Craig Hendry on SoundBetter

I'm a pianist and programmer with 20 years' experience arranging for vocal groups, orchestras, and bands. I was the musical director for Australia's The Ten Tenors, and my song "Cast In Stone" appeared on their Platinum-selling album, "Tenology".

Hi!

I'm a pianist/vocalist and producer/arranger from Australia.

I've worked with artists in Australia, the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, have recorded at Abbey Road and Air Studios in London, and performed at the Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall in London, The Pantages Theater in Hollywood and the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow.

My expertise is in piano tracks, vocal ensemble arrangements, and orchestral arrangements.

My process:

All I really need is the BPM of your song and a rough demo or guide showing the overall harmonic structure and form, and I'm good to go! Better yet, if you have .midi files you could send me additionally, that will help get my session up and running. Best case, I work primarily in Logic Pro, so if you're also using that program, great! Send me your session file and again, I can get started right away on whatever it is you need.

I'll send you stereo bounces of whatever it is I'm working on, usually on a daily basis so you can hear my progress. When we're both happy with the project, I'll send as many stems as you need. For example with orchestral programming, I can provide close, mid, and main mics for every single instrument.

Oh, and I don't really have a limit on revisions; I really want you to be fully happy with the end result. After all, it's tough to send notes back and forth via text!

Craig

Send me a note through the contact button above.

Credits

AllMusic verified credits for Craig Hendry

Liam Bailey
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
The Ten Tenors
Orquesta Sinfonica RTVE

Languages

English
German
Italian
Spanish

4 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Craig Hendry

by Cheney
Verified
Craig is definitely an amazing musician to work with. He is super patient and great communicator. He clearly understand your needs and complete a fantastic work with his great talent. He is a true pro to take your works to another level. World definitely work with him on next project again!
by mariano s.
Verified
Craig did such a great job on one of our songs that we knew we must work with him again. Great attention to detail and we're more than happy with the job. Highly recommended!
by mariano s.
Verified
Craig did an amazing job and we're super satisfied with the work he did. Beautiful sound and a pleasure to work with!
by Rainer Hersch
I would highly recommend Craig Hendry - he is a craftsman, who is quick and very detailed in his work, producing great results. Projects he has arranged for us include medleys, songs and even an original composition, which we recorded and has now got over 2M hits on YouTube. Look no further - this is your man.

Interview with Craig Hendry

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Would have to be David Foster at this point. I'd just love to pick his brain, as he seems to elicit incredible performances out of everyone he works with, from artists to mix engineers.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Divisi celli is your friend!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Classical crossover and adult contemporary pop are my go-to genres; that's where I've had most of my 20 years of experience.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I think my strongest skill is patience, and with it, the pursuit of excellence.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring an eclectic mix of musical inspiration, a well-trained ear for fine detail, whilst striving for perfection. I like to work with an almost mathematical level of detail when it comes to my arrangements and subsequent programming, yet delivering a product that is greater than the sum of its parts, and inspired by the intangible. I like to think my music is emotional, uplifting, and inspirational.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I like to work from a client's existing session, whether that be a native Logic or Pro Tools file, but I'm happy to work with .midi files, or simply an mp3 of the existing song. Usually I work once the song's melody, harmonic structure, and form are finalized. But I can also help rearrange the song if need be. I usually score everything in Sibelius and then program in Logic Pro. I like to deliver bounces or stems at the end of every work day, to keep the client as up-to-date as possible.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a modest home studio, featuring a Mac Pro running Logic and Pro Tools, and a slave PC connected via Vienna Ensemble Pro. Most of my work happens within-the-box, so my go-to libraries are EastWest's complete Hollywood Orchestra series, Spectrasonics' Keyscape, Omnishpere, and Trillian, Superior Drummer 3 by Toontrack. I have a Rode NT2-A, a pair of Dynaudio BM6A mk II Monitors, and a wonderful 1994 Yamaha U3.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: As a piano player, I grew up listening to Elton John, Billy Joel, Harry Connick, Jr, Ben Folds, Bill Evans, and Keith Jarrett. My style is somewhat a mix of all those brilliant players. As far as orchestration, my biggest influence (and with whom I've had the absolute pleasure of working) is Nicholas Dodd. Producers... hands down David Foster, particularly his work with Josh Groban and Michale Bublé.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: My niche is providing a lush orchestral arrangement, completely programmed if need be, for an existing song. Usually it's for a client's reinterpretation of a track, but I often work with artists producing original material. I have an extensive suite of professional software instruments, so in addition to the orchestra, I regularly provide entire arrangements made up of piano, bass, drums, guitar, and synths.