Kyle Gerhart Chooses DirectOut For Creed And InPhase

DirectOut manufactures high-end audio solutions that are the product of choice for many live sound engineers. This includes Kyle Gerhart, front of house engineer for Creed and owner of InPhase Productions LLC. Gerhart made the change to DirectOut PRODIGY and MAVEN after technical difficulties in 2024. There was some initial skepticism from Creed’s system engineer, Andy Bongardt, but he soon realized the potential of the PRODIGY.MP and neither engineer has looked back. DirectOut Smart Platforms have provided the backbone to their audio systems ever since.

Creed have enjoyed huge success over their long career, selling over 53 million albums worldwide. After a ten-year hiatus, the band reformed in 2023, taking part in the Summer of ’99 Cruise and announcing their 2024 tour of the same name. The band continued to tour prolifically in 2025 with Are you Ready? and have a quieter year planned for 2026. After their success, rumors of an even larger 2027 worldwide tour are already circulating.

“I used a different system processor for many, many years, but about three years ago, I went to go visit my buddy Curtis, who mixes 3 Doors Down. Michael Mordente was the system engineer at the time and they were using PRODIGYs,” he recalls. “They were the first people to introduce me to the benefits of DirectOut solutions. We’d been having issues, some of which were down to our devices, but it was also our configuration. So, for 2025 I let our supplier, Clair Global, know that I wanted to run our new amplifiers with a full Milan network and I wanted DirectOut as the core of my whole system.”

Gerhart was so impressed with DirectOut solutions that he also purchased a rig for his company, InPhase, which he uses at the front of house position for Creed.

“I bought a MAVEN.A, so I have my personal rig in addition to what I specify for the touring side of things,” he continues. “For me, me putting the MAVEN.A in my rack has allowed me to get rid of a Smaart interface, so it saved rack space. I was also able to incorporate a whole Dante network into my system and use it as my playback unit. That amount of versatility in a single device was pretty powerful. Another big advantage was the filter set; having the all-pass filters, as well as the notch filters is great, the tilt filters are fantastic, too!”

System engineer, Bongardt, has been a Clair Global employee for 14 years. He started as an intern and has worked his way up, first as a PA tech, then monitor tech, monitor engineer and front of house engineer. During the pandemic, he made the switch to system engineering and has been with Creed for the last two years. To begin with, DirectOut solutions felt too unfamiliar and expansive, but once he had narrowed down exactly what the system needed, he realized it was a very manageable to work with.

“Historically, I'm more of an old school analog guy, so starting out it felt like a lot - so many possibilities! Once I did the first tour, I got accustomed to it and I've toured with PRODIGY about four times since then,” he explains. “The PRODIGYs have a lot of capability. Initially, I started looking through the possibilities and workflow; the FIR filters, the IIR filters, and all the different parameters were really useful.  We were mixing and matching PA hangs on tour, so we used the full toy box. Having the offline capability to program, then draw out the processing signal flow was great, I still don’t think I’ve managed to max one out.”

The Creed audio system is built around the PRODIGY.MP managing console matrixing and driving the PA. The filters are one part of the workflow, but it is also taking care of network conversions, switching between analog, AVB Milan and AES signals so that data can flow seamlessly between stage, tech and front of house systems. The PRODIGY.MP is fully loaded with two analog input cards, two analog output cards, an AES card, AVB and Dante cards. This ensures that Bongardt can time and tune the entire loudspeaker system and can consolidate the separate matrix devices he was using previously.

As Bongardt and Gerhart conclude, the efficiency of this system, coupled with the versatility, flexibility and reliability of the PRODIGY Smart Platform has ensured they have earned their place in the Creed touring package.

“The PRODIGYs are great. Having everything within one box and figuring out ways to do really cool things with my Stream Decks was super,” Bongardt says. “I started out making OSC commands for it, just having fun. Now I’ve got the Companion Plugin, it is way easier. I’ve actually bought a bigger Stream Deck so I can have more buttons! The PRODIGY.MP is the centerpiece of the drive rack and does most of the processing. It won me over on that tour. I was not a fan initially, but now I want one on all the shows I do. For PRODIGY to change my mind like that is a very rare thing.”

Gerhart finishes, “I really like the gain and tone matching for analog to AES and the fact that I've been able to get creative with it. It takes the product to a higher level and makes it superior. There's reliability, big space savings and I am constantly finding new ways to use it. The value is definitely there.”

About DirectOut GmbH

Since its founding in 2008 in Mittweida, Germany, DirectOut GmbH has evolved from a manufacturer of audio format converters and signal distribution solutions into a globally operating provider of comprehensive audio solutions. With the innovative PRODIGY Series and the Smart Audio Platform MAVEN, the company offers a new generation of versatile and scalable tools that can be precisely tailored to the specific requirements of projects. Supporting established and emerging audio formats such as MADI, SoundGrid, Dante, and RAVENNA, as well as adhering to standards like AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110, DirectOut products enable seamless integration of various audio networks. Thanks to powerful DSP capabilities, these solutions provide the highest levels of flexibility, reliability, and audio quality in demanding production environments worldwide.

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