# Why & how to use a Stream Deck with your DAW



## Akarin

Hey all. As a productivity nerd, I use a Stream Deck to speed up my workflow when writing and mixing music. Let me show you how I set it up and why I'm using it. Along the way, I'll also show you a few quick tips that apply to any DAW, not just Cubase.




00:00 Introduction
00:17 What is a Stream Deck
01:13 Why use a Stream Deck
04:42 Preparing your DAW
05:21 Quick tip to better learn your DAW
07:50 Assigning the key command to the Stream Deck
08:57 Command sequences
11:57 Managing folders, profiles and pages
12:29 Some of my Stream Deck commands
15:37 Custom icons


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## milford59

That’s a very useful video - thanks !!


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## Akarin

milford59 said:


> That’s a very useful video - thanks !!



Happy if it's helpful 😊


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## Angora

You made me want to buy one now with your video... 
I don't know if I should thank you then !


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## Akarin

Angora said:


> You made me want to buy one now with your video...
> I don't know if I should thank you then !



Do it! Dooooo iiiiiit!


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## sostenuto

Akarin said:


> Happy if it's helpful 😊


Hope to add latest Stream Deck soon for Reaper projects ! 

Recently got Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT _ which has (6) Stream Deck keys and software. 
Do you advise this will work similarly when following your video instruction ?


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## Akarin

sostenuto said:


> Hope to add latest Stream Deck soon for Reaper projects !
> 
> Recently got Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT _ which has (6) Stream Deck keys and software.
> Do you advise this will work similarly when following your video instruction ?


That, I don't know. First time I hear about this keyboard


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## Mark Stothard

Thanks for sharing, is yours the MK 2 version?


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## Bender-offender

Thank you for taking the time to create this video. There’s lots of good information here for Stream Deck newbies like me.


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## Paulogic

I was intriged by the streamdeck because G. Michelmore uses it and i recently saw
one in use for other purposes (video editing). This is not much more expensive then
a dedicated Cubase computerkeyboard which is difficult to find in the EU (Azerty, FR or BE).


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## Sunny Schramm

sostenuto said:


> Hope to add latest Stream Deck soon for Reaper projects !
> 
> Recently got Corsair K95 RGB Platinum XT _ which has (6) Stream Deck keys and software.
> Do you advise this will work similarly when following your video instruction ?


Should work - seems to be the same software or at least compatible:


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## Akarin

Mark Stothard said:


> Thanks for sharing, is yours the MK 2 version?



The small one is a MK1, and there's only one version for the XL.



Paulogic said:


> I was intriged by the streamdeck because G. Michelmore uses it and i recently saw
> one in use for other purposes (video editing). This is not much more expensive then
> a dedicated Cubase computerkeyboard which is difficult to find in the EU (Azerty, FR or BE).


Yep. The difference is that I don't only use it with Cubase. I use it for video editing as well and to control my Mac in general. Also, with the folders and pages you can't run out of space for key switches


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## Paulogic

Akarin said:


> Yep. The difference is that I don't only use it with Cubase. I use it for video editing as well and to control my Mac in general. Also, with the folders and pages you can't run out of space for key switches


That is what I was also thinking about, using it for more then just Cubase and some video-editing/streaming later on.

I'm thinking of buying an XL for my Music Mac and probably the middel (MK2) model for my work
Mac. As being a heavy user of key-combinations for easier work, this should help me a lot.
Even in CorelDraw this would be great to select different tools and so on.

Thanks for the extra info and push !


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## tmhuud

LOVE mine. thinking of getting the largest one. Still couldn't live without my METAGRID either...


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## LudovicVDP

Always wanted to get a Streamdeck.
Then I got a very old tablet for free (too old to do anything with it, its owner was throwing it away) and paid the 10-ish eur for the pro version of Touch Portal.
Basically the same. You set up shortcuts to do whatever you want (opening programs, web pages, running shortcuts, macros, chains of actions, etc...)
And you can set the size of the squares. Define how many squares you want per screen.
You don't have the feel of a button and the interface is maybe not the most modern thing you've ever seen. Icons are not the easiest thing to get right. But since I have it, I've never looked at the Streamdeck anymore.
It's just in front of my mouse so I only need to extend a finger. Works for me.


