Henry Santos Jeter on SoundBetter

Henry Santos is an original member of the legendary latin group Aventura. He is also known as a founding father of Modern Bachata, a romantic and soothing music style from the Dominican Republic. Multi-awarded over his 20+ years of career in the industry. Produces, arranges, writes and has directed voices of Thalia & Christian Castro among others.

1. Bachata Production: Arrangements, Mixing & Mastering.
2. Vocal Recording Guidance for Bachata.
3. Bachata Lyrics & Syntax advisor.

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Credits

15 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Henry Santos Jeter

by Anthony B.
Verified
It's a dream come true! Henry is always professional and very humble. Providing the highest quality in the industry. I will always be grateful 🙏🏼. Can't wait to work with him again!!
by Anthony B.
Verified
Working with Henry, is working with the highest quality in the industry. Aside from the phenomenal artist he is, his humility and work ethic are astounding. I love how my project came to life. Will work with Henry again!
by Fernando P.
Verified
Very professional and helpful!
I can feel the passion and great work, the trust and he is always available to react
by Krency Garcia El Prodigio
It was a very pleasant experience for me to have collaborated with my friend Henry Santos on a beautiful song written by him. Excellent treatment in terms of credits and distribution contracts, all very organized.

I am super happy with this collaboration because of the way of Henry so affable, very motivating and very professional.

I look forward to working with Henry as soon as possible.
by Jack Nine Films
Professional, Humble and Overall industry leader. We collaborated on a couple projects and it was synergy from the very beginning...
by Lirow
Henry Santos is a professional music artist with a special talent in many different areas. I personally had the pleasure of writing and producing music in collaboration with Henry which I consider was a great experience. 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
by Daniel Santacruz
Henry Santos is a great and complete artist, songwriter, dancer, producer and a great singer. I have written several songs with him and we collaborated on a track called "Weekend". It was great working with him! An excellent person and a true professional.
by MarceloFilms
I have worked with Henry for about 8 years now, It has been so rewarding with working someone that is passionate about his craft and very professional in everything. The most humble artist you can ever find. Henry is not only a great artist but also great human being. His love, passion and drive for music is top notch. He is a great role model in every aspect in your career or personal life. Thank you for all you do and continue to do.
by Jennifer Santibanez
Henry Santos is a dedicated singer, songwriter and his passion for his craft is like no other I've ever seen. His tenure in the music business is incomparable and working with him in the past 2 years has shown me how well experienced he is. The way he adapts to new ideas and his willingness to work and learn new initiatives is refreshing and will consistently keep him ahead of the game!
by Julian Duque
Henry is not only a great artist but a great person and an talented professional. I worked hand to hand with his label during my time at The Orchard/Sony Music and he is one of those artists that knows how to put hard work and get things done.
by Ronny Mercedes
Not only is Henry a great friend, but also one of my top mentors who I respect as person and as a professional. He is very generous and isn’t afraid to share knowledge or personal success tools. When I decided to branch out as a solo artist after leaving my band & fresh off LA VOZ, Henry took me by the hand and guided me through all of the steps in how to make a more prepared formula that may guarantee success in the music industry. Not only did he advise me, but also shared valuable information and references that have helped him along the way. Thank you Henry and God bless you.
by Bobby Pulido
I worked with Henry on a Bachata song. He was 100% professional and a pleasure to work with. Although we come from extremely different musical backgrounds, we understood each other perfectly. The song came out amazingly well
by Ariel Roig
I think that having talent is having a good heart, and this is what makes Henry a better person and artist. He is excellent as a counselor and guide because his energy and optimism, in addition to his direct sincerity, gives me more focus. For me it is a pleasure to have his support because in the short time that I have been under his advice I have acquired great and practical knowledge about the music business 💯!
by LENNY357
Excelente , músico , compositor un grán intérprete , muy profesional y sobre todo tremendo ser humano, digno de Tener el cariño del público y de la industria musical. Un placer para mi haber podido trabajar como ingeniero en tus projecto “Henry” keep it up Bro DIOS te Siga Bendiciendo Siempre 🙏🏾💯
by Alcover
Henry is a vibe to work with, we have worked on so many projects in the last 10+ years, super talented vocalist, writer, producer, humble person and super-star!!!

