I would like to know the steps and process involved in creating an
original soundtrack. I have researched various websites and links, all
giving vague terms of price and little to no explanation to the
process involved. I have already gone to the American Composers Forum
(http://www.composersforum.org/), which I found to be an extremely
helpful site, but again, offered price ranges in only vague terms. How
much would a soundtrack cost, on average, if it were 40 minutes to 1
hour in length (with several songs, and not just one long single
track), originally composed, with a small to medium sized
orchestra? How much difference does the size of the orchestra cost? I
do not want a full orchestral symphony, as many of the examples
provdided, only a soundtrack equivalent to modern movies, so please
explain in the fullest detail possible the entire process - time,
steps, money (all costs included - copying, hiring, distribution fees,
if any) and how you get it from a sound recording to an actual CD and
how that is managed. Thank you very much for any light you can shed on
the matter.

I believe this question is really too general to be answered
accurately. There are too many variables. For example:

* Will the musicians be union, or not?
* Will the conductor be well known, unknown, or something in between? 
* Will royalties have to be paid on the music, or not?
* Will you have more rehearsal and fewer retakes in the studio? Or
less rehearsal time and more retakes in the studio?
* What studio will you use? Prices vary vastly depending on where you
are in the world. Prices even vary a great deal depending upon what
city you're in.
* How much editing will be required after the recordings are made?
* Will you do do-it-yourself packaging, or hire it out?
* How do you plan to distribute the resulting CD?

They are just so many, many options that it's impossible to say with
any accuracy how much it costs to record and market a CD.

Kind regards,
Kriswrite