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## Mark Stothard

LudovicVDP said:


> Always wanted to get a Streamdeck.
> Then I got a very old tablet for free (too old to do anything with it, its owner was throwing it away) and paid the 10-ish eur for the pro version of Touch Portal.
> Basically the same. You set up shortcuts to do whatever you want (opening programs, web pages, running shortcuts, macros, chains of actions, etc...)
> And you can set the size of the squares. Define how many squares you want per screen.
> You don't have the feel of a button and the interface is maybe not the most modern thing you've ever seen. Icons are not the easiest thing to get right. But since I have it, I've never looked at the Streamdeck anymore.
> It's just in front of my mouse so I only need to extend a finger. Works for me.


This sounds ideal thanks, how is the tablet connected to your computer?


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## LudovicVDP

Mark Stothard said:


> This sounds ideal thanks, how is the tablet connected to your computer?


Via Wifi. No cable needed. The cable you see is just to load the tablet.
Works flawlessly.
But if you like to disable your wifi on your music machine...
1/ It won't work
2/ How do you VI-Control? Youtube? Procrastinate? Do you actually compose music?


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## tmhuud

Touchpad and tactile are not the same. It’s really if you prefer one over the other. Or embrace both. For ME…. Faders work best tactile, as well as pan knobs. Selecting events ….either or.


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## Mark Stothard

LudovicVDP said:


> Via Wifi. No cable needed. The cable you see is just to load the tablet.
> Works flawlessly.
> But if you like to disable your wifi on your music machine...
> 1/ It won't work
> 2/ How do you VI-Control? Youtube? Procrastinate? Do you actually compose music?


Thanks again, unfortunately I don’t use wifi on my PC.


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## Reid Rosefelt

Great video Nico. I'm glad to see somebody spreading the gospel of the Stream Deck. I use it for practically all the things I do on my computer. Doing the TTF November sales post is so much faster with my Stream Deck. I wouldn't want to do it without it. 

In previous years, there were sales on Stream Decks and other Elgato products. The regular Stream Deck went from $149 to $99 and the XL went from $249 to $199. Unfortunately, last year that didn't happen, so I can't say what will happen this year. 

As I am pretty expert with the Stream Deck (and am busy right now being TTF) I admit I didn't watch every second, so forgive me if some of these things were mentioned. 

One of my favorite features is that you don't need to plan a template. It's easy to drag the buttons around. My templates for all my programs are always a work in progress, as I gradually make them follow my ever-changing workflow. This is a very important thing--you can just put a button or two in there to get started anytime you want to have a key command in any program. I rhave extensive Stream Deck templates for Cubase, Premiere, Photoshop, and my browser, but I make little ones for other programs. It's still useful as Stream Deck changes icons automatically when you change programs. 

One of the most useful things it will do is to type stuff for you. If there's anything you are typing often (passwords?) you can do that with one button.

Also, you don't need to use icons for your buttons. You can drag any pictures in there. For example, in my Cubase template, there's a photo of a light switch to designate activating/deactivating tracks.

Elgato is regularly updating the software and sometimes the changes are big. They added a store in one, and in the latest, they added the "pages" feature--which is a big deal. So you should know that you will always be getting more stuff. In addition to dragging in stuff like hot keys, you can drag in an analog clock, games, etc. 

I could talk about this for a long time. 

Question. Nico, is there anything you need to do to use more than one Stream Deck at the same time? I've never done that.


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## PhilA

I love my stream deck and with MacOS Monterey giving us the Shortcuts automation app it got way more powerful. 
I’ve already made a few open this app the tell this browser to go to this page using combos of native shortcut automation and AppleScript (for circumstances where I want to use Edge instead of Safari)
You can trigger Shortcuts using key combos (set these on the stream deck before setting them in the Shortcut) or using a stream deck AppleScript plugin (I’ve found key mapping more reliable tbh)


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## Akarin

Paulogic said:


> That is what I was also thinking about, using it for more then just Cubase and some video-editing/streaming later on.
> 
> I'm thinking of buying an XL for my Music Mac and probably the middel (MK2) model for my work
> Mac. As being a heavy user of key-combinations for easier work, this should help me a lot.
> Even in CorelDraw this would be great to select different tools and so on.
> 
> Thanks for the extra info and push !



