Pro Session Singer

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Goldfrapp. Even though they are a duo, Goldfrapp are as musically fused as humanly possible. Both Alison and Will bring very different elements to their songs, but the contrast works amazingly well. Alison Goldfrapp; I love her unique vocal sound and delivery and her use of non-lexical vocal sounds, as part of her style and delivery. Her lyrics are abstract and her narratives grab the listener and keep hold of them. Will Gregorys musical skills are second to none. His productions are incredible, layers of strings, synths, ambient sounds and padded warmth, sometimes with a stark clinical vibe. The contrast of the productions always thrill me. I have seen them live at The Albert Hall, Manchester and the inclusion of a live string quartet and16 strong female choir was genius. Their curated band are also shit hot and the PA/sound engineers did an amazing job, probably the best live sound I have ever heard at a gig....one of the most memorable nights of my life with one of my oldest pals, a special time.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Before the session, I will ensure I have had good discussions with the client/producer to find out the outcome they would like to achieve. If covering a song, I'll learn the material before the session and block out vocals around my own time, including any harmonies or BV's, paying attention to the phrasing and intonation of the artist covered. This saves actual session time, which can be used more effectively. If I'm laying down vocals for an original song by a song writer or publishing house and I am doing the session at their studio, I don't often get to learn it before the session, so I will arrive as early as possible to block the song out in my own time or work with the writer and a piano or guitar...and definitely a cup of tea. I like to know what they are trying to achieve with their song, the kind of mood and vibe they would like to convey, along with the kind of artist they are trying to pitch it to and market they are aiming at. If I am laying down vocals for the song in my own studio, I make sure we establish the aim for the outcome well before we begin. That way we are all happy and the best outcome is achieved. Vocally, I tend to put a rough one take 'guide' vocal on the instrumentation or backing track, this helps me block the rest of the vocals out and also places vocal markers on the track, so you know when to 'drop in' the rest of the harmonies and you can find your place in the song easier. I then start on the BV's, harmonies and go back to replace the 'rough guide' with a really excellent set of vocal takes to give us our lead vocal. I sometimes comp my own vocals as I know what I like to hear and can identify when I can do a take better. I'm also very happy for the producer to comp my vocals and choose their favourite takes....early baths are always great, haha!

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: 1. CAN YOU SOUND LIKE ANYONE AND WHAT IS YOUR VOCAL RANGE? I'm very versatile and my range is big. I have done vocal soundalikes for both male and female artists, if I feel a vocal is out of my range or style/sound etc, I'll know straight away and let you know. Soundalikes are challenging and fun, but I also love to sing in my own voice. My vocal range naturally sits tenor/counter tenor and bartitone. I do not sing bass parts. My falsetto is excellent with smooth transition from chest to head. My chest and pharyngeal range is large and I can hit D5 on chest with no problem, this works great for rock songs. Listen to my SOUNDALIKE DEMO for the song STEEL BARS by Michael Bolton, this features D5 chest range in the chorus. On my POP DEMO : JUST YOU AND I, JEALOUS, LET HER GO show my baritone/tenor/counter tenor range and the Sam Smith version of HOW WILL I KNOW shows my transitional ability/tone using falsetto and chest in a wide ranged song. 2. DO YOU ONLY DO SOUNDALIKES? No. I LOVE to sing in my own voice, I'm told I sound like Sam Smith, Years and Years, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Richard Marx. 3. DO YOU EVER DO WORK THAT IS PAID IN SKILLS SHARE, NOT MONEY? EXAMPLE, YOU PROVIDE ME WITH VOCALS FOR MY SONG AND I WILL GIVE YOU THE SAME MIXING/ENGINEERING TIME THAT EQUALS THE TIME YOU GAVE ME. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends if we have reciprocal skills that we both can share equally. If I collaborate with a client who is an engineer/producer/beats maker, I may give him/her a day of my vocal time and in return he/she gives me a mixing/engineering day of their time. I only normally do this with trusted collabs I have worked with before and are reliable and trust worthy.

