I'll try and answer a few of these questions for you guys....
The basic process for recording is that we go in and spend the first couple of days setting up, getting sounds, and then we track the drums, with Vito and I playing along with Sasha and laying down "scratch guitar" tracks that will be redone later, just so we can get the drums done first. Then we start laying down the proper guitar tracks (rhythms, leads, various overdubs and effects,etc.) over the next several days, with a day or two of bass recording to follow. The other stuff like keyboards or other instruments are generally done during the last week of recording. Vocals are recorded in various ways, depending on how Paul is feeling about it and time permitted, sometimes we can record vocals at various points throughout recording, or sometimes it's not really done until the last several days, it depends. Overall the whole process takes us between two and three weeks to get done. Then it's off to Mr. Swano for mixing and such.
As for how much time is spent goofind around in comparison to getting actual work done, well with ND there's always plenty of time for acting like morons. We usually evenly pepper it in there throughout the whole session, lol. But in terms of what you saw on that video clip, that was really just because we were testing out different amps and getting an idea for possible sounds we'd explore when it comes to time to track the guitars. The set-up and mic'ing of the drums had been going on all day for hours and there was little goofing around or anything exciting to see there. Without the goofing around I think we'd all go nuts, because recording can be a very laborious and drawn out process at times.
Which leads to the next question I'll answer..... I won't deny that there are times when things can get a bit tiring or stressful when dealing with stuff in this band, and just like anything else in life that you have to "work" at, it can start to feel a bit like a job, but honestly those feelings for us are pretty rare. Since we don't really do this to make a fortune in cash or because it has a good retirement plan or anything like that, lol, the reason we do this is because we love doing it and it's (mostly) fun. Yes, in all honesty, as fun as it is to be in the studio for three weeks recording a new batch of tunes, or going on the road for a few weeks and playing awesome shows, there's still a downside when you consider that we're a bunch of middle-aged men with families and friends and jobs that are all hard to leave behind for various reasons. And when things can get stressful in the studio, or on the road, you find yourself sometimes thinking, "why the fuck am I going through this shit?" But you pretty quickly are reminded that you do this because you still love it overall and it's a part of who you are. At least that's how it is for me, I guess I shouldn't speak for anyone else but I suspect it's pretty much the same for them too.
The "novelty" hasn't really worn off, so to speak, but surely there are things that don't excite us in quite the same way as they did the first time we did them.....I guess that's true for anyone though, right? Riding the roller coaster for the 5th time isn't as exciting as it was the first time and all, y'know? But there's still plenty of things that happen for ND that still keep us on our toes and keep this exciting and interesting. I think when the day comes that we don't experience those things anymore will be the day this band finally stops.
And of course the pressures of the business end of things, along with the negativity and criticism we encounter from people or critics or whomever along the way does get to us at times, I can't lie about that. Bands who tell you that they don't care about that shit are just lying, I'm sorry lol. But you can't let it get you down or ruin this whole experience for you, you have to do it because you still love to do it and you get something out of it for yourself, and if other people enjoy what you're doing too then that's all the better. I think the trick to doing all of this music biz stuff and staying happy is to keep a good balance of things, being able to balance what you want and what others want from you, and being able to keep your feet on the ground and not destroy yourself or your personal life for the sake of this business either, which is what so many people do. It's hard keeping that balance and having the people in your life understand it and go along with it, but if you're smart about it and honest with yourself and everyone about it, then you should be able to do this and stay productive and creative and happy throughout.
That's probably way more of an answer than you were hoping for but there you go lol....
