so in December I made my first on-stage recording, I used an XY microphone configuration with an AKG483>UA5>DAP1 rig, the recording is excellent with very much of a "being there" feel, with all of the instruments being clear and tight and evenly represented, while the recording far surpasses most any tapers section of FOB recording I have made, easily, I was converted but I was not completely blown away; so, last night after being at the receiving end of a shocking amount of bullshit and hassling by a dinner/jazz club's manager, who was a complete prick and hassled me everywhere I tried to set up FOB, and after actually packing up and leaving the venue only to run into another taper who was headed into the same venue and eventually smoothed things over with the prick, I ended up setting up one foot back from the stage at about three feet high (I did not really want to set up here because I did not think I would pick up any vocals at all); rather than XY I remembered a comment from Bean or Datdork or Heath saying that for on stage/stage lip, they preferred ORTF; so I checked out the set up, band's amps in the middle, drums on the far right, keys and grand piano on the left, house monitors (sweet large Klipsch monitors) on the extreme right and left, so I decided ORTF was the way to go; wow, was that ever a good move; in my recording, the right and left channels are extremely separate, drums coming in only through the right channel, keys and piano only through the left channel, lead guitar and tablas right in the middle and audible in both channels; in this situation, therefore, I highly recommend ORTF for a very dynamic, very stereo sound; these are easily some of the best recordings (an early and a late show) I have ever made, just my thoughts on the subject