Topic: Someone settle this: What exactly is FOB.

[bconnolly]

I know it stands for "Front of Board" (FOH is "Front of House")... I got that.

But I hear the term FOB used in so many different ways on this board that I'm convinced that some tapers either a) don't know what it means or b) have a loose definition of the acronym.

What exactly is FOB?

[Ed.]

if you ask me, its anything in front of the sound board.  its not a very descript term, if you wanted to get technical, you could say your distance to the stage and whatnot...but when i think of it, or use it, it usually means i'm a few feet to several feet in front of the board.  depends where i'm taping too.  if its a bar, i'm always fob for the most part.

[Brian Skalinder]

What exactly is FOB?

FOB is a meaningless* distinction that some tapers put on their sources so that the masses of clueless idiots over at eTree think it's a great recording without even listening to it. 

* Meaningless for multiple reasons (right up there with the way many tapers abuse DFC):

• FOB != better sound, necessarily
• FOB doesn't indicate the tapers actual position in the venue - FOB could be 6" in front of the board, it could be at stage lip, it could be underneath the balcony on the far left hand side of the venue, etc.
• In many smaller venues (like the ones I'm usually in), the entire venue is FOB - so indicating the recording was made FOB isn't saying much

[bconnolly]

Thanks for the replies.

I really didn't want to make this thread and out myself as somewhat of a new taper... but I just wanted to check my sanity and make sure I wasn't having reading comprehension issues.

The real catalyst was that I taped a show on Saturday and my stand was literally butted up against the soundboard.  I couldn't have been any closer to it.  I thought that meant I was FOB.

[Brian Skalinder]

The real catalyst was that I taped a show on Saturday and my stand was literally butted up against the soundboard.  I couldn't have been any closer to it.  I thought that meant I was FOB.

FWIW, I usually reference my location relative to the stage or the board (or sometimes both).  There's a template info file in the Archive forum you're free to cannibalize if you wish.  Some think the notes I include are overkill, but I make notes about my location, height, etc. for my own reference, not for others.

[nickgregory]

FOB is misused about as much as DFC

[Ed.]

I personally like Skalinder's "overkill" in his info files...I've started to follow suit.

[bconnolly]

I personally like Skalinder's "overkill" in his info files...I've started to follow suit.

I think it's nice to havve all of that info as well but it seems rather verbose.  My template looks like this:

Code: [Select]

Band
Venue
City, State
YYYY-MM-DD

Taper: Brian Connolly (brian@iamserio.us & http://trades.iamserio.us)
Location: <wherever>, mic config <height>
Source: Mics > Pre > Recorder
Lineage: Recorder > PC > WAV > CDWave > FLAC

Setlist:
01. Bunny Fluffers
02. Running Butters
03. Truffle Shuffles
04. Yummy Nutters

Notes:
blah de blah

This format jives well with foo_traders_friend (easy tagging id3 with Foobar2000) and if I keep all of my text files this way, it's easier to integrate it into a website with a database that I've yet to create in PHP and SQL.

[Nick Graham]

Dude, I bet that Truffle Shuffles>Yummy Nutters jam was sick.

Heady brah...

[Jhurlbs81]

 

[bconnolly]

Dude, I bet that Truffle Shuffles>Yummy Nutters jam was sick.

Heady brah...

I had trouble tracking it... I couldn't even tell when the Shuffle stopped and when the Nutters began.  I think I saw colors.

[sml42]

Surely you mean you heard the colors... brah!

[greenone]

The real catalyst was that I taped a show on Saturday and my stand was literally butted up against the soundboard.  I couldn't have been any closer to it.  I thought that meant I was FOB.

I usually put that as "at soundboard".

Of course, you could list it as BFOB (barely front of board), which then allows for FFOB (far front of board), RFOB (really front of board), WFOB (way front of board), RFFOB (really fucking front of board), and the ever-elusive SFFFOBYABETBC (So Fucking Far Front Of Board You're Actually Backstage Eating The Band's Catering).

[bhtoque]

The real catalyst was that I taped a show on Saturday and my stand was literally butted up against the soundboard.  I couldn't have been any closer to it.  I thought that meant I was FOB.

I usually put that as "at soundboard".

Of course, you could list it as BFOB (barely front of board), which then allows for FFOB (far front of board), RFOB (really front of board), WFOB (way front of board), RFFOB (really fucking front of board), and the ever-elusive SFFFOBYABETBC (So Fucking Far Front Of Board You're Actually Backstage Eating The Band's Catering).

+T Dave

I guess I could have used SFFFOBYABETBC for my tapes at the original HOB. But then the green room was upstairs, behind the sbd, so I was really FOB&BETBC 

If I'm within a few feet of the sbd, I'll mark the show as @ Sbd too.
If I'm closer to the stage than anything else, it's FOB, but I include distance. ie shows at the Paradise are fob 6' from stage, shows at the Stone Church are fob 12' from stage. If I'm DFC, then the txt file includes it, otherwise it's feet LOC or ROC.

JAson

[bconnolly]

This is an interesting revelation.  I always thought "FOB" meant you were in front of the board... like right there.  I now understand it loosely means "anywhere in front of the board as long as you're not behind it."