Genelec Monitors Anchor Shreya Ghoshal's Sanctuary Studio In Mumbai

An audio-visual hub conceived by playback icon Shreya Ghoshal has opened in Santacruz West, Mumbai, with Genelec monitoring at its core.

Called The Sanctuary, the space is designed to bring artists, producers, filmmakers and creators together under one roof, balancing creativity with practicality in a calm, purpose-built environment.

Explaining the studio's name and intent, Ghoshal said: "Most Mumbai studios are small because of limited space and cost, while the big ones are too large for a single vocalist," she explained. "So, I wanted a place of the right size where you can sit, ideate, relax, play games, discuss with your band, and move around freely."

To realise the vision, Ghoshal worked closely with her father Bishwajit, studio designer Kapil Thirwani of Munro Acoustics, and engineer Chinmay Harshe. "There were back and forth discussions about where to put the control room, and so on, and in about ten days, we finished the plan and decided to execute," recalled Harshe.

The Sanctuary's layout features a precision-tuned control room, a dedicated piano room, both small and large isolation booths, and a double-height live room — all intended to capture performances with nuance and detail. With monitoring central to the concept, Genelec was selected for its accuracy and reliability.

"Genelec monitors have been a part of my life from the beginning, with all the big studios in Mumbai using them," said Ghoshal. "They have power, precision, and aren't coloured. Many monitors produce mixes that sound different when you take them elsewhere; but Genelec sounds true." Local Genelec partner Sound Team, led by Shiv Sood, supported the studio in specifying and refining the monitoring solution for the space.

Following on-site auditions, the team chose Genelec 1238DF midfield SAM (Smart Active Monitor) loudspeakers paired with a 7370A SAM subwoofer, all calibrated via GLM software. For nearfield duties, a pair of two-way 8030C monitors in the RAW aluminium finish — originally supplied by Sound Team for Ghoshal’s home studio during the pandemic — complete the setup.

Evaluating the system, Harshe highlighted its clarity and stability. "Even at low volumes, you hear the entire range clearly and can spot flaws easily. It’s like a microscope — extremely clear. Phase issues are also easy to detect. When you collapse mixes into mono, the sweet spot doesn’t move much. You're not fishing for it. It’s stable and cohesive."

Ghoshal added that the monitors directly inform her performance choices. "These monitors help me understand what I have sung. If a projection sounds harsh, I’ll go back and redo it. Chinmay knows my voice well and suggests when to change the preamp or mic depending on the song type — whether that's electronic or acoustic."

The accuracy is underpinned by GLM software working in tandem with the onboard DSP of Genelec SAM monitors and subwoofers — removing much of the manual intervention once required for room tuning, a task that predates SAM’s 2006 debut. As Harshe noted: "Back in the day Genelec's local sales engineer Clifford Pereira would always need to come and tune the system, but now GLM handles it, and we know it’s calibrated for the room. We tried different subwoofer positions, found what worked best, and that was it. Very easy."

Since opening, The Sanctuary has been in steady use on Ghoshal's projects and has drawn positive feedback from visitors including composer M. Jayachandran, actress Ratna Pathak Shah, and playback singers Madhumanti Bagchi and Armaan Malik. Expansion to multichannel formats such as 5.1 and 7.1 is already on the roadmap.

genelec.com