Topic: Someone settle this: What exactly is FOB.

[cleantone]

just in case anyone gives a squirt...

I personally dont really describe distance and height from anything. I do use either FOB, onstage, ceiling, or balcony. I don't normally tape from other places but if I did I might use FOH or stage lip maybe. So when I note FOB it just means (to me) that it was not onstage, clamped from the ceiling, off the balcony, or something like that. It is a big loose term (IMO). I don't think you have to be within a couple feet of the console to use the term. It's not a big deal. I don't think the average listener/leecher pays much attention to that anyway.

[JasonR]

Some interesting perspectives on this one.  Personally, if I hear "FOB" without further description, I assume it's well forward of the board.  If it's placed a foot in front, there's no difference really in the sound FOB or ROB (or, more correctly, roB! of course).  I'd just describe that as "at the SBD location" or something along those lines.

- Jason

[macroint]

For the longest time I thought FOB meant "Friend of Betty"....

[kskreider]

Sometimes I try to be detailed about where I was when I taped it, but mostly because once I am old and foggy I want the record to be clear. 

Lately I go to the technical section of the venue website where they have jpegs of the venue layout.  I copy the image and put a red dot on the image where I was sitting.  I include those on the archive disc with the recording and the text file. If you can't explain it a picture tells 1000 words.

To me FOB is taping in front of the board, particulary of importance to note for bands where you are not supposed to tape from those locations.  If there is no board you are automagically disqualified if you use the term.  Of course, unless less you totally give up and yell "Alle, alle auch sind frei!"

[mmmatt]

I rarely say fob.  I will usually say "just in front of sbd" or "just behind"  or "at foh" if I am *truly* fob, which I consider to be on the floor near the sweetspot, I will say "~30' from stage in the sweetspot fob".  I agree that fob is painfully overused.  I do try to state my stand height though.

Matt

[bhtoque]

stagelip  

(been there, done that,... but, just like fob,... how far out were you?)

That's the thing. FOB can be variable, but Lip and on stage are not. If you are touching the stage, but not on it, then it's stage lip. If the mics were 6" back from the edge of the stage then you are fob 6" from stage (but that's really splitting hairs, and I doubt you could hear the difference those 6" would make) 

JAson

[cleantone]

stagelip Huh?

(been there, done that,... but, just like fob,... how far out were you?)

For me that would mean very close to the stage but not on it. It would have to be something like 95% to the stage or more. I don't normally do that anyway. Can't think of one tape I would have made calling it stage lip. I don't make much effort describing where I was recording from. A summery of what I said before would be that I use FOB if I was not onstage or clamped to the cieling. I don't record many ampitheater shows and never stadium. If I'm in a large theater I'm usually FOB and onstage and I label the different sources as such. Some of us get to anal about source label, some of us not anal enough. (that's what she said)

[mikeincharleston]

yeah, places like the orange peel are all FOB recordings, but you are still in the back of the room

[dhora]

SFFFOBYABETBC (So Fucking Far Front Of Board You're Actually Backstage Eating The Band's Catering).

ROFLMAO that's awesome! That just made my day. +T
Here's an example of my latest text files: edited to trim setlist down

Relapse
2005-06-04
The Britannia Arms
Cupertino, CA

Taper:      Dave Hora (dave@horaenterprises.com)
Location:   Stand ~7'High > ORTF > Left side of room under the TV ~25' from stage
Source:    SP-CMC-2 (AT831) > SP-SPSB-1 (Roll Off at 107Hz) > JB3 (+0db)
Conversion:    JB3 > USB > Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (Normalized to 0db) > CD Wave > FLAC frontend > flac16

01.   banter: "The Posessed Red Mustang"   02:04.58
02.   Fifteen Minutes            03:59.07
03.   Pin Up               04:38.04

FLAC Fingerprint:
relapse2005-06-04t01.flac:a1e0db509e3cd979e3415d578da48463
relapse2005-06-04t02.flac:14cb95f66a3b37b7a9a574bb9a73fa46
relapse2005-06-04t03.flac:0c19c9c6437eb6430862836c4b483afd

md5 Checksum:
5798948949e627c264f92d32365fd492 *relapse2005-06-04t01.flac
66c1d589c818516a283e1483634d0716 *relapse2005-06-04t02.flac
ac0df5379fd64924329644269b9d3d0a *relapse2005-06-04t03.flac

[cleantone]

Moke,

Exactly. Were you running both rigs on that classical show? Who was the other one from? What was the neumann being used for?

[cleantone]

Nice!

[MattD]

Skalinder and I recorded a show in a church FJC (facing JC).

[cleantone]

Thats that new stereo ribbon mic right? How did that sound?

[bconnolly]

Skalinder and I recorded a show in a church FJC (facing JC).

FJC DFC

Priest: GTFO blasphemer.

[cleantone]

Like a hot knife through warm butter. like liquid.
I don't know the product line well enough to really say if its new or not. This one had a broken band in the shock mount, and it had a mean ghetto lean /

The Royer is the mic I was asking about. The MG (that looks like a neumann at a glance) seems to have a broken shock mount. As soon as I took a second look I noticed it was thinner that a neumann ldc. I'd love to get one of those Royer ribbon mics, stereo or not. Hell I'd love the MG or the B&K's too for that matter. Pretty sweet. Was the MG for throat singing? (to further derail the thread)