Nina Pelligra on SoundBetter

I can create a professional a cappella recording for you from arrangement, to recording, to tuning, to editing, to final mix. You make mouth noises into a microphone, I use technology and my ears to make it sound high quality, and we make a radio-ready recording of your group!

I'm best known for my a cappella looper arrangements and DIY recorded a cappella covers. I have a mobile studio that is flexible and efficient for recording a cappella groups.

I earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry, focusing on voice and studio recording. My collegiate a cappella experience consisted of singing and arranging a lot of women's a cappella. I spent four years in the Syracuse University Mandarins and was Music Director if Cape Harmony for two years.

My arrangements are performed across the country, I get to work with professionals such as Plaid Productions, and I'm committed to my own instrument and career as a musician.

I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.

Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse Nina Pelligra

by Mitchell Schroeder
Nina helped my high school a cappella group produce our first recording. She was incredibly flexible and professional throughout the process. She worked well with our group, and I was very happy with the final product! Nina’s the best.
by Shawn Pearce
Nina works with our organization (https://acalumniproject.com) as an adjunct producer, and in my direct dealings with her I've found her not only to be a consummate professional, but also concerned and focused on making *our* musical visionsa reality as opposed to her own. Her passion for the medium is surpassed only by her compassion for those she works with and for in it. We have yet to be disappointed, and I imagine the likelihood of that happening is very small.

Interview with Nina Pelligra

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I'm especially proud of my own DIY recordings. I have complete creative control over my sound, and I get to be hands on from arrangement, vocals, mix choices, etc.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm working on a track for AcaLumni Project. The idea behind this group is that people from across the country record themselves, then they send me all the stems to edit, mix, and master. It's a really exciting challenge to work with so many different room sounds!
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I won't stop working until it's exactly what you want.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: I love that I can work with unique people with unique voices to bring the best performance out.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Much of the conversation we have is about designing the percussion for the song. Lots of different styles!
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The biggest misconception, of course, revolves around auto-tuning in Melodyne. It's MUCH easier to sing together and in tune when you're all singing together and can look at each other. When multi-tracking, we need to make the vocals sound like any other instrument in a pop song. You wouldn't record a guitar that was out of tune, right?
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Tell me what's unique about your group? Why did you decide to make an album now?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Have a clear plan and vision for your album! Know exactly what you want, who you want to sound like, what message you want listeners to leave with
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: laptop, SM58, RC-30 loop station, Focusrite Scarlett, mic stand (that's all you need)
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I try to preserve the group sound and raw vocals as much as possible, extracting the unique dynamic and colorful elements of the human voice.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I really respect and admire Peter Hollens. He has such an amazing ear and he's such a musical vocalist.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: PLAN AHEAD! Winging it or problem solving is a valuable skill, but performers (and you) lose a lot of focus waiting around for the MIDI to load or the headphone mix to get set up.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: A Cappella
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I can mold a song through timing, arrangement, dynamics, and performance to build the song from beginning to end.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I can coax your performance to bring out the best elements of your arrangement, making sure that every moment is interesting and moving the piece forward.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I'll set up a temp map and MIDI track of the group's arrangement. I'll bring in a scratch vocal, lay down the bass, backgrounds, and work the vocal percussion. I'll make all the comping and edits that I can in ProTools, then export to Melodyne. Once the parts are sounding in tune and in time, I'll go back into ProTools, tweak some edits, quantize the vocal percussion, and get to mixing (tighten up the percussion, create a nice sounding space, make the lead pop, and do some light sequencing of the vocal percussion.)
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use ProTools and Melodyne on my laptop along with my trusty Spark microphone, SM58, and Focusrite Scarlett.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My mentors at Plaid Productions, an a cappella production based in Boston, MA, have a been an invaluable resource in moving my skills and business forward. I respect their philosophy of preserving the group sound while making sure their recordings are accessible and professional-sounding.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I'm most often solicited to tune a cappella vocals in Melodyne, but I record and mix with my mobile studio, as well. Aside from production, I also create sheet music of a cappella arrangements that are performed across the country.