FBT has been making audio equipment in Italy since 1963. The company started with voice and guitar amplifiers in Recanati. Today, it builds loudspeakers for concerts, portable PA setups and installed sound systems. Its range includes equipment a musician can load into a car as well as loudspeakers flown above a stage.
Stage IQ is a direct FBT representative in Lithuania. We sell, install and service its equipment. We have also installed FBT systems in several school assembly halls, so we can share photographs of our own projects alongside the products.
Still made in Recanati
Bruno Baldoni and Vinicio Tanoni founded FBT. Their first products were valve amplifiers for voice and guitar; mixing consoles followed. The company's history page tells the story of those early years.
Stage equipment has changed considerably in the six decades since. Amplifiers are often built into loudspeakers, and onboard processing gives users control over their sound. FBT's production remains in Italy. At its Recanati headquarters, engineers develop products, electronics and cabinets are manufactured, and completed equipment is tested before it leaves the factory.
FBT's company introduction explains how these activities share one site. The enclosure, drivers and electronics are developed as parts of the same sound system.
The official FBT video takes you inside the factory to see the people and work behind the equipment.
Loudspeakers you can take to a gig
For a musician or presenter, choosing a loudspeaker starts before the performance. You have to lift it, fit it into a vehicle, carry it into the venue and set it up. If you do all of that yourself, weight and straightforward connections soon matter as much as sound.
For a small event, the FBT X-LITE 112A is one place to start. You can connect a microphone directly and play music from a phone over Bluetooth. Add a mixing console when you need more microphones or instruments. The JMAXX 112A is another model to compare, with cabinet size, connections and the required output all part of the decision.
The PROMAXX 112A gives you more adjustment within the loudspeaker itself. Its display lets you select a factory preset, adjust the frequency balance and save your own settings. That is useful when the same equipment moves between venues: a small café and a spacious hall can make a system sound quite different.
For a live band, choose the loudspeakers as part of the complete setup. Consider how many microphones you will use, whether there is an acoustic drum kit and what the musicians need to hear on stage. The VENTIS 112A and MITUS 112A are two further FBT options. Both can be used at events or installed in a venue.
VERTUS CS 1000 for musicians and presenters
The FBT VERTUS CS 1000 is worth a look if you want a compact setup. A slim column mounts above a subwoofer. For transport, the column and its support sections fit inside the subwoofer cabinet.
Before choosing this setup, consider what it needs to reproduce. A presenter's microphone and background music make different demands from a DJ set or live band, particularly at the low end.
The VERTUS name also covers other types of system. CS 1000 is designed to travel to events, while CLA loudspeakers can be flown above a stage and arranged to suit the room.
FBT in Lithuanian school assembly halls
We have installed FBT sound systems in the assembly halls of Nemenčinė Gediminas Gymnasium, Pabradė “Žeimena” Gymnasium and Pagiriai Gymnasium. These photographs show the Nemenčinė Gediminas project, with VERTUS loudspeakers beside the stage and floor monitors for performers.
A school assembly hall might host a meeting and a student concert in the same week. People at the back need to understand the speaker, while music requires more output. Before choosing the equipment, it helps to see the room, know where the audience will sit and understand the events it will host.
The VERTUS CLA 406.2A and CLA 206A can be used in different combinations. The number of cabinets, their mounting height and their angle are chosen for the hall. The aim is to direct sound towards the listeners and reduce the amount sent towards ceilings and other reflective surfaces.
The loudspeakers are one part of that installation. The people who use it every day need to know where to connect a microphone and how to adjust the level. A stage production may also call for a different microphone from a speech at a lectern. Our article “Theatre with DPA Microphones” looks more closely at microphones for productions.
What the performer hears
The main loudspeakers face the audience. A singer standing behind them may struggle to hear their own voice, especially with drums and guitars nearby. Stage monitors give performers their voice and the instruments they need to follow while playing.
The FBT STAGEMAXX 12MA is a floor monitor. Its position needs to suit the performer and the microphone being used. It is worth spending time on the monitor mix before the show: playing well is difficult when you cannot hear yourself or the other musicians. Our sE Electronics overview may also help when choosing a vocal microphone.
A subwoofer has a different job. It reproduces the low frequencies of bass guitar, kick drum and electronic music. A VERTUS system can be paired with the CLA 118SA; the SUBLINE 118SA is another option in FBT's range. A subwoofer needs to be selected and aligned with the main loudspeakers so the complete system works together.
Tell us about your events or venue
For equipment you will take to gigs, tell us where you usually perform, what you need to connect and how you will transport it. For a hall installation, a floor plan or dimensions, photographs of the stage and details of existing equipment are useful. We can then discuss a specific setup.
Browse FBT loudspeakers and sound systems at Stage IQ. For selection, installation or service, contact info@stageiq.lt or +370 636 55536.
