So what happens on this ugly floor? How is a recording project turned into a finished song?
At a high level, stuff goes into a recording medium through microphones or other means (electronic), and it all gets blended together and comes out in the end as a 2 track (stereo) product. The general sequence of events are:
Tracking
Mixing
Mastering
TRACKING
Tracking is the actual recording of the music. It can all be done at once, or it can be done in pieces by recording some parts first and then recording others later. It can happen by recording sounds, voices, or instruments through microphones, or by creating parts digitally with controllers (instruments) that trigger sounds stored in electronic mediums (instrument samples, for instance), or by manipulating already existing digital sections of sound/music.
MY PART
Setting up the mics and other equipment, setting sound levels before recording, actual recording of takes. Providing headphone monitoring (you can set your own headphone monitor mix using an in-studio wireless tablet, each musician has their own).
YOUR PART
Playing, singing, speaking, slapping your own face, or doing whatever you do to create sounds to be passed down for posterity.
NOT INCLUDED IN PER-SONG RATE (but available per hour):
Using the studio to rehearse
Excessive amounts of takes per part/song
MIXING
Mixing is taking the recorded tracks and blending them into a stereo song. It typically involves setting levels, equalization, compression, and application of effects (reverb and delay for instance) on individual and grouped tracks. Expect at least 8-10 hours per song.
You will get 2 chances to review the mix of each song and request changes. After that any further changes are at an hourly rate.
NOT INCLUDED IN PER-SONG RATE (but available per hour):
VOCAL (OR OTHER) COMPING (Can you use the 2nd bar of the 1st take and the 3rd bar of the 4th take?)
VOCAL TUNING/PITCH CORRECTION (Can you fix that flat note at the end of the 2nd chorus?)
TIME CORRECTION (can you nudge that bass note forward just a little?)
DRUM SOUND REPLACEMENT (Can you put sampled drums in place of or in conjunction with the recorded drum parts?
MASTERING
Mastering is taking the mixed stereo song and polishing/refining/finishing it to put it into its final form. It typically involves Equalization, compression, creating fade-outs, etc. It also includes bringing the finished volume of the song up to industry standard levels, and arranging the sequence and overall balance of songs on an album.