Kyle Gerhart (FOH) and Andy Bongardt (System Engineer) discuss choosing DirectOut for Creed tour
DirectOut has become a trusted name for live sound engineers tasked with managing the increasingly complex, multi-format digital audio workflows required by some of the world’s biggest tours. Among them is Kyle Gerhart, front-of-house engineer for Creed, and owner of InPhase Productions LLC.
The band has enjoyed major commercial success throughout its career, selling more than 53 million albums worldwide. Following a decade-long hiatus, Creed reunited in 2023, performing on the Summer of ’99 Cruise, before launching their 2024 tour of the same name.
The band continued touring extensively through 2025 with the Are You Ready? run of shows, with industry speculation suggesting the possibility of an even larger global tour in 2027.
After experiencing technical challenges with his previous system in 2024, Gerhart transitioned to DirectOut’s PRODIGY and MAVEN platforms – two cutting-edge solutions for managing audio routing, conversion, distribution and processing.
“I used a different system processor for many, many years,” says Gerhart. “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.
“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’s positive experience with the platform led him to expand its use beyond the Creed touring setup. He also invested in DirectOut hardware for his own company InPhase Productions, integrating it into his personal FOH rack for live shows.
“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!”
Although Creed’s system engineer Andy Bongardt was initially cautious about the move, it quickly became clear that the PRODIGY.MP offered significant advantages: since adopting the platform, DirectOut’s ecosystem has formed the backbone of Creed’s touring audio system.
“Historically, I’m more of an old school analogue guy, so starting out it felt like a lot – so many possibilities!” explains Bongardt. “Once I did the first tour I got accustomed to it, and I’ve toured with PRODIGY about four times since then.
“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, which handles console matrixing and loudspeaker system processing. While the onboard filtering tools are a key element of the workflow, the platform also manages complex signal routing across multiple network protocols. By bridging analogue, AVB Milan and AES signals, the system enables seamless communication between stage, tech, and front-of-house environments.
For the tour, the PRODIGY.MP is fully configured with two analogue input cards, two analogue output cards, an AES card, plus AVB/Milan and Dante connectivity. This setup allows Bongardt to time-align and tune the entire loudspeaker system, while consolidating several matrix processors previously required in the signal chain.
Together, Gerhart and Bongardt have found that the efficiency, reliability and flexibility of the DirectOut Smart Platform make it ideally suited for the demands of large-scale touring productions.
“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’s 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.”
“I really like the gain and tone matching for analogue 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.”
Find out more about the DirectOut Prodigy Series