Mittweida, Germany — 11 May 2026

DirectOut, the German specialist in high-end audio solutions, is pleased to announce that as of June 1st 2026, Synthax Audio UK will be its new distribution partner for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Synthax takes over the distribution from Aspen Media, which has represented DirectOut with outstanding professionalism and dedication for many years. This transition concludes a highly successful partnership, as Chris Collings, owner of Aspen Media, steps back to enjoy a well-deserved retirement after a long and accomplished career in the professional audio industry.

Synthax Audio UK will look to leverage its extensive relationships within the studio, live sound and broadcast audio markets, sectors it has been serving for more than 15 years. "The addition of DirectOut represents a natural and strategic fit alongside the company’s existing portfolio."

“We are delighted to welcome DirectOut to the Synthax family in the UK and Ireland,” says Martin Warr, Managing Director of Synthax Audio UK. “Having worked closely with the brand for many years, we already have considerable experience in providing sales, support and application expertise for DirectOut products."

“I also personally have a longstanding relationship with Stefan Flock, Director and Founder of DirectOut, and have always admired his vision and technical innovations. DirectOut’s reputation for engineering excellence and reliability makes the brand a perfect complement to the other pro audio manufacturers we represent, and we see tremendous opportunities for growth across the touring, live production, broadcast and systems integration markets.”

“We’re happy to welcome Synthax Audio UK as our new distributor for UK and Ireland,” says Lorenzo Sassi, Director of Sales at DirectOut. “As a long-time DirectOut reseller, they already know our audio solutions and customers very well, ensuring smooth continuity of what Aspen Media has built over the years. We look forward to taking the next step together.”

The appointment of Synthax guarantees continuity and stability for DirectOut customers in the UK. The relationship between Martin Warr and Chris Collings goes back many years, with Synthax and Aspen Media having already shared successful commercial collaborations in the past.

Reflecting on the partnership, Chris Collings comments: “The success of our DirectOut distributorship is no mystery; it’s simply the product of a shared understanding of the importance of making customers smile with great products and exemplary service. For this, I must give significant credit to the contribution made over the years by long‑standing colleagues Melanie Stephen, Louise Sammon and Sue Hurd."

“It is important to note that Synthax has been part of that journey, working with us as a DirectOut reseller; which makes its appointment as the new distributor the natural next step.”

“We warmly welcome Synthax and look forward to a successful future together in the UK market,” says Jan Ehrlich, COO of DirectOut. “At the same time, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Chris Collings for his outstanding work and dedication over many years. His expertise and commitment have been instrumental in building a strong presence for our brand.”

Mittweida, Germany — 31 March 2026 

DirectOut, a global leader in audio connectivity and networked audio solutions, is proud to announce that its Milan enabled interface cards have now received officially certification from the Avnu Alliance. This guarantees seamless interoperability with all other Milan certified systems in the market and marks a pivotal milestone in the company’s ongoing commitment to open standards, and reliability within the realm of professional audio networking.  

The official certification confirms the technical robustness of DirectOut’s Milan product family and aligns with the Company’s longstanding philosophy of “building bridges” between audio formats, demonstrated by its existing support for Dante, RAVENNA/AES67, and SoundGrid. 

The newly Milan certified modules, which represent a key component of the company's flexible ecosystem for the PRODIGY Series and MAVEN.A, include: 

-DANTE.MILAN.SRC.IO 

-RAV.MILAN.SRC.IO 

-MILAN.SG.SRC.IO 

-MILAN.MILAN.SRC.IO 

-MILAN.SRC.IO 

-MILAN.IO 

With Milan now widely embraced as the deterministic networking standard for missioncritical audio applications, DirectOut’s newly certified modules offer integrators and engineers a reliable, futureproof solution founded on guaranteed interoperability. 

Claudio Becker-Foss, CTO of DirectOut, commented: “From the beginning, DirectOut has focused on connecting formats rather than creating islands. Now that our Milan implementation is officially certified, we’re thrilled to offer our customers another fully verified, standard based solution that complements our existing network formats. This certification is a major step in ensuring streamlined workflows, resilient system design, and futureproof audio networking for the entire pro audio industry.”
 
All Milan certified interface cards are available and fully compatible with the PRODIGY.MP, PRODIGY.MC, PRODIGY.MX and the MAVEN.A, offering engineers maximum flexibility across DirectOut’s flagship platforms. Further details can be found in the Avnu Certified Product Registry and on the DirectOut website. 

MITTWEIDA, GERMANY

DirectOut, the benchmark for professional audio system connectivity, is proud to announce the appointment of Giacomo Previ as Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships. A highly accomplished strategist with over 30 years of excellence in the pro-audio sector, Previ will lead the company’s global marketing strategy and drive high-level industry alliances.

Previ brings a formidable track record to DirectOut. His career includes 8 years managing OEM Sales at Powersoft and a 14-year tenure as Director of Sales and Marketing at 18 Sound, where he was instrumental in scaling global partnerships. His background is further strengthened by key roles in product management and marketing communications at Mackie Designs and RCF, which have given him in-depth, comprehensive knowledge of the international audio market.

"I am personally and professionally excited to welcome Giacomo Previ to our team," says Luca Giaroli, CEO of DirectOut. "Having known him for many years, I have always admired his deep market insight and his unique ability to connect technology with business opportunities. His arrival is a game-changer for DirectOut, ensuring that our innovative spirit is matched by a world-class strategic vision as we expand our global footprint."

In his new role, Previ will focus on driving strategic global growth by enhancing brand equity and market penetration for DirectOut’s advanced Audio Solution Model. Additionally, he will cultivate high-level partnerships by leveraging his extensive network to build strategic synergies with world-class manufacturers, while also fostering product marketing innovation to effectively bridge the gap between engineering excellence and market-driven needs.