You can even assign a key to switch between profiles per app. It's really cool!


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## Akarin

LudovicVDP said:


> Always wanted to get a Streamdeck.
> Then I got a very old tablet for free (too old to do anything with it, its owner was throwing it away) and paid the 10-ish eur for the pro version of Touch Portal.
> Basically the same. You set up shortcuts to do whatever you want (opening programs, web pages, running shortcuts, macros, chains of actions, etc...)
> And you can set the size of the squares. Define how many squares you want per screen.
> You don't have the feel of a button and the interface is maybe not the most modern thing you've ever seen. Icons are not the easiest thing to get right. But since I have it, I've never looked at the Streamdeck anymore.
> It's just in front of my mouse so I only need to extend a finger. Works for me.



This is great too! I've experimented with that a lot. Even developed my own app for that. But ultimately, I have to take my eyes away from my screen and the tactile feedback is what I missed the most. 



Reid Rosefelt said:


> Great video Nico. I'm glad to see somebody spreading the gospel of the Stream Deck. I use it for practically all the things I do on my computer. Doing the TTF November sales post is so much faster with my Stream Deck. I wouldn't want to do it without it.
> 
> In previous years, there were sales on Stream Decks and other Elgato products. The regular Stream Deck went from $149 to $99 and the XL went from $249 to $199. Unfortunately, last year that didn't happen, so I can't say what will happen this year.
> 
> As I am pretty expert with the Stream Deck (and am busy right now being TTF) I admit I didn't watch every second, so forgive me if some of these things were mentioned.
> 
> One of my favorite features is that you don't need to plan a template. It's easy to drag the buttons around. My templates for all my programs are always a work in progress, as I gradually make them follow my ever-changing workflow. This is a very important thing--you can just put a button or two in there to get started anytime you want to have a key command in any program. I rhave extensive Stream Deck templates for Cubase, Premiere, Photoshop, and my browser, but I make little ones for other programs. It's still useful as Stream Deck changes icons automatically when you change programs.
> 
> One of the most useful things it will do is to type stuff for you. If there's anything you are typing often (passwords?) you can do that with one button.
> 
> Also, you don't need to use icons for your buttons. You can drag any pictures in there. For example, in my Cubase template, there's a photo of a light switch to designate activating/deactivating tracks.
> 
> Elgato is regularly updating the software and sometimes the changes are big. They added a store in one, and in the latest, they added the "pages" feature--which is a big deal. So you should know that you will always be getting more stuff. In addition to dragging in stuff like hot keys, you can drag in an analog clock, games, etc.
> 
> I could talk about this for a long time.
> 
> Question. Nico, is there anything you need to do to use more than one Stream Deck at the same time? I've never done that.



I could absolutely do with one to be honest. But I use the small one for global tasks (turn on the lights for recording a video, start/stop record, open and create a new folder in Finder, world clocks, timers, open my cues spreadsheet, etc) while the big one is for actually working inside the opened app (mostly Cubase.)


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## LudovicVDP

Akarin said:


> the tactile feedback is what I missed the most.


I understand that indeed.


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## DavidRubenstein

A stream deck looks to be very useful to me, for both notation software and for DAW's. I would use it both at home and while traveling with my laptop and mini-midi controller.

Does anybody have a strong feeling about preference for the regular stream deck (3x5) or the XL version (4x8)?


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## Paulogic

I have not bought one but I am already thinking about which DAW functions could be
very usefull , apart from the standard DAW controls like start/stop/zero/loop/metronome.
I'm thinking about set L and R locator, goto L or R locator, Duplicate, add Audio/vst or other track.
Save and Undo maybe? 

For other programs that will be the shortcut keys I use the most (Coreldraw, Lightburn and so on)


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## RogiervG

i too use a streamdeck xl (more buttons immediately ready, lesser using of folders or profile switching), and it works wonders in terms of productivity. 
Being it art work, ict work, music work.. general purpose.... 
no more annoying hotkeys to remember!


