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 skeptatsism 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

DirectOut manufactures high-end, flexible audio solutions and when Ricki Cook was employed as the systems architect for Linkin Park, he turned to the DirectOut PRODIGY and EXBOX Series to ensure his audio set-up was compatible with any system, anywhere in the world. Whether the show is a fly-in gig in South America, a US TV show, or performing in a European stadium, the band’s audio system is ready for anything and fully redundant thanks to DirectOut’s solutions. 

Beginning his career in systems integration followed by live/touring sound, he then diversified into broadcast where he discovered the flexibility of DirectOut, and has been using the products for over a decade.

DirectOut manufactures audio solutions that are renowned for their reliability, whatever the application. For an event which has the scale and importance of the Pope’s 2025 Jubilee for Youth, absolute redundancy is a complete necessity. DirectOut’s Luca Giaroli designed a network audio, video, and control system that would provide the perfect infrastructure, working tirelessly to ensure that the audience of over a million young people heard every word of this special Papal Mass. 

A Jubilee or Holy year is recognized every 25 years by the Catholic church. The year offers an opportunity for Catholics to reset, renew faith and recommit to a just world. The Jubilee for Youth was a week-long international event that saw hundreds of thousands of young people complete prayers, masses and even a pilgrimage of faith that culminated in the chance to enter the Vatican Major Basilicas through the Holy Doors. 

“I was in Frankfurt meeting other DirectOut partners and doing some training when a friend called and asked what I was up to next week! A week later, I was sitting on a flight to Japan,” Borowicz recalls. “It was all very quick, but thanks to the flexibility of the globcon software, many things can be programmed in advance - even remotely. That helped me work more efficiently and avoid surprises on-site. Both Pavilions were a real multi-media experience, with many conversions between different formats, networks, computers and loudspeaker systems.”

EXPO 2025 was set on an artificial island called Yumeshima, and in the region of 28 million visitors attended during the six months the fair was open. 158 countries took part, each exploring different themes and ideas around the common prompt ‘Designing Future Society for our Lives’. Every Pavilion delivered a unique experience and the Netherlands and Philippines Pavilions were no exception.

DirectOut, a leading designer of premium audio solutions for diverse applications, has been selected by TJ Bechill, the CEO of NEAT Audio, to serve as the core of their playback engines. These playback systems are highly sought after by numerous high-profile stadium and arena tours across the United States, featuring renowned artists such as Twenty One Pilots, Ariana Grande, Cardi B, and Post Malone. 

Bechill’s journey began as an artist liaison and technical support engineer at Sweetwater USA, one of the nation’s largest musical instruments and audio distributors. In 2011, he received a phone call from his client, Twenty One Pilots, informing him that a significant technical malfunction in their existing playback system had resulted in a complete show disruption. This incident profoundly impacted Bechill’s understanding of the need to eliminate such experiences for sound engineers, bands, and paying attendees. Consequently, during that weekend, he initiated the development of his proprietary redundant playback engine, laying the foundation for NEAT Audio. 

DirectOut, a leading provider of audio technology, is pleased to announce the successful deployment of its modular audio platform, PRODIGY.MP, in extreme acoustic testing conducted by Acoustic Research Systems (ARS).  

ARS, is an industry leader of Direct Field Acoustic Testing, and relies on multiple PRODIGY.MP to ensure accurate and repeatable launch simulations. Founded by Eric Friedlander and Jeremiah Leiter, ARS has established itself as a disruptive innovator in the field of acoustic testing.  

The company utilizes PRODIGY.MP as a critical link between the acoustic test control system and the ARS NeutronTM acoustic fields. Designed to provide next-generation acoustic power output for aerospace, scientific and industrial applications, the ARS NeutronTM System is part of the turn-key, complete solution for mobile or fixed High Power Direct Field Acoustic Testing needs. 

Orbiting satellites provide essential services for us on Earth: communication and internet access, navigation and weather forecasting, even scientific and military objectives. Launching these objects through our atmosphere is accompanied by tremendous noise, vibration and pressure loads, so testing these, and other space-bound objects is crucial for verifying their durability.  

A Falcon 9 rocket launch creates approximately 107dBa and the historic Saturn 5 rockets of the Apollo era were over 200dBa. These are amongst the loudest sounds possible on Earth. Sound at this volume stops being a wave moving through air and becomes a massive pressure zone, pushing air with huge force causing gigantic destructive vibrations. To ensure the survivability of delicate electronics and solar panels required by modern space-technology, launches today require robust testing methods. 

DirectOut, manufacturer of high-end audio solutions for any audio application, has been chosen by system designer and engineer, Ville Kauhanen to provide fail-safe stability for all his complex stadium-touring audio system designs. 
 
Stadium touring is the pinnacle of live music touring and Kauhanen is at the very top of his game. He has worked non-stop in the industry for nearly 30 years and with some of the highest profile artists on the planet. His recent work includes Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour, which concluded in December 2024. The tour visited 54 cities across five continents playing 149 shows and was the highest grossing tour of all time.  
 
Kauhanen was the system engineer for the tour and provided the system infrastructure for each location. His method of working today is very different to when he first started, but, as he explains, his huge industry overview enables him to plan for the future, as well as succeed in the present. 
 
“I’m old enough to have seen the transition from analog to digital. When I started, we had very different ideas of what the future of audio networking would look like,” he says. “We assumed there would just be one huge network with everything in it, but we now know that this may never happen. That’s why I need a strong audio backbone, and that can only be provided by DirectOut. I rely upon the PRODIGY range, usually together with EXBOX, for every project I’m involved in.” 
 
DirectOut offers reliable conversion and matrixing between a wide range of audio network protocols so, regardless of the manufacturer’s network strategy, signal paths between pieces of equipment stay intact. Across the industry, different protocols such as MADI, Ravenna, Dante and AVB are in use and successfully matrixing these elements requires powerful conversion that can operate seamlessly. 
 
“I don’t care what the speaker or console brand is, but the audio transportation infrastructure has to be DirectOut-based," he says. “They support so many formats, and their products are flexible and reliable. Due to their popularity and ability to support most audio formats used in productions, I often find that the different vendors for each department can provide PRODIGYs as part of their package and then I can patch things together as one infrastructure backbone.” 
 
The power of solutions like PRODIGY.MP comes from the FPGA-based low-latency processing. Kauhanen relies on this to maintain a stable signal path across different clocking rates and network protocols, ensuring failsafe operation at every point, even in 90,000-capacity venues.  
 
“Most companies focus on a few network strategies, maybe point to point, or channel count, but I think the vision of DirectOut is much wider and has quality,” he says. “I use it mainly for the powerful sample rate conversions, but the ability to matrix between different formats is also essential.” 
 
Planning infrastructure on a stadium scale is a massive challenge. Kauhanen needs to get sound from the performer to the audience, but there are many other considerations. Timecode must be shared across departments - there are feeds for social media, broadcast and accessibility, such as correctly timed headphone feeds for sign language interpreters. This data will all travel on a network designed by Kauhanen, so it is essential that the infrastructure parameters are known in advance. For the fine details of the network, he uses an associate who manages details like network switches. Such is the requirement for a complex understanding of IT and audio technology, the use of his associate is written into his contract. 
 
“One of the most important parts of my job is planning. I need to get that done early, so the information can be sent to the venues. Because of the impact on seating layout, our loudspeaker, amplifier, console and infrastructure layout all needs to be confirmed before the venues can sell tickets. This is done very far in advance,” he explains.