Abbey Road Institute is so proud and excited to introduce our student panel for our upcoming May Open Day! Students from all genre’s and trimesters of our Advanced Diploma Of Sound Production Course will present on a Student panel talking about their experiences with Abbey Road Institute, their learning experience and the facilities in Melbourne.

To register to attend the day, please click here. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Students

Phoenix Manson-Pollard Tri 3

Phoenix started making music as a bedroom producer 2 years ago (age 15). Exploring genres like Trap, Old-school Hip hop and R&B led him to find Melbourne’s underground Hip hop scene. Over the past two years he has been fortunate enough to perform his music at the Melbourne Arts Centre as a part of Melbourne Music Week and various beat battles and hip hop nights at various venues in the city.

“Being a student at ARI has led me to countless opportunities not only collaborating in the fantastic studios but out in the real world too. The contacts I’ve made at Abbey Road through talking to other students/mentors have proven to be invaluable.”

Charlotte Rochecouste Tri 1

Charlotte is a gifted singer / songwriter who also plays the piano, oboe and recently the guitar. She is very new to music production, only picking it up 6 months prior to her commencement at Abbey Road. What she lacks in production experience she makes up for in self-discipline and enthusiasm, working on her projects on campus any chance she gets.

“Being taught by Lance Krive is a simply a privilege due to his impressive experience. He is also really nice and accommodating making him a fantastic teacher!”

Eric Kordabalos Tri 3

Eric is a multi-instrumentalist, performer and producer who, in 2016, has found himself in the privileged position of being rated by some of Australia’s most respected music publications as future force in the Australian hip hop scene.

“At ARI I have found that surrounding myself with other driven creatives has enabled me to have more confidence in my work. The continuous mentoring and access to the world class studios and staff has enabled me to catapult my skills not only personally, but professionally and confidently into the global market.”

Rochelle Bartlett Tri 2

Rochelle is a versatile recording artist, performer, composer, singer songwriter, and producer. Her career to date has lead this budding virtuoso to focus her attention in adding top lining to her growing list of extensive achievements

“ As a student at ARI, I’ve been introduced to an element of the industry that previously I thought was only suitable to other professionals. “

Abbey Road Institute is so proud and excited to announce that ARIA award winning producer Mitch Cairns will be joining us on our Producer Panel at our upcoming Open Day on 13/5!

Mitch Cairns is an ARIA Award winning Producer, Mix Engineer, Writer and Musician. Mitch has a passion for tones, feels, textures and an innate sensitivity toward arrangements and structure. He strives towards crafting the perfect song with a minimalist approach.

Based in Melbourne Australia, Mitch works out of his private studio built within a spacious warehouse boasting a live room with 6 metre high ceilings, Control Room and large vocal booth. A cross between vintage and modern, the studio is based around a beautiful Neve V66 Console and Protools HD.

Mitch Produced the multi award winning albums Sharkmouth, Van Diemen’s Land and Red Dirt Red Heart for ARIA Hall Of Fame inductee and no. 1 selling artist Russell Morris.

His other work includes Grammy Winner Leo Sayer’s Restless Years, Glenn Shorrock, Joe Robinson, Renee Geyer, Chris Wilson, Brian Cadd, Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil), Rick Springfield, Joe Camilleri, Vika and Linda Bull, Ross Hannaford (Daddy Cool), Phil Manning (Chain), Troy Cassar-Daley, Kevin Borich, Diesel, Callee Mann, Mish Fornito, Grayson, Daryl Aberhart, Electric Mary, Electric Empire, Adam Miller and ABC Jazz Award winners Fumi Boca.
By registering to attend the Abbey Road Institute May Open Day on 13/5 you go into the running to win an exclusive mentorship package with Chris! Please click here (abbeyroadinstitute.net.au/chris-arnott) to find out more.