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## Leigh

DavidRubenstein said:


> A stream deck looks to be very useful to me, for both notation software and for DAW's. I would use it both at home and while traveling with my laptop and mini-midi controller.
> 
> Does anybody have a strong feeling about preference for the regular stream deck (3x5) or the XL version (4x8)?


Absolutely get the XL. I have both; get the XL!

**Leigh


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## LudovicVDP

Paulogic said:


> I have not bought one but I am already thinking about which DAW functions could be
> very usefull , apart from the standard DAW controls like start/stop/zero/loop/metronome.
> I'm thinking about set L and R locator, goto L or R locator, Duplicate, add Audio/vst or other track.
> Save and Undo maybe?
> 
> For other programs that will be the shortcut keys I use the most (Coreldraw, Lightburn and so on)


In combination with macros, it's very powerful.

Show all. Show Strings only. Show Brass only, ... 
Show used tracks only. Show used tracks at marker.
Loop at marker.
Show used automation lanes.
Transpose +12. Transpose -12
Quantize. Quantize end
Retrospective record
Add track/audio/midi
Randomize velocity, select every x notes, whatever you can program in the logical editor...

I still use the keyboard for easy shortcuts that my hands know too well. But some of the above get used all the time


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## Paulogic

Ok, thanks you all for making me crazy about this device. Just ordered an XL.
Will be in tomorrow, even if it is a official Holiday. Nice he...


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## klavaus

LudovicVDP said:


> In combination with macros, it's very powerful.
> 
> Show all. Show Strings only. Show Brass only, ...
> Show used tracks only. Show used tracks at marker.
> Loop at marker.
> Show used automation lanes.
> Transpose +12. Transpose -12
> Quantize. Quantize end
> Retrospective record
> Add track/audio/midi
> Randomize velocity, select every x notes, whatever you can program in the logical editor...
> 
> I still use the keyboard for easy shortcuts that my hands know too well. But some of the above get used all the time


Can you explain how to program macros, for example show strings only, show brass only?
That would be very helpful for me.


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## LudovicVDP

klavaus said:


> Can you explain how to program macros, for example show strings only, show brass only?
> That would be very helpful for me.


EDIT: I'm in Cubase

That's how I do this: I have a macro "Show Strings" that is commanded by a simple shortcut (which is triggered by a press on the StreamDeck or the Touch Portal in my case.)

3 steps in the macro






Step 1: Show everything.

Step 2: Logical editor preset "Open Strings Folder" that I made like this:






3: Logical Editor: "Toggle Input"


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## klavaus

Hello LudovicVDP,
thank you very much for this explanation, it is very kind of you. Since I don't use Cubase, I have no idea at the moment how this could work in Logic.
Thanks again


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## yves

Hello Streamdeck users !

quick question , does it work well using a USB hub ?

i have a 4 X USB hub ( powered only by the MacBook Pro ‘s USB port ) 

i Already have 3 portable drives on it , all bus powered .

thank you !


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## Akarin

yves said:


> Hello Streamdeck users !
> 
> quick question , does it work well using a USB hub ?
> 
> i have a 4 X USB hub ( powered only by the MacBook Pro ‘s USB port )
> 
> i Already have 3 portable drives on it , all bus powered .
> 
> thank you !



Mine are both on a hub but it's a powered one.


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## sostenuto

Very helpful info here _ much appreciated ! 
Would be super addition to have PC / Reaper user _ add related guidance_ assuming notable differences from Cubase, other DAW posts. 

Excited to use with new Corsair K95 Platinum keyboard _ with (6) Streamdeck keys and software.


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## cedricm

Interesting, but I prefer working with a more versatile tablet.
Since I work with Studio One, it's amazing what I can do with the free Studio One Remote, including moving faders.


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## Mark Stothard

Hi everyone, I got my stream deck today but I’m having problems With it. I’ve added buttons to it for cubase such as open mixer, duplicate track etc, but when pressing the buttons, nothing happens. Am I supposed to setup anything else prior?