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: Getting sued (almost) by Madonna. Yes, the real Madonna. Early in my professional career, I was asked to cover a Madonna song for the producer Chris Cox and his project Thunderpuss, in collaboration with the pioneering dance record label NRGise. It was for a dance cover of her song LIVE TO TELL and was distributed in the USA by Interhit Records, California. The track got the go ahead from Madonna and we recorded it in LA and the UK. Even I was surprised at how much my vocal sounded like the real Madonna, even when listening to my vocals without the music and EQ/FX it was almost impossible to tell. And there is the problem! We had to send the finished version to Madonna and her record company for final approval, before we could release it. A week later we received a Cease and Desist letter from Madonnas record labels Warner/Sire, to inform us they would pursue legal action if we did not remove the real Madonnas vocals from our version. Chris Cox and NRGise reached out to Sire and assured them the vocals were not the real Madonna but a session singer, in fact a male session singer. Sire responded by saying Madonna insisted the raw vocal takes were sent to her for examination so that is what we did. Sire responded a few weeks later with official approval for release. LIVE TO TELL was released worldwide and went to number 2 in the USA dance chart, something I'm very proud of. I feel fortunate to say I bought my first house at age 24, thanks to this project. And who else can say that Madonna tried to sue them? ;-)

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I moved into the digital world many years ago but do remember the analog days and worked in many analog studios, with humming analog equipment and massive 24 track tape recorders the size of a small house. Ah good times! I know some studios that still use and prefer analog....that's cool with me. There is definitely a unique warmth with analog equipment that can only be replicated so far with digital....it's those tiny multi harmonics that are produced with input that I've never heard replicated convincingly with digital...especially front end valve vocal compression. Love it.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That it's all about the money. Yes, that's nice and to be paid in relative to what service I'm providing is expected, but I love singing and that comes first.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Absolutely. Aidan Thompson, Engineer, producer and accomplished musician/song writer. Check him out...he's also a really nice guy with a generous nature.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: To do my absolute very best, with honesty, integrity and passion.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I LOVE working with other creatives and I love to learn new skills. I'm learning 'pocket sax' at the moment, I learned the basics of tenor sax and clarinet too. Pocket sax is much easier to carry around and the sound is brilliant....well hopefully it will get to that stage.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: Vocal Zones throat pastilles (they are part of my kit) High stool for comfortable sit-singing Piano or my Korg keyboard Mac Book Pro (this desert island has electric right?) Logic Pro X : then I'd have everything to make music in my own time...just for me and the islands wild life.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: Lana Del Ray, Wye Oak, The Mamas and The Papas, Goldfrapp, Zero 7, Basia, Janis Joplin, The Weeknd, Michael Bolton, Elbow, Noel Gallagher, High Flying Birds, Liam Gallagher, Bryan Adams, Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Fall Out Boy, London Grammar, Passenger, Bob Marley, Grace Jones, Bic Runga, Blondie, Gaz Coombes, Dusty Springfield, Hole, Imelda May, Joni Mitchell, Meatloaf, Ofra Haza, Sia Furler, Siouxsie and The Banshees, Siouxsie Sioux,

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I can't disclose specifics, but some original songs for a song writer, in the style of Zayn Malik. I'm also doing some Weeknd cover versions to be used in Music marketing, for a regular client.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Have you read my profile and information? Is there anything you need me to clarify with you? Have you listened to my demos? Is there anything you didn't hear in my demos that I can send to you? What are you trying to achieve with your production? What will the song be used for, what type of client and environment is it going to? What is the turnaround time and deadline for the job? Do you have a clear idea of how you want the vocals laid down? Do you have a preference to how the session file is laid down?

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My vocal style can accommodate most productions, I'm pretty fluid vocally as I'm so used to replicating others vocal styles, sounds and delivery. When I'm not singing like others, I'm often told I sound like Years and Years, Bruno Mars, Bryan Adams, Michael Bolton, Weeknd, Michael Jackson, Richard Marx....I sound like me I think!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio set up is reasonably simple but totally fit for purpose and is located in my purpose built multi-art studio, at home. It's a separate building from my house, has CCTV and security and is well insulated with power on a it's own mains ring. I use Logic Pro X on Mac, with int and ext EQ and FX. For recording vocals I use a Rode NTK1 microphone, pop shield, vocal isolation wrap around screen, vocal compression is from a Fat2 front end valve unit which gives stunning harmonics to the voice. Additional digital compression is utilised within the environment of Logic PX. I use PreSonus surface control and an MK Audio Digital interface. For monitoring I use MK Audio speakers and I have many different sets of excellent head phones. I also use a Korg Triton LE for blocking out harmonies when needed but I'm definitely not an accomplished keyboard player ;-)

