In relation to macro keyboards, Elgato’s Stream Decks normally come to thoughts. For a lot of streamers, the highly-customizable enter gadgets, full with full-color screens underneath every key, are essential instruments that permit them to carry out complicated actions in OBS in only one step.
Loupedeck’s line of macro gadgets take the consumer properly past streaming. Don’t get me flawed: Any macro keyboard, even a home-made Raspberry Pi one, can be utilized for different functions than streaming — however what number of have options built-in for video, photograph, and even animation modifying? Loupedeck’s consoles are constructed to work with Twitch, Adobe Suite, Ableton, Twitter, OBS, and music software program resembling Spotify proper out of the field.
I took a have a look at the three consoles in Loupedeck’s present lineup: the Loupedeck Stay ($269), the Loupedeck+ ($279), and the Loupedeck CT ($549). Loupedeck additionally lately introduced the upcoming Loupedeck S ($180), which is presently fully-funded on Indiegogo and is about to start out transport within the fall. Razer additionally lately introduced its personal branded model of the Loupedeck Stay which is an identical to the unique however has Razer branding.
Loupedeck Stay
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| + Infinite customization | – Little bit of a studying curve | |
| + Haptic suggestions | – Collects mud simply | |
| + Streamlines workflow |
| SPECIFICATIONS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enter | USB-C | |
| OS | macOS 10.14, Home windows 10 | |
| Dimensions (L x D x H) | 5.9 x 4.3 x 1.18 inches / 150 x 110 x 30mm | |
| Weight | 0.5 kilos / 230g | |
| Tactile buttons | 8 | |
| Tactile knobs | 6 |
The Loupedeck Stay ($269) is the smallest of Loupedeck’s present lineup and is geared towards streamers and content material creators. It has 12 programmable touchscreen buttons, six tactile knobs, and eight tactile buttons (one in every of which is the devoted residence/again button). I do not know what it’s about this black matte end however mud LOVES it. Fortunately there’s a lock mode that turns off the contact display screen and button capabilities so you possibly can wipe off the console.
Identical to the Loupedeck Stay has a lock mode there’s something referred to as a Dynamic Mode the place the buttons on the touchscreen will change relying on the applying working. I can have Photoshop and Premiere open on the identical time, which is type of overkill however typically essential. My touchscreen buttons will change from photograph modifying to video modifying simply by clicking on Premiere.
The Stay has integrations with Twitch that may begin a industrial break, welcome a brand new subscriber with a particular sound impact, or just cease and begin your stream. Lined with three knobs on either side and eight spherical buttons on the backside, the Stay is suited to manage quantity, skip songs, and scrub by a video.
It’s nice for keyboard shortcuts in any program. For instance, buttons could be created for copy and paste or activating full display screen. The knobs on the facet are referred to as Rotating Dials. They’ve two capabilities, rotating infinitely with built-in notches and urgent in. This creates 12 capabilities out of those six knobs. The eight spherical buttons on the backside are referred to as the Workspace buttons, with the primary one being the Dwelling or Again button. These buttons assist navigate between Workspaces or pages – that are an inventory of buttons that present on the face of the Loupedeck. There are two methods to maneuver between pages; swiping or by urgent the spherical buttons to maneuver on to the subsequent web page.
That is the smallest of the Loupedeck consoles however nonetheless packs numerous configuration energy. With over 70 native packages supported in software program, the Stay is nice for any stage of streamer, producer, programmer, or laptop consumer — novice to intermediate. This can be a piece of {hardware} that may develop with you if you happen to’re simply beginning out. As a sophisticated streamer, I take pleasure in utilizing the Loupedeck Stay to check out new instructions, interact viewers, and assist streamline the method of streaming. It doesn’t take up an excessive amount of room in your desk, measuring 5.9 inches huge by 4.3 inches deep, and 1.18 inches thick. It weighs about half a pound.
The Loupedeck Stay actually helped me to get organized and categorize my actions and the processes I take advantage of to run one in every of my sport streams. I can create one web page, or a set of buttons, for the start of my stream, swipe to the subsequent web page for the center of my stream, after which go to a 3rd web page to wrap up my stream. And I can create duplicate buttons so I don’t have to change backwards and forwards between pages.
As soon as a dwell stream is over I can transfer on to post-stream actions, resembling opening Adobe Premiere to start out engaged on modifying the footage. With the assistance of the Loupedeck Stay’s Dynamic Mode, my pages or workspace change after I open up totally different functions. If I’d reasonably wind down as a substitute of getting proper to work, I can arrange a web page for that. I can create totally different profiles and name them issues resembling “Stream Junae Profile,” “Publish-Stream Junae Profile,” or “Leisure Junae Profile.” And have all the pieces I want inside these profiles resembling Spotify controls and buttons to launch my favourite video games or open productiveness apps resembling Microsoft Phrase to write down articles — it’s very intuitive.
