THE Rock Singer You Need!

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

A: If you like hard rock or heavy metal, please check out a record I did with my good friend, guitarist Stephen Dadaian, and engineer Ethan Bill (who is my engineer on all clients' tracks through here). The band name is PAREIDOLIA and the album is called 'Denied Truths'. I wrote lyrics and melodies and performed all vocals. This is a great representation of me as a singer and the mix and production is nothing short of awesome IMO !

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a full album project for a heavy metal guitar player in Denmark. It sounds HUGE!!!!

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

A: Tommy Kessler for guitar, Boris Ivanov for keyboard & Ethan Bill for music production.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Oooh analog for the warmth for sure. My engineer uses a combination of analog and digital, so clients still get the warmth of analog in the vocal tracks, as they are run through a board. The digital side is mostly for convenience. Most analog users use a mix of analog and digital these days.

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

A: My promise is that I will perform vocals on my client's song(s) to the best of my ability, giving 110% always. Unfortunately I can never promise that they will love it, as music is very subjective - but I hope they will listen to the songs on my profile ahead of time and determine if I'm a good fit for their project.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: That it's what I love to do. I'll accept nothing less. I'm driven by the urge to sing, create, and basically make something that will exist forever.

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

A: Everything they need to know is posted here and on my profile, but sometimes they will ask technical questions, about file delivery, etc. FYI - final stems (dry files) for mixing are normally delivered after the payment is released, for obvious reasons. A reference mix is provided beforehand so the client can hear what has been done and thus approve.

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

A: Hmmm, probably that guys can't sing high ! A lot of songs I do where the melody is already written, it will be in a lower key than it should, or even in the key that was comfortable for the writer (big mistake). I can sing relatively in any male key so I would advise the client to check out my sample tracks and listen to my range before coming up with the melody - although many times, the melody is already written when they come to me. It's all fine and I will sing whatever they like, but many times I feel a song could benefit more being written in a key that's best for the singer.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: I ask them what their budget and time frame for the project are, I also ask what kind of style they are looking for in the vocal, and if they have any bits of guidance that they want to give me before I start the project. This is important as something could be missed and it could come up after the fact. I always make sure to communicate as much as possible with the client.

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

A: Be sure that it's me you want for your song before you hire me. Don't ask me to do free demos. You should be able to tell if I'm a good fit for your music by listening to my samples. I can always provide more if you want.

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

A: Well I'm not a gear head, that's my engineer lol. But I would take CDs lol . Which ones? That would be super tough . It would take me a year to decide !

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

A: This is it ! I'm a full time professional singer for over 10 years now. Nothing else I would rather do. I do a lot of studio work on Soundbetter and elsewhere, and I also perform at many live gigs in the NYC area and all over the world year round.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: As I mentioned earlier, I'm a rock singer by trade - from the "purist" school of rock singers lol - very melodic and clean , but still rock. Can add some rasp when needed, but don't have natural rasp. I can sing in pretty much whatever key you need. Everything I sing is in full (chest) voice, and falsetto is used only for color - never for a cop out :)

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

A: That's a good question - probably Deep Purple - I would love to front them and get them back to their hey day :) They have always been one of my favorite bands!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Always make sure you get good clean takes. Get the best possible performance you can for every part of the song. Make sure that you (or your engineer) are well versed in the DAW you are using and also PRODUCE the singer, don't just let him do his own thing and "fix everything later". Don't just hit the space bar. Run the session. You as the engineer have a responsibility to do that if there is not another party producing the track (as these days, there usually isn't).

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

A: Well I'm usually doing rock, but can perform all styles well. I've done a wide variety of things, even children's songs! Clients should feel totally comfortable in my versatility.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Singing is definitely it :) I also like to pride myself in customer service, as I am very good at communication and with people. This can apply to any job, especially jobs like these. It's all about what the client wants and needs.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I sing for the SONG no matter what and have a wide variety of styles and colors besides Rock to pull from, thus keeping the vocal fresh and interesting at all times. I bring a very integrated and soulful approach for the song when needed.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Like I mentioned above, I work with a pro engineer out of a pro studio. We go over and over the song until we get the best possible takes for pitch, time, tone, and delivery. Then the client is sent a vocal reference mix mp3 for approval. If they like it , then they are sent the stems (dry files) of the vocals. Minor revisions are allowed but limited and 9 times out of 10, not needed. I also can provide the client with 3 takes of each part , in lieu of one take and reference mix, if they prefer.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work with a professional engineer (one of the best in the business) to get the best possible takes / tracks for my client. This is what the basic set up is : DAW: Pro Tools 10 HD / Mac Pro / Digidesign 192 i/o / Vocal Mic: Shure SM7b So clients actually get two sets of professional ears on their music when they hire me :)

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

A: I'm inspired by a lot of 70's hard rock singers - such as Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale, Joe Lynn Turner, etc. I really love the funk and soul bands of the 70's as well, even though I'm a rock singer by trade - I'm very influenced by stuff like Tower of Power, Hall & Oates, Stevie Wonder, etc.

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

A: Well, the most common job I guess are when someone has a track with lyrics and melody already written and they just want me to put vocals to it. But sometimes they want me to write the lyrics and melody, or sometimes they have lyrics and just want the melody, so I perform that service as well.