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Communication is really key, to ensure I can meet the expectation of the client. I want to make you happy, so plenty of discussion via SoundBetter can really help you get the outcome you require. I'm very versatile, but like all artists, my talents have limitations so I won't take a project on where I feel I cannot give my very best performance. SoundBetter has many first rate singers of all styles, so if I feel I'm not right for your project, I can advise you of other suitable singers. Discussion via SoundBetter is ideal and I feel it's important to support this unique platform. Chatting via phone/FaceTime is also great and can save heaps of time, but I will only formalise projects and the financing via SoundBetter. We must support platforms like this, I like to think we all have a moral obligation to do so. Life is a big wheel, so I like to show integrity.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My vocal range, tone and ability to mimic others vocal sounds.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Collaboration with other musicians can make magic and can really develop your inner artist.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Pop, Rock, Commercial, Country and Musical theatre.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Dynamic, passion, integrity, honesty and experience.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: As a kid, I performed in professional theatre shows, mainly national tours, shows like Bugsy Malone, The Sound of Music, The King and I, The Wizard Of Oz. I got to work with musical theatre legends like Maria Friedman, who taught me how to use my vibrato more naturally. I've been a pro singer since the age of 17. I did my first session work for radio jingles at the age of 16, for a studio in Southend On Sea that made TV and Radio adverts. I went to work on a holiday park as part of the Entertainments team but then got asked to be the male singer in the resident professional band. We did chart covers 6 nights a week and it was an amazing time for me, as I got to sing so often and work with real professionals in a pro set up, as well as earn my Equity card, MU card and get paid MU rates. At 19 I was earning almost £300 a week, which to my 19 year old self was millions, haha. For the next decade I went from pro band to pro band doing live work and sessions at studios. I also did regular session work at studios in the west and north of England like Steelworks, The Music Factory, ITV Wales/HTV Studios and I really value the experience and other talent I was fortunate to work with and learn so much from. I then went into teaching in the Arts within FE and HE provisions and I still work as a guest lecturer and External Examiner today. I currently work as an EE for University of Salford, which means I moderate Degree level course work for examination boards. I love it. I'm a multi-disciplinary artist, so along with music, I also create commissioned sculptures for an international client base. You can see my art work at : www.tonywebbwaxfigures.com

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: My clients are wonderful, talented, cool and diverse. With all my remote session vocal work, I send the raw files to the client for them to engineer and produce themselves. I always make sure the session file has a good mix level of vocals to music, I leave the final mixing/engineering/mastering to the client or I can give the project to a top industry engineer/producer that I have worked with many times, he too is on SoundBetter and is crazy good. Three Typical Examples : TODAY I could be covering a song by The Weeknd or Bruno Mars or even Cher, with a very close replication of sound being the main objective. This soundalike cover will be used multiple ways within marketing and entertainment, including remixing into a dance cover version for the club scene or a scene in a TV show to satisfy copyright restrictions. TOMORROW, another client may send me a 30 second instrumental, with the name of the company that wishes a radio jingle or IDENT to be based around the music. I will be sent company information, lines to be included and sometimes an indicative melody line. I'll also have a some discussions with the client/producer to establish the brief. Mostly, I will get on and record a lead vocal and any backing vocals required, sometimes with lots of specific input from the client and sometimes not. I'm happy to put all vocals down using my own direction if need be, but love to collaborate of course...that's when the magic happens. NEXT WEEK, a songwriter may send me an original song they have written, that they are trying to 'pitch' to an artist. They may require a 'ghost' lead vocal and backing vocals on the song, so their publisher can pitch the song to the artists management. When it comes to working with this type of client, I feel listening to the songwriter is really important and taking time to listen to the kind of vibe they are trying to achieve with their song and also the kind of artist they are trying to pitch it to. I'm also very aware, that the song is part of who they are and it's really important that I get it right for them.