RC grad Jeff Pegno gets Exposed

Jeff Pegno knew he was looking for a way to learn more about the art of recording at a professional level. He found that with Recording Connection. What he didn’t know was how the experience would enable him to discover new sounds, new inspiration, and to grow as an artist.

Speaking with us in a recent interview, Jeff recalls going in to meet with his would-be mentor Mark Christensen (The Killers, 50cent, Trey Songz), Head Mastering Engineer and owner of Engine Room Audio in New York, NY:

“I thought it was the most professional-looking studio I’d ever been in. Mark showed me around the studio. He let me know everything that was going to happen with the learning processes…I knew going in was going to be very hands-on, and that’s why I was excited to do it, as opposed to just sitting around in a classroom.”

After enrolling in the program, Jeff apprenticed with both Mark and engineer Jeet Paul. Within weeks, he was gaining exposure to an array of different kinds of music. One day he’d be micing up a 12 person vocal ensemble for ABC, the next he’d be micing up a rock group comprised of a number of grade A studio musicians. He found vacilating from genre to genre, sound to sound invigorating. He says, “[it] gives you more appreciation for the process in general than just loading up beats and writing raps…It definitely left me open to the possibilities of what things can sound like, vs. just doing things one way.”

A devout hip-hop fanatic, Jeff loves how the exposure to other genres and recording live instrumentation is complicating his art. A long-standing “in the box” guy he’s enticed at the possibilities that come with recording musicians, speaking of the beauty encapsulated in that one slightly-off beat or off kilter note “It’s definitely, like, human-sounding. That’s what I like about live instrumentation. You can do whatever…you can do more things with the more variations…digital has its own uses as well as live. The point is they both have their own thing going for them and they both work out.”

Recently graduated from the program, Jeff’s got an entry level position at EastSide Sound where he’s helping setup, answering phones and doing whatever’s needed. He’s still meeting more artists, building more connections, and… he knows for sure, he’s going to keep on moving forward:

Seeing all these people that you work with in the Recording Connection and seeing who they work with and they get all these accolades…it really motivates you to keep going…It definitely works in terms of different teaching techniques. I just think Recording Connection does this way far better, in a more active environment. I’m glad I jumped forward with this one.”