Loupedeck CT
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Dial is superb | Cumbersome | |
| Extremely customizable | Dial makes it troublesome to journey with | |
| Has keypad buttons |
| SPECIFICATIONS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enter | USB-C | |
| OS | macOS 10.14, Home windows 10 | |
| Dimensions (L x D x H) | 160mm x 150mm x 30mm / 6.2 x 5.9 x 1.18inches | |
| Weight | 365g / 0.8lbs | |
| Tactile buttons | 20 | |
| Tactile knobs | 6 | |
| Dial(s) | 1 |
The $549 Loupedeck CT is made for artistic professionals who do critical video or audio modifying. The Loupedeck CT is the biggest of the Loupedeck consoles (versus the Loupedeck+, which is extra of a deck than a console), measuring 6.2 inches huge by 5.9 inches deep and 1.18 inches thick. The Loupedeck CT has the identical buttons and knobs because the Loupedeck Stay, and provides a backside part which options a big dial and 12 sq. tactile buttons.
The Loupedeck CT is bulkier than the Stay, tipping the scales at 0.8 kilos, however I wouldn’t change a factor. The black matte end attracts fairly a little bit of mud, however can also be very straightforward to scrub. The separation of the touchscreen buttons and tactile buttons so I don’t click on a operate I didn’t intend to make use of is a superb design.
The dial is unquestionably an improve. Each button on the Loupedeck CT has some type of suggestions — haptic or tactile — apart from the dial. Child, after I let you know turning this dial is like spreading whipped butter on a chunk of bread with sugar and cinnamon, consider it! It’s so clean! The dial makes scrolling by net pages, scrubbing by modifying timelines, choosing colours, and adjusting highlights and shadows a really clean, gratifying course of.
The dial and buttons — like all the pieces on Loupedeck’s consoles — are customizable. Including these buttons relieves the necessity to create a shortcut operate. The 12 buttons embrace inputs from a keypad, resembling up/down, Fn, and Ctrl — no extra urgent Ctrl +Z like a caveman! The buttons additionally embrace shortcuts resembling Undo and Save.
Each button, knob, and dial on the Loupedeck CT is customizable and works fabulously in Dynamic Mode. Dynamic Mode means that you can change seamlessly between packages and proceed to make use of the Loupedeck CT with out interrupting your workflow. For instance, I could be utilizing OBS and change to Ableton, and the buttons and capabilities on the Loupedeck CT will change with me. If there are a number of folks utilizing the Loupedeck CT, you possibly can create particular person profiles for every individual — or you possibly can create profiles for various work and way of life modes.
Some macro keypads restrict you to a few pages of buttons, however the Loupedeck CT permits you to create as much as 10 pages of buttons (12 buttons per web page). That’s over 100 button capabilities accessible on one profile.
It doesn’t matter what number of (or few) buttons you have got, the Loupedeck CT’s dial is unquestionably its stand-out characteristic. I take advantage of the dial in photograph and video modifying to get exact measurements which might be simply overshot on a mouse, or that take too lengthy on a keyboard. For instance, if I wish to flip up an impact to an actual quantity — resembling turning the vignette to 62 — it’s troublesome on a mouse, however I can use the dial to get there with out having to make exact mouse actions.
The Loupedeck CT does all the pieces the Loupedeck Stay does — it’s straightforward to program it to work with streaming platforms resembling OBS and Twitch, and to get it to play SFX for streaming with out having to program them in StreamElements. I particularly like that the Fn buttons could be positioned on the keyboard, as this implies much less programming.
The Loupedeck CT lets me do all of the issues I have to do throughout a stream, and simply integrates with Twitch, Streamlabs, and OBS. However it’s in post-stream content material modifying the place the Loupedeck CT’s jog dial actually stands out. As a result of the Loupedeck CT is bigger, heavier, and has a dial — which is doubtlessly simpler to break — I wouldn’t really feel snug touring with this bulkier console. However if you happen to can afford it the Loupedeck CT’s versatility makes it a strong streaming companion.