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## Reid Rosefelt

Mark Stothard said:


> Hi everyone, I got my stream deck today but I’m having problems With it. I’ve added buttons to it for cubase such as open mixer, duplicate track etc, but when pressing the buttons, nothing happens. Am I supposed to setup anything else prior?


Excuse me if this is an obvious question, but have you set up a profile for Cubase?


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## Reid Rosefelt

Today's update of Stream Deck includes the ability to work with their new Pedal, as well as Discord plugin. I'm a little disappointed that the pedal is just three switches. It would have been very nice to have something like a cc pedal. It's also out of stock.


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## Mark Stothard

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Excuse me if this is an obvious question, but have you set up a profile for Cubase?


Hi Reid, I don’t think i have. I just plugged it in and set up the buttons and key editors. Is there a guide for that?


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## Reid Rosefelt

Mark Stothard said:


> Hi Reid, I don’t think i have. I just plugged it in and set up the buttons and key editors. Is there a guide for that?


I think there are some videos out there. But if you go into the software, you should see on the top left "default profile." Click the arrow. On the dropdown menu, select "New Profile." This will give you a blank profile with nothing but a button in the middle taking you to the elgato site. (You can copy over that, if you don't want it.)

Click "Edit Profile." Here all you need to do is show it where your Cubase application file is. The only other thing you need to do is to rename your profile "Cubase." If you want, you can make Cubase your default profile.

After this, every time you load Cubase, this special profile will come up. Hopefully the buttons will now work. 

Inside the program you can copy and paste the icons you've created on the Default Page into that new page.

What's great about this is that you can have different profiles that load automatically whenever you load them.

Good luck!


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## Mark Stothard

Thanks very much for the detailed explanation Reid. I found that I needed to start Cubase without running as administrator. Not sure if this is normal?

It works fine now and is a great piece of kit. Thanks again


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## MexicanBreed

Hi, I am also a Stream Deck user/fan. Musicwise, I am just a hobbyist, but I use it for online teaching, creating presentations, etc. Really nice piece of hardware when you start to really use it.

I first picked up the 15 key controller, but then upgraded to the XL. Why? Because it can work as a DAW controller! If you are a Cubase user, there's a dedicated plugin for it. There´s another midi plugin which is the one I use. It can be configured to display track name, SMPTE, select track, mute, solo, etc. It can do banking, or scrolling through the tracks... The developer has also programmed incremental and decremental buttons as faders (have no idea how well this works). Of course, it can also do midi notes on/off so another use is configuring keyswitches or expression maps... This little keyboard is quickly becoming indispensable whenever I am at the computer. Glad to have made this purchase.


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## sostenuto

Cool stuff ! Hope to see more Reaper Users post additional ways to use StreamDeck effectively.


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## pinki

Im a XL user for several years now. It is good. In the interests of balance I will just mention a couple of caveats: the buttons are very wobbly and don’t have a ‘pro’ feel to them…and the viewing angle/wrist angle is not ideal. I ended up taking mine off the stand and laying it flat but then the buttons were unreadable.
Apart from these two issues Streamdeck is great.


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## sundrowned

I use Deckboard pro on my phone. It's a great cheap alternative to streamdeck. You can create as many buttons as you want. I run it at 5 x 10 on my phone, but on a tablet you could have an even bigger deck. Works wirelessly or wired and is perfect for mobile working because you always have your phone on you.


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## gwretling

Stream Deck XL is great! I use it for controlling/speeding up workflow with Cubase and notation software Sibelius. Also for creating key switch profiles for different sample libraries.


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## toomanynotes

Thanks - cool video - but my word the software for example Stream Deck Icon Library is so buggy and sluggish! It just sits there and takes a few mins to doing anything. Or when using store search.
Windows 10


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## Akarin

toomanynotes said:


> Thanks - cool video - but my word the software for example Stream Deck Icon Library is so buggy and sluggish! It just sits there and takes a few mins to doing anything. Or when using store search.
> Windows 10



Weird. I don't have this behavior. Seems to me as an internet connection issue when trying to reach the store.


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## toomanynotes

Akarin said:


> Weird. I don't have this behavior. Seems to me as an internet connection issue when trying to reach the store.