Mitch will join Abbey Road Institute Alumni Alex Braithewaite and Electronic Music Superstar Chris Arnott on our Producer Panel on 13/5 discussing:

• How would you judge the state of the Australian Music Industry today?
• What are the most important attributes a young producer needs to generate work?
• How did you go about establishing your personal brand and reputation in the Industry?
• What role will Producers play in the digital online space that the Industry is rushing towards?

To register for the day please click here. We can’t wait to see you there!

Abbey Road Institute in conjunction with Studios 301 is so proud and excited to announce that Electronic superstar Chris Arnott will be joining us on our Producer Panel at our upcoming Open Day on 13/5! Chris has recently joined the legendary Studios 301 team in Sydney and is continuing his dominance of the Australian Electronic Music Scene.

Chris is one of Australia’s most formidable electronic producers as well as a DJ, songwriter, multi-Instrumentalist, musical genius, and all round top guy. In addition to this, Chris releases as a topline vocalist and features on various releases under different aliases including deep house cool, Friendless. Chris often lends his production and songwriting expertise to other DJ’s and artists, he’s just that in demand. Recently he has returned to his home in Sydney from LA where he was working on new music with Tommy Trash.

Chris joined the Studios 301 team in 2016 with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and a multitude of electronic releases under his belt both in Australia and internationally. Working with labels including Ministry of Sound, EMI, Sony, Universal, Armada, Spinnin’ Records, Dim Mak and Ultra Music, Chris’ work has gained a monumental 2 x Aria Club #1’s, 24 x Aria Club top 10’s and 14 x Aria Club top 20’s in the last few years.

By registering to attend the Abbey Road Institute May Open Day on 13/5 you go into the running to win an exclusive mentorship package with Chris! Please click here  to find out more.

Chris will join Abbey Road Institute Alumni Alex Braithewaite and Aria award winning producer Mitch Caines on our Producer Panel on 13/5 discussing:

• How would you judge the state of the Australian Music Industry today?
• What are the most important attributes a young producer needs to generate work?
• How did you go about establishing your personal brand and reputation in the Industry?
• What role will Producers play in the digital online space that the Industry is rushing towards?

To register for the day please click here. We can’t wait to see you there! 

On Friday, 31st of March Abbey Road Students were treated to a masterclass from television and film producer, Chris Pettifer. Chris Pettifer is a prolific and accomplished screen composer, songwriter, musician, arranger, music supervisor and producer who also runs his own music business Ritzland Music, which has a label and publishing division.

During the masterclass Chris shared his scoring and production techniques by opening some of his ProTools sessions and explaining his musical process. Clips of his work on the Australian cult soap opera Neighbours was shown as he explained how he was able to capture the emotion of the scene in the musical score. Chris also detailed what collaborating and working in a team in the television and film industries are like, an important lesson for the third trimester Abbey Road students who are currently halfway through their Sound for Film unit.

Linc Schmidt who is in his final trimester of study at Abbey Road Institute said he found the masterclass “…compelling and comprehensive. I found it fascinating how he spoke about scoring on the go and the tasks involved in completing a production.”

Another student, Tyrone Jones, who is also in his last trimester said “Chris put on a captivating demonstration of his day to day activities in sound for film. His masterclass added value to my interpretation of the subject”.

Studying at Abbey Road Institute was one of the best decisions for me to get a solid push into the industry. It was all very overwhelming at first, as previously I had a more academic-based education but I found myself surrounded by people who have had extensive industry experience in their respective fields. As the year progressed and our skills developed, all the students eventually transformed into a close family with relationships that will last a lifetime.

The work included in the course was a great introduction to any field in the industry. From recording and music theory, to business and law, the skills I have acquired at ARI have surpassed that of any other place I have studied. Teachers were extremely caring about the learning experience, and making sure none of us fell behind.

Now that I have graduated from Abbey Road, through networking with the teachers and building a good rapport, I have been privileged enough to begin full-time employment at Factory Sound. This was made possible on ARI’s staff recommendation. It was an amazing feeling knowing that even after graduating from ARI I was still being looked after, and able to go straight into full-time work in the audio industry. Ever since starting it has been an unreal experience, I’ve gained even more knowledge and the team at Factory Sound are always a lending hand, it’s a great place to work at. Besides my new employment at Factory Sound I have also been asked to assist with recording projects from teachers and ex-students while being treated as an industry professional and not under supervision as if still being treated as a student.
I definitely hold ARI in high regard and recommend the course to anyone wanting to take on audio seriously and in a professional manner.

