Lead Vocals

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

A: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. One of the greatest songwriters & bands in the industry. IMO there is no other band as smokin' as these guys. In the studio or live, they excel above & beyond any artist or band that I know of.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: The band, vocalist or musicians should be tight & warmed up before doing any actual recording. This saves a lot of time during the recording process. The more I sing, the hotter my voice gets, so warming up is key for getting that "sweet spot" vocal you are looking for.

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

A: I was asked to write a lyric for a person I know who lives in California. He sent me the tracks and I wrote Lyrics for it. He liked some parts and he asked me to change the chorus vocal, which I did. He got a 3rd person involved who's a whiz in the Studio & Mastering. This person also sang Back round Vocals as well. While I was playing with different approaches to the vocal, I made up a little Rap or spoken part if you will as kind of a joke. When the 2 of them heard the Rap part they both loved it and it was incorporated in the Final Mix. I recorded the vocals in Florida. It was a state to state recording sending files back & forth in Dropbox. All in all, the song came out to perfection. The song is available on iTunes & CD Baby under "Roberti, Orlando & Eng - What I Don't Know", it is available for purchase.

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

A: Can you sing this like ____ ____ ? And the answer is most of the time, Yes, but it still is going to be my Voice and your song. And I would suggest not trying to sound like anyone & creating something completely new & original. I think that would give the client more satisfaction in the end, that they created something new instead of copying someone else's style. Yes, the influences can be there but you don't want to have a cloned vocal.

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

A: When people listen to a song, they picture the vocalist singing it live in the studio from beginning to end. And that one take is the recording. Making sure the vocal is produced well, requires a number of takes & a bit of using a recording technique called "punching in" in order to get every note to perfection.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What musical direction are you going for as far as style goes. Who are your favorite vocalists? What are you trying to communicate to listeners in your song?

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

A: Let me know what you are looking for but to get the best out of my vocal, give me the freedom to try it my own way. And if your still not happy with it, I will take direction from you to get best vocal that you are happy with for your song.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I'm an old school guy so although I now record digitally for convenience, I still prefer the warm sound of analog tape. I have a record collection & a CD collection.I prefer vinyl over CD.

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

A: I will always give you the absolute best I have & work hard to get you the Vocal you are looking for.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Any day I can sing is a great day!

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

A: I was born in Harlem, NY. My parents moved us to Flushing, Queens when I was 9 years old. My sister & brother use to take me to concerts. I saw Janis Joplin, Jeff Beck Group, Ten Years After, James Gang, Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie, Johnny Winter And, etc... I knew from that point I wanted to play Music. My first real band, I was 14 years old. It was called Barrel. We played all the dances in my area. We covered Alice Cooper to Allman Bros. After Barrel I joined some friends from High School and that band was called Buddy. It was glam rock, we did Mott The Hoople , Bowie, etc... After that I started a band called Teaser. Played all the bars & clubs on Long Island & Queens. From there, I joined a stream of original bands & played my own music in NYC. Bands from that period were King Flux (X-Plasmatics), V.O.V., Stangelove. I would go on auditions weekly published in the Public Notice section of the Village Voice. With "V.O.V.", we played the Marquee Club, The Bitter End, Kenny's Castaways, Cafe Wha and a host of other Clubs & Bars in NY. We recorded a demo, that can be heard here, but we mostly did a lot of gigging. Ray Pineda & I had a knack for writing together. After "V.O.V.", I started a band with David Chin & John Bellon of "Shoot The Doctor" fame. We played a couple of gigs together but it was not long before this project soon faded. You can also hear "Strangelove" on here as well. I sing the Lead Vocals on all. Lyrics, Melodies & Arrangements.

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

A: Rock, Pop, Blues,

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Just a song I just wrote. Working title is "Missing Something".

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

A: Not at the moment, but I'm new to the site and I still need time to look around & listen.

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

A: Taylor Acoustic Guitar, iPod, Bose Headphones.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Powerful Rock Vocals with a Bluesy Feel.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Vocals