Genelec powers Shreya Ghoshal’s sonic Sanctuary in Mumbai
Mumbai, India, May 2026… Channelling the unique artistic vision of Shreya Ghoshal – one of India’s most celebrated playback singers – The Sanctuary is a dynamic audio-visual studio located in the bustling Santacruz West area of Mumbai. Attracting artists, producers, filmmakers, and content creators alike, the studio fuses inspiration, innovation, and functionality, all under one roof – with Genelec studio monitoring at its very heart.
Named The Sanctuary to emphasise the studio’s sense of comfort and calm in the midst of Mumbai’s bustling atmosphere, Ghoshal was really clear about what she wanted to achieve. “Most Mumbai studios are small because of limited space and cost, while the big ones are too large for a single vocalist,” she explains. “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.”
In realising her dream of a vibrant creative studio environment, Ghoshal enlisted the help of her father Bishwajit, Kapil Thirwani from acclaimed studio designers Munro Acoustics, and renowned studio and live sound 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,” recalls Harshe.
The plan for The Sanctuary included a precision-tuned control room, a dedicated piano room, small and large isolation booths, and a double-height live room – offering the perfect environment to capture every nuance of the artist’s performance. When it came to monitoring, Genelec was the obvious choice.
“Genelec monitors have been a part of my life from the beginning, with all the big studios in Mumbai using them,” says 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.” At this point, Shiv Sood from local Genelec partner Sound Team was enlisted as the natural choice to help The Sanctuary create the perfect monitoring solution for the room.
With Sood providing a selection of Genelec monitors to audition, The Sanctuary team finally settled on the 1238DF midfield SAM (Smart Active Monitor) models in conjunction with a 7370A SAM subwoofer, configured and calibrated using GLM loudspeaker manager software. For nearfield monitoring, The Sanctuary has installed a pair of two-way 8030C models in the RAW aluminium finish, which were originally supplied by Sound Team for Ghoshal’s home studio during the pandemic.
Commenting on the performance of the monitoring system, Harshe is delighted with the results. “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 agrees. “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 of the monitoring system owes much to GLM software, which integrates closely with the DSP hardware within Genelec SAM monitors and subwoofers. Prior to the development of SAM technology back in 2006, precise system tuning would have involved a lengthy manual calibration, as Harshe explains. “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 consistently busy with Ghoshal’s own projects and has also attracted glowing testimonials from visiting clients such as composer M. Jayachandran, actress Ratna Pathak Shah, and playback singers Madhumanti Bagchi and Armaan Malik. And already the studio has a restless eye on the future, with plans to expand to 5.1, 7.1 and beyond.
But right now, Ghoshal couldn’t be happier with the results. “This studio gives solitude when needed and space to bounce ideas with others. It works for every artist who comes here – and thanks to the accuracy of Genelec monitoring, we always know what we’re doing.”
For more information, please visit www.genelec.com