Crazy - I just restarted my computer and all good again! Thanks - I tend to leave my computer on 24/7 - is that a bad thing?


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## toomanynotes

Hi so where can I buy Cubase icons from? Thanks


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## jeffrona

toomanynotes said:


> Hi so where can I buy Cubase icons from? Thanks


There is a great pack of generic and specialized icons for Stream deck from this website:









Audio Ikons / Orocroon


<p>Icon packs for Stream Deck, Reaper, Studio One ++ </p><p>Audio packs with Royalty-Free Sound Effects and Music</p>




orocroon.gumroad.com


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## Akarin

toomanynotes said:


> Hi so where can I buy Cubase icons from? Thanks


I don't know. I make my own icons


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## toomanynotes

Akarin said:


> I don't know. I make my own icons


Life is too short to make your own icons!!! I bet you build your own car when you need to drive somewhere too?  The only thing I make when I need it - is a number 2 in the toilet and a sandwich.


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## BigMal

The difference with making your own, is that you can colour code them - I've found this to be a really great way of visually organising them, because with random colours, each icon is separate, but with colour coding, you can group different ones together (eg black background for all long notes, white background for shorts). I got this idea from Kevin's excellent video here:




and a good description of VERY quickly making your own, using keynote or powerpoint here: 


Keynote/powerpoint cannot however make poo or sandwiches!

EDIT: actually, a lot of my powerpoint presentations have been complete crap, so I take that back!


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## Akarin

toomanynotes said:


> The only thing I make when I need it - is a number 2 in the toilet and a sandwich.



Elvis would be proud.


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## toomanynotes

BigMal said:


> The difference with making your own, is that you can colour code them - I've found this to be a really great way of visually organising them, because with random colours, each icon is separate, but with colour coding, you can group different ones together (eg black background for all long notes, white background for shorts). I got this idea from Kevin's excellent video here:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and a good description of VERY quickly making your own, using keynote or powerpoint here:
> 
> 
> Keynote/powerpoint cannot however make poo or sandwiches!
> 
> EDIT: actually, a lot of my powerpoint presentations have been complete crap, so I take that back!



I'll check it out - I guess I'm a big film fan like us all, and would rather have movie themes or something..hmm Thanks


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## toomanynotes

Akarin said:


> Elvis would be proud.


you have great icons though!


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## Akarin

toomanynotes said:


> you have great icons though!



Each one takes me about 2 min to make. Made myself a template in Sketch for these.


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## toomanynotes

Can anyone share their Home page on their stream decks?
I can't believe I'm procrastinating about how to set the it up. Folders with folders or profiles? I have loads of programs I want to use - I only have a 15 key deck. 
Should it be like a Cubase link to a folder of buttons or a Profile with pages? What's the best way? 
Thanks


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## zigzag

toomanynotes said:


> Can anyone share their Home page on their stream decks?
> I can't believe I'm procrastinating about how to set the it up. Folders with folders or profiles? I have loads of programs I want to use - I only have a 15 key deck.
> Should it be like a Cubase link to a folder of buttons or a Profile with pages? What's the best way?
> Thanks


Home page doesn't really matter that much. Make one profile per application. You can set Stream Deck to automatically switch to profile when application has focus. Inside each application-specific profile you can have multiple subfolders/pages if needed. I'm not aware of any significant difference between folders/pages.


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## toomanynotes

BigMal said:


> The difference with making your own, is that you can colour code them - I've found this to be a really great way of visually organising them, because with random colours, each icon is separate, but with colour coding, you can group different ones together (eg black background for all long notes, white background for shorts). I got this idea from Kevin's excellent video here:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and a good description of VERY quickly making your own, using keynote or powerpoint here:
> 
> 
> Keynote/powerpoint cannot however make poo or sandwiches!
> 
> EDIT: actually, a lot of my powerpoint presentations have been complete crap, so I take that back!



I have just opted for black background with white txt icons - looks less messy than colours or random animated gifs! Thanks for the tips.


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## pinki

I highly recommend the Streamdeck addons by Sideshowfx https://www.sideshowfx.net/products
They seem pricey but they take it to the next level with scripting and excellent icons.