"DirectOut is renowned for its uncompromising quality and engineering innovation." says Previ. "I am thrilled to join the team at a time when the company is leading the way with AI-enhanced technological innovations. My goal is to help DirectOut reach its full potential as the ultimate solution for managing complex audio systems, ensuring that our audio solutions remain at the heart of the world's most demanding professional networks.”

DirectOut, a premier provider of professional audio networking and connectivity solutions, announces the appointment of a new three-member Management Board. This strategic evolution prepares the company to navigate its extraordinary global growth and the increasing complexity of the professional audio market.

The new Board of Directors consists of Luca Giaroli as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), René In Der Stroth as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Jan Ehrlich, transitioning from his previous role as CEO to Chief Operating Officer (COO). 

Giaroli, who previously held the pivotal roles of Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Solutions Officer at DirectOut, has been instrumental in transforming the company from a hardware-centric manufacturer into a global leader in integrated audio solutions. He is the visionary behind the PRODIGY.MP and the Audio Solution Model (ASM™), a revolutionary concept that has redefined the approach in the digital audio system design and implementation.

“DirectOut has experienced remarkable growth over the past years in people, partners, technologies, and revenue,” explains Giaroli. “This evolution brings complexity that requires a broader and more specialized leadership team. We are building something bigger together, not just a company, but a place where innovation meets purpose, and where every team member plays a vital role in our success.”

The new board sees Giaroli spearheading strategy, marketing, and sales to fuel DirectOut’s expansion. Simultaneously, In Der Stroth will manage financial operations tailored to the company’s rapid growth, while Ehrlich ensures operational excellence and administrative efficiency from the Mittweida headquarters.

“Joining DirectOut is a unique opportunity to align financial excellence with cutting-edge technology. I am eager to collaborate with this world-class team to drive sustainable growth and maintain our competitive edge in an ever-evolving global market.” says In Der Stroth.

“This is a natural and necessary evolution as we continue to grow,” expands Ehrlich. “It's about preparing our company for the opportunities ahead, with better leadership and clearer roles, while giving our team the support they deserve to thrive in their work.”

To drive the company’s long-term strategic goals, Chief Technology Officer Claudio Becker-Foss will work in close synergy with CEO Luca Giaroli, ensuring that technological innovation remains deeply aligned with DirectOut’s overarching strategic direction. Becker-Foss's leadership in product development and system architecture remains a cornerstone of the company’s Audio Solutions, guaranteeing the highest standards of performance, flexibility, and reliability that the industry expects.

Together, the new Management Board will oversee DirectOut’s strategic initiatives, including its US expansion via DirectOut LLC and the strengthening of collaborative workflows through key industry integrations.

PATENT PENDING

DirectOut is renowned for manufacturing highly effective audio devices for use across multiple applications. From broadcast studios to arenas, DirectOut solutions are the choice of high-end audio engineers across the globe.  
 
The USB.MADI has been designed with RME, a German company that engineers reliable, and stable audio interfaces that are equally trusted by audio professionals, maintaining an unwavering focus on audio quality.  
 
Effectively the USB.MADI is a fully-fledged computer interface shrunk into a SFP (Small Formfactor Pluggable) module which makes it the world’s smallest multichannel soundcard. It can be directly installed in any compatible DirectOut MADI SFP slot and connects via USB-C to Windows and Mac computers.  
 
Based on the proven USB core by RME, the USB.MADI delivers 64 channels of I/O at standard sample rate. RME’s high performance drivers for macOS and Windows, ensure low-latency interfacing between DirectOut devices and your favorite DAW software.   
 
Driverless operation is also possible thanks to the Class Compliant (CC) mode, making the interface instantly compatible with portable devices, such as the iPad, supporting seamless audio production, whether in a venue or on the road.  
 
Using the USB.MADI unlocks features from both RME and DirectOut, such as EARS™ (Enhanced Automatic Redundancy Switching), DirectOut’s proprietary technology, ensuring continuous audio playback with automatic switching in the event of signal loss. A true life-saver in any mission critical show application be it on festivals or theatre productions. Also included is RME’s TotalMixFX, giving the user comprehensive control over all I/Os on the computer, including zero-latency sub-mixes.   
 
The USB.MADI SFP module is another manifestation of the fruitful collaboration DirectOut started with RME a few years ago with their USB.IO module with both companies offering a wealth of expertise to make this an exciting addition to DirectOut’s existing solutions. 
 
Luca Giaroli, Strategy Manager at DirectOut comments: “This new module is a testament of the mindset we have at DirectOut. Creating solutions that do not only enhance a particular product but improve workflows and interoperability throughout all our platforms making sure that all our customers can benefit. I´m looking forward to seeing what the USB.MADI will enable in all the vertical markets, and I am happy that we can again rely on the expertise of RME to provide high performance operation, resilience and undoubted audio quality.” 
 
Matthias Carstens, Head of Development at RME, adds: “At RME we can look back at more than 30 years of experience in computer audio interfacing. Our passion is to provide reliable and unquestionable audio performance to our users. Combining our battle-tested USB stack with the modular platforms of DirectOut is a perfect match.” 

 

For a full product overview and technical data, click here

Fort Wayne, IN, USA / Mittweida, Germany 
DirectOut launches DirectOut LLC, its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary following recent strong growth and after more than 15 years of presence in the United States through its distribution partners. The move reflects the company’s commitment to delivering faster, more localized support and service to North American customers.
 
DirectOut LLC operates as a fully owned subsidiary of DirectOut GmbH but with a high degree of autonomy, enabling the team to respond quickly to the specific needs of the U.S. professional audio market. The company’s new headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana also house its U.S. warehouse, streamlining logistics for customers across the region. 

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.