Musical ideas can take many forms, from simple drum and bass patterns to complete songs with melody, lyrics, and chord changes. The feel and sound of a completed production are defined by musical ideas and arrangements, as well as production processes and tools.
Music production generally includes the following steps:
Basic musical ideas define the song that a producer creates, including the instruments and individual parts used in an arrangement. A producer’s primary role is to determine and arrange the parts that will be recorded and the musicians who will play them.
The performances that make up a musical arrangement are recorded using a variety of hardware devices and software programs as audio and/or MIDI data.
Recorded performances can be edited in a variety of ways to transform and refine individual elements or an entire arrangement.
The individual parts that make up a multitrack recording are combined and processed using effects to create a final stereo mix of the song.
Mastering is the final step in the production process, where adjustments are made to the final mix of the recording, and a finished stereo mix is created for digital and physical media distribution.