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## toomanynotes

pinki said:


> I highly recommend the Streamdeck addons by Sideshowfx https://www.sideshowfx.net/products
> They seem pricey but they take it to the next level with scripting and excellent icons.


this is much better thanks. I'll wait for their Cubase 12 update


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## Akarin

pinki said:


> I highly recommend the Streamdeck addons by Sideshowfx https://www.sideshowfx.net/products
> They seem pricey but they take it to the next level with scripting and excellent icons.



Didn't know them. I'll get their FCPX profiles.


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## ALittleNightMusic

Finally bought one of these - the 15 key MK2 version (more than enough for me). But I'm not sure I'll keep it vs. what I have with Metagrid. Folks have mentioned the tactile nature of the SD, but I'm found the keys need to be pressed quite firmly to trigger (and I noticed that the layout sometimes gets messed up for no reason - is there a way to backup / save my layouts in case I need to restore them)? Also, if you want to keep it flat so you can apply enough pressure to the buttons, then you can't really read the buttons from most angles outside of looking directly down on the device. I wish there were some more stand options, but it seems relatively scarce out there for the MK2.


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## samphony

I’ll share my keynote icon template later today/ tomorrow so anyone who wants can easily create icons and drag and drop them directly into the stream deck editor. I’ll leave some custom made ones in it so you get an idea. The greatest part: you don’t need to export the icons you directly drag them from keynote to the streamdeck app. 

It might also work with powerpoint.


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## cleverr1

I started with a Sideshowfx Cubase Profile and filled the other buttons with stuff I find useful as below. I find the fast view changes incredibly useful such as a single button press changes the arrange window from the nearly 1300 tracks in my template to the few I'm actually using.


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## Daren Audio

I'm looking into Streamdeck but has anyone integrated their workflow using an alternative called Touch Portal? I like that it's not dependent on buying more hardware but use what you have already which is your smartphone (I'm reading the Streamdeck app is more limited). 

However, the Streamdeck Pedal is very useful as I prefer to keep both hand-free from mouse clicking all the time.


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## sundrowned

I use touch portal. On windows. With an android tablet or phone if on the go. Only main downside for me is accidentally touching a button. But it's not a big problem. And the midi plugin is a bit confusing. But I don't use it for midi.


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## gzapper

pinki said:


> I highly recommend the Streamdeck addons by Sideshowfx https://www.sideshowfx.net/products
> They seem pricey but they take it to the next level with scripting and excellent icons.


I like their Dorico page but haven't been able to set up anything for DP yet.
I bought the studio one set but it doesn't really help me yet.

Buttons are better than touch screens most times.


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## TimRideout

In under a week, the Stream Deck has completely transformed the way I use Reaper. I have my own custom profiles, and am absolutely loving the SIDESHOWFX profile: https://www.sideshowfx.net/reaper-mc-stream-deck


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## NuNativs

Looks really good, similar, but I prefer Metagrid Pro which can also integrate with Keyboard Maestro. I know a lot of peeps like having "real" buttons, but it has never bothered me.


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## tmhuud

I actually disconnected mine as I was just so used to knowing most of the key commands in logic. I actually disconnected it also because it was causing issues with my OS. Then.... I realized how much I missed my iPad pros for key commands so I reconnected them. Then I reconnected the stream deck. (OS issues seem to have gone to the cornfield) lol.... I now find myself so lazy I'lll just reach for whatever is closest to me. Call me crazy.


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## HammyHavoc

tmhuud said:


> I actually disconnected mine as I was just so used to knowing most of the key commands in logic. I actually disconnected it also because it was causing issues with my OS. Then.... I realized how much I missed my iPad pros for key commands so I reconnected them. Then I reconnected the stream deck. (OS issues seem to have gone to the cornfield) lol.... I now find myself so lazy I'lll just reach for whatever is closest to me. Call me crazy.


Not a Logic, macOS or iPad user, but out of curiosity, what key commands do you have setup on your iPad and/or Stream Deck that you couldn't otherwise do with keyboard shortcuts? I know that there's a lot of depth, macros to be assigned et al, just curious as to what people are commonly making use of to justify an additional HID.