On the 6th of March, 2017 our first intake of students for the year was welcomed into the Abbey Road Institute family. Nine eager and excited students, all from extremely varied backgrounds, arrived on campus to enjoy a catered lunch together before beginning their orientation of what life will be like for the next year.

Among the group of talented students was; a local DJ and electronic house artist, A music teacher and musical theatre composer and an accomplished drummer.

When asked how their first week went, student Logan Mustica said “My first week at Abbey Road institute has been great! Getting an overview of things to come and a taste of the hands on classes has made me excited for the coming months”.

Another student, Ming Quay stated “ARI has opened my eyes to other aspects of music that I have been thirsting for and I can’t wait to learn more!”

All the staff and existing students at Abbey Road Melbourne look forward to seeing this enthusiastic group of apprentice producers develop their skills and produce exceptional work.

On Friday 31st of March, Chris Pettifer will be delivering an exclusive masterclass to the students of Abbey Road Institute on the topic of producing audio for film and television.

Chris Pettifer is a prolific and accomplished screen composer, songwriter, musician, arranger, music supervisor and producer and has been working in the Australian music and film & tv industries for over 20 years. His company, Ritzland Music, has serviced a wide range of film and television productions, both national and international as well as providing boutique recording services for select clients.

As one of Australia’s premier music editors for television, Chris’ CV boasts work on classic series, from The Flying Doctors to contemporary hits such as The Secret Life of Us and the Australian cult soap Neighbours.

In addition to his amazing television work, Chris has contributed his talents to numerous Australian films such as Romper Stomper and Eric Banner’s Chopper.

In 2014, Chris set up two new entities under the Ritzland Music banner – Ritzland Records and Ritzland Music Publishing – for the purpose of developing new songwriters and providing them with an independent level entry into the music industry. The latter, Ritzland Music Publishing has an an admin agreement with Mushroom Music Publishing to administer new catalogue from Ritzland Records.

After an hour of drinks the ceremony officially began with a welcome address from Abbey Road Australia’s CEO, Paul Ledingham. In his address he highlighted that this was the very first group of students to graduate from any campus in the world, adding to the significance of the occasion. Next to follow this welcome address was Paul Edwards, the Academic Coordinator who delivered an inspiring and motivational speech, encouraging the new graduates on taking their next steps along their music industry journey and to continue to learning at all stages of their career. After Paul concluded his speech, students were called up one by one to accept their testamurs and pose for photos.

After all the students had collected their certificates, Paul Edwards presented awards for students who had demonstrated outstanding work in the following categories;

These hardworking students were awarded prizes of Factory Sound gift vouchers valued between $200 and $400 to help kick start their production equipment collection.

Abbey Road Institute would like to thank the graduating student cohort of October, 2015 for their hard work and commitment to their studies as well as wish them luck in all future industry endeavours.

Abbey Road Institute was thrilled to have offered Study for a Day twice in the month of February due to unprecedented demand.  Last Saturday proved that once again, there’s certainly no shortage of passionate and talented lovers of music production in Melbourne!  Our students for the day were treated to a morning with rock royalty’s Lance Krive and briefly looked at the historical journey of Abbey Road Studios by stepping back in time and listening to the some of the historical recordings from Abbey Road London.

Students were then able to get their hands on ProTools and immersed themselves remixing some popular tracks.  Their afternoon was spent with our tech guru,  Brad Toan, who had all hands on deck in our performance space and API studio stepping everyone through the intricacies in how to prepare a mix session, utilise different studio techniques and how to work with various studio microphones.  We can’t wait to meet you at our next event, or alternatively, you can book an exclusive VIP tour and come and experience Abbey Road Institute for yourself!