Interview with Henry Santos Jeter

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: The project that I'm mostly proud of working is definitely a track called 'Don Juan & Cupido' because I was able to write it, arrange it, produce it, and sing it with the person that made me fall in love with the genre I do, the strongest pillar of the traditional bachata, Anthony "el Mayimbe" Santos. To know that he honored and trusted me by letting me do almost everything (Except mixing and guiding his voice because of scheduling conflicts) I can proudly say is the highlight of my professional career.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently working on my 5th studio album, collaborating with the top Bachata artist of all time.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I have a boatload of contacts that I could recommend to my clients. Writers, other producers, videographers, music distributors, and right now, as I do this interview, I've guided many of my contacts to join SoundBetter.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Even though I have the outmost respect for analog, because I come from that era, Digital has found its way to replace sounds with plugins almost identical to analog. The times have changed for producers and so have I.
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: The promise I can make to my clients is that I know bachata, and if bachata is what they're looking for, they can find it with me. Old school, new school or experimental. In the end, a Bachata track with the highest standards of quality that the industry require.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: What I like most about my job is that each project is a new canvas. I get excited about making lyrics and arrangements dance with each other. Also, I love seeing the faces of my fellow producers when they hear one of my final products.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: The most common question I get is "How soon do you think it'll be done?" My answer usually is while smiling (Besides the deadline I provide on the proposals) "You can't rush greatness". I focus on one song at a time, and spend all my energy on it until it feels 100% right. Another question I commonly get is "How do you make songs sound so different from each other?" My answer is "Because songs require different colors, like a painting,... and being able to use colors from the best guitarists in the business, is a true blessing".
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The biggest misconception about what I do is that is "easy". Understanding the feelings of a song and the right arrangement to dress it up is no easy task. Music speaks to you in a silent language that you're only able to feel, and the best example I always use is that music is the equivalent of using the words "I Love You"... You'll know when it feels real.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: There are some perimeters that are usually present in Bachata as a genre. Knowing what artists do they listen to in Bachata, besides Aventura, Henry Santos & Romeo Santos, gives me some idea of their taste. Knowing if they have ever recorded professionally before and show me their songs, usually helps me skip many steps. If they have not recorded, things are usually easier. There are so many other intricate details and questions that go into creating a song, but those questions come after we have already started working.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I would advice customers looking to hire a provider like me to be open minded, patient and trust the knowledge that comes with the experience. Many young artists (and I include myself when I was younger) wanna reinvent the wheel, and the beauty of Music is that all music has already been played, sung and written... its just the way one puts it together with love, originality and any type of feeing one's great at, that is gonna make a difference. Be different, be original, but best of all, listen.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: V-Moda 200 headphones, Newman TLM 103, Apollo Twin Solo, Mac Pro, Solar Panel with Plugs (For power).
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started as a choir singer and altar boy at my church in the Dominican Republic around 1987. After moving to NYC at age 13, I continued to sing in the church choir until my cousin Anthony "Romeo" Santos and I, decided to create a band with songs we had written in 1996. Consequently we joined forces with Lenny & Max Santos (No relation) who had their own band and became Aventura. This group became the biggest Latin Act in history from 2001 until 2011 when the group dismantled and I started my solo career with Venemusic as a partner. In 2015 Venemusic went out of business and I took over my career with my own label HustleHard Entertainment LLC, and have been managing it ever since. Joining forces with great artists, composers, singers, arrangers, managers, label execs & distributors on every album & collaboration, my career has bloomed to heights I never imagined.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I admire many artists whom I'd like to work with, but the question is, am I the right person for the track? I consider music not to be about me, but about the song itself. One can create a beautiful song in one's head, but if the wrong producer tries to make it come to life and it's not the right producer, it'll be a waste of time. This is why I don't produce any other genre, but know and trust other producers to do their thing when needed!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: When producing a Bachata, make sure that it has its essence of bachata at the core and build it from there. It's not the same to grab an R&B track, add Bongos and Güira and call it a "Bachata".
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Although I find most of my inspiration elsewhere, I work Bachata for the most part.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill I'll say is my persistence on seeking perfection.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Anywhere from the correct syntaxes on Spanish lyrics, to the right feel on the guitars, or the right percussion break, there are countless details that make a huge difference while creating a bachata track. I also nitpick on sound mistakes like tuning or grounds on instruments.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Because of my experience as a writer first, I'm able to foresee a pattern that makes sense lyrically, and then as a producer, I'm able to dress up the lyrics with the right arrangements.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: At home, I use a Neumann TLM 103, KRK ROKIT 10-3 G4 10 inch 3-way Powered Studio Monitors, Universal Audio Apollo Twin MKII DUO 10x6 Thunderbolt Audio Interface with UAD DSP. ProTools with countless plugins, and two separate professional studios for live percussions mixing & mastering located in NYC and the Dominican Republic.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Over the years I've created music with countless musicians and production professionals. Each one of them have inspired me in their own unique ways, because I'm able to create music & specifically designed tracks with their core talents. From Pop to Salsa, Merengue Típico to Urbano, I know people who inspire me from almost every genre!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common type of work I do for my clients is creating the right bachata arrangements for their songs, with the right mix and mastering required for our industry standards. With over 25 years of experience in the bachata industry, in the areas of writing, producing, vocal guidance, label executive, marketing and countless awards under my belt, I take pride on using my art and experience to help new and stablished artists create their ideal bachata track.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My style is keeping up with the times without ever losing the core essence.