The question to ask might actually be "what's easier to do with a touchscreen versus a keyboard?". Weighing up touchscreen versus Stream Deck/macro pad versus tablet (already have an Android one, never bothered with it as it is relatively low resolution, thus lacking in screen estate) or just sticking with the good ol' QWERTY clacking.

Any thoughts on the Stream Deck Mobile app? I haven't tried it myself, but meant to be a touch-based version of the Stream Deck hardware. Sounds interesting!


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## tmhuud

I'm not the worlds fastest typer. lol. but i get around maybe 50 words per minute? Crap, probably down to 40 by now. But several key commands require a few QWERTY keys and some are on one side of the KB and some n another so touching ONE giant pad 9" in front of my nose is faster for me.

The Stream Deck I use mostly start/stop/tools but I use the APPLE KB mostly for transport. 

on the iPad pro I have (to name a few (I have several 'layers': (well see attached)


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## DavidRubenstein

Back in November last year, I purchased a Stream Deck. I also bought a profile for Sibelius, and a profile for my DAW (Cakewalk by Bandlab). 
Where I find it extremely useful, is that when I do "step record" in either program, the built-in keyboard shortcuts for the various note values (whole note, half note, etc.) are mapped entirely differently. But with the Stream Deck, I can put the note values in the same locations on the Stream Deck panel. So I don't need to have two different sets of muscle memory.
Something else I just discovered ... in Cakewalk there are hundreds of keyboard shortcuts, but some mouse-click actions are not mappable to the keyboard. They can only be activated by mouse click. I discovered the Stream Deck "SuperMacro" which you can download for free. It allows me to define certain mouse operations. If I maximize the window so that the mouse-clickable area always ends up in the same location on the screen, then I can define Stream Deck buttons to do all sorts of things that only are possible using a mouse.


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## Bakhtin

DavidRubenstein said:


> Back in November last year, I purchased a Stream Deck. I also bought a profile for Sibelius, and a profile for my DAW (Cakewalk by Bandlab).
> Where I find it extremely useful, is that when I do "step record" in either program, the built-in keyboard shortcuts for the various note values (whole note, half note, etc.) are mapped entirely differently. But with the Stream Deck, I can put the note values in the same locations on the Stream Deck panel. So I don't need to have two different sets of muscle memory.
> Something else I just discovered ... in Cakewalk there are hundreds of keyboard shortcuts, but some mouse-click actions are not mappable to the keyboard. They can only be activated by mouse click. I discovered the Stream Deck "SuperMacro" which you can download for free. It allows me to define certain mouse operations. If I maximize the window so that the mouse-clickable area always ends up in the same location on the screen, then I can define Stream Deck buttons to do all sorts of things that only are possible using a mouse.


Cool - the Stream Deck "Super Macro" - is it in the Stream Deck Store?


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## DavidRubenstein

Bakhtin said:


> Cool - the Stream Deck "Super Macro" - is it in the Stream Deck Store?


Yes. It is in the Stream Deck Store. It is called "SuperMacro"


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## klauth

tmhuud said:


> I'm not the worlds fastest typer. lol. but i get around maybe 50 words per minute? Crap, probably down to 40 by now. But several key commands require a few QWERTY keys and some are on one side of the KB and some n another so touching ONE giant pad 9" in front of my nose is faster for me.
> 
> The Stream Deck I use mostly start/stop/tools but I use the APPLE KB mostly for transport.
> 
> on the iPad pro I have (to name a few (I have several 'layers': (well see attached)


smooth, which app is that on iPad?


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## tmhuud

klauth said:


> smooth, which app is that on iPad?


MetaGrid. Metagrid


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## Bakhtin

DavidRubenstein said:


> Yes. It is in the Stream Deck Store. It is called "SuperMacro"


Thanks for this - it doesn't show up for me - my guess is that its windows only ...


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## Scalms

Is there a stream deck button for displaying computer memory? like the one available for displaying CPU usage?


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## NuNativs

Metagrid Pro + Keyboard Maestro on Mac is super hero level...


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## tmhuud

NuNativs said:


> Metagrid Pro + Keyboard Maestro on Mac is super hero level...


Even Jessica Jones would approve.


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