. Is it any wonder he gets mentioned so often by our profiled alumni? Carlos loves talking about music, recording equipment, and food (in that order). […]
Getting a record deal wasn’t why Arthur Navarro came to Abbey Road Institute, but he’s graduating with one! Along with his Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, of course. After impressing music producer and frequent guest lecturer Youth, Arthur’s debut solo album Polyphonic Omnipresence (grab it on iTunes!) was released on 26 October […]
Graduation ceremony 2018 at Abbey Road Studios On Friday 26th October we were excited to be celebrating our annual global graduation ceremony at Abbey Road Studios. Our staff and music production students, gathered together alongside family, friends and our industry guests to recognise and celebrate the culmination of 12 months of hard work. This is […]
A full-time job at a recording studio? Yes, it’s possible! Just ask our recent graduate Gabriëlle Stok. Not long after completing our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering, Gabrielle impressed the staff at SARM Music Village (aka SARM Studios) enough to land herself a permanent place on the roster. Pay close attention to […]
Analogue versus digital: If you want a lively discussion between sound engineers and music producers, this might be a good place to start. Our recording studio and mixing studios have plenty of outboard gear for our students to work with. However, we also make sure our students are fully prepared to work entirely in the box. […]
We all collectively freaked out at the opportunity to be in Studio One with drummer Ralph Rolle and bassist Jerry Barnes of The CHIC Organization yesterday: Two incredibly talented musicians and producers, both with long, successful careers. Our March students were extremely lucky to be in the control room as they worked on some soon-to-be […]
Our September class has joined us at Abbey Road Institute this week! We’ve been getting to know our newest students over the past few months and we’re really excited to have such a talented group trust us to help them reach their music career goals. We’ve asked them to share those with us so that […]
Sylvia Massy is a recording studio legend: Her credits include Tool, Johnny Cash and Prince. She’s equally adept working as a producer, mixer and engineer. Pickles, cheese dogs and electric drills have all been used during one of Sylvia’s recording sessions (yes, really). It’s said that good things come in threes, so we’ve picked our […]
Is there a more revered microphone than the Neumann U47? Prized for its incredibly detailed and buttery smooth sound, the U47 is without a doubt one of the best microphones in the world. When we talk about providing our students with industry-standard equipment, we don’t just mean the latest digital technology (although we have that, […]
Last week, four of our students won the opportunity to have a track mastered by Abbey Road Studios engineers Geoff Pesche (Gorillaz, Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal) and Christian Wright (Ed Sheeran, Bjork, Radiohead). Naturally, the whole class was in the studio during the process so that Geoff and Christian could shed some light on the often […]
Live and studio sound engineering do have their differences, but a solid grounding in the fundamentals of audio engineering is required for both. Last week, Abbey Road Institute visited Britannia Row Productions to compare techniques and equipment from both audio worlds… If there is an equivalent to Abbey Road Studios in the live sound world, […]
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of playing a hardware synth. So when our students asked for one, we listened. We now have the Arturia MiniBrute 2 available to our students! While our esteemed lecturer, musician and producer Jason O’Bryan is (patiently) waiting for his turn to play with our new hardware, we asked him […]
One of our entry requirements for students wishing to take the Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering is a basic grasp of music theory. There’s a reason for that; it will make you a better producer. Not convinced? Read on… Scales. Chords. Modes. Learning it is so dull. Mastering it is intimidating. Rules […]
As part of the larger Abbey Road family, Abbey Road Institute students have access to an incredible network of music industry connections, including Europe’s first music tech startup Abbey Road Red. That relationship works both ways! Humtap is an artificial intelligence-driven music production platform and a current member of Abbey Road Red. When Founder and […]
Good news for current and future Abbey Road Institute students: our core curriculum now includes the industry recognised Avid Certified User for Pro Tools credential. We pride ourselves on the fact that our students become highly sought-after graduates in this competitive industry and we’re excited to be an official Avid Learning Partner. Here’s why students […]
Earlier this year we launched a competition with ReverbNation to offer one artist the opportunity to come to Abbey Road Institute in London and record with producer, engineer and lecturer Pete Dowsett and our current music production and sound engineering students. ReverbNation is a platform which supports emerging artists to build their careers. Amy Pinnock, […]
So this happened! On 27 October 2017 we held our first Abbey Road Institute Global Graduation Ceremony for all graduating students from our schools in Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, London, Melbourne and Paris. Thank you to Abbey Road Studios for hosting such a fantastic event. A huge well done to all our graduates from all over the globe. You can […]
Welcome back to alumnus Jack Chown And band Winterfalle recording with our students at Abbey Road Whilst it’s a regular part of the teaching at Abbey Road Institute, it’s always exciting to be recording a session in Abbey Road. Especially when it’s your first time. This was the case for our September class last month. […]
ARI students and alumni engineering at Europe’s biggest new industry show In August the team behind the BBC Music Introducing event Amplify approached Abbey Road Institute. They were looking for up and coming engineering talent to become part of BBC Amplify, the biggest new industry show in Europe, to work across the various stages that […]
Abbey Road Institute global graduation ceremony in Abbey Road Studios One of the unique experiences you have as a student at Abbey Road Insitute is the close relationship with Abbey Road Studios. Our students get regular access to the world of Abbey Road, but one of the real highlights of this experience is the annual graduation ceremony. […]
Applying for a visa can appear complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Ramera Abraham joined our Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering in September after relocating from North America. She had a busy and productive 4 weeks before joining Abbey Road Institute. Applying for both our course and the visa at the same time then moving from Canada to London has put Ramera on the start of her new career path.
How to fund your studies at Abbey Road Institute Summer’s here and we’re very much gearing up for our Advanced Diploma starting next month. In the meantime, we have some useful funding information to share with you! We’re sharing with you a funding opportunity which is open to applicants wishing to study with us in […]
Debbie Melliard joined our very first class of Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering students in 2015. After graduating the following year she started out as a runner at Metropolis Studios. We first interviewed Debbie in 2017 and have since caught up with her again in March 2021 to find out how she’s […]