Loupedeck+
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| + Good structure for photograph and video modifying | – No display screen | |
| + Cheaper than different consoles | – Takes up area | |
| + Extremely customizable |
| SPECIFICATIONS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Enter | USB-A | |
| OS | macOS 10.14, Home windows 10 | |
| Dimensions (L x D x H) | 45.3 x 21 x 4.9 cm / 17.8 x 8.2 x 1.9 in | |
| Weight | 670 grams/ 1.5 lb | |
| Tactile buttons | 39 | |
| Tactile knobs | 14 | |
| Switches | 8 |
If you’d like the texture of knowledgeable modifying deck like those they use in studios, get a Loupedeck+. With greater than 40 buttons, knobs, and switches, the Loupedeck+ is largest within the collection, measuring 17.8 inches huge, 8.2 inches deep, and 1.9 inches thick, and weighing about 1.5 kilos — it’s roughly the scale of a typical PC keyboard.
In contrast to the Loupedeck Stay and Loupedeck CT consoles, the Loupedeck+ doesn’t have a display screen. As a substitute, it’s acquired buttons on buttons on buttons, blended with knobs, dials, and switches — that is an modifying machine that editors and producers will love! The Loupedeck+ is superior sufficient to do the entire intricate issues you could do in photograph, video, and audio modifying, and it’s easy sufficient for a newbie to make use of.
The press in capabilities on dials reset their values again to zero — helpful if you happen to’re making an attempt to take one thing resembling colour saturation again to its default. The colour switches make it simpler to regulate the greens, blues, and reds for photograph and video colour correction. The dials make it simpler to precisely management the degrees of capabilities reasonably than making an attempt to guess by sliding bars.
Due to notches in every knob, values don’t enhance too shortly. Though the buttons on the Loupedeck+ have printed labels resembling Temperature, Tint, and Saturation, they’re nonetheless customizable — you possibly can overwrite the default capabilities to carry out no matter capabilities you want, although you’ll have to recollect what you modified them to (or, I suppose, you possibly can re-label them).
The Loupedeck+ has built-in stage buttons that you should use for various ranges of modifying. For instance, Degree 1 might be the default settings button, Degree 2 might be all colour gradients, and Degree 3 might be for including further results. Once more, every button continues to be utterly customizable.
When you’re new to modifying pictures and movies, the Loupedeck+ may be overwhelming at first. I’m not new to modifying, however I don’t assume the Loupedeck+ is a perfect console for me as a result of whereas I wish to edit, I additionally wish to stream and have shortcuts on my console that open up common functions resembling e-mail. The Loupedeck+ is extremely programmable, similar to the opposite Loupedeck consoles, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly designed for modifying pictures and movies. It’s the most cost effective of the three Loupedeck consoles, nevertheless it’s nonetheless $249 — so you must solely select this console if you happen to actually just like the structure (and don’t thoughts skipping a display screen).
Which Loupedeck is the Greatest Alternative for You?
When you do any streaming or need the deck for basic productiveness work, the Loupedeck Stay and CT are for you. The Loupedeck+ is especially for skilled photograph and video editors who will use its dials for the needs they’ve printed on them.
All Loupedecks combine with Twitch, Adobe Suite, OBS, Spotify, and about 70 different packages. They’re all extremely customizable and may management quantity and launch any shortcuts you need. If you wish to create a shortcut {that a} program would not have, you should use the Loupedeck software program to create a customized command.
The consoles even have the flexibility to save lots of numerous profiles, both for various use instances or totally different customers. The contact display screen capacity on the Loupedeck Stay and CT help you swipe between screens or choose actions, resembling opening OBS. All fashions have Dynamic Mode, which implies they will change button capabilities and screens mechanically as you progress between totally different packages (e.g. OBS and Photoshop).
One other satisfying characteristic of the Loupedeck consoles is the haptic suggestions you get as you contact the display screen, rotate the buttons, or press within the buttons. The dial on the CT rotates easily, with no notches, no suggestions, and no push in characteristic. The dial additionally has a mini LED display screen so it’s sudden to have a number of capabilities. Even the Management Dial on the Loupedeck+ has notches and pushes in creating one other button operate. On each the Loupedeck CT and Loupedeck+ the sq. buttons appear to comprise blue switches.
For streamers and basic productiveness customers, the Loupedeck Stay is the only option, whereas the Loupedeck CT is greatest for streamers who additionally do some video modifying. The Loupedeck+ is for heavy video and photograph editors.
I choose the Loupedeck CT, as a content material creator who streams and likewise dabbles in video modifying. I’m primarily a author, so I can setup profiles to streamline my writing course of — the identical goes for video modifying. I’m an intermediate-level video editor, so the programmable Loupedeck shortcuts assist so much as I don’t but have my video modifying app’s menu and keyboard shortcuts memorized.
The Loupedeck consoles don’t minimize my writing time in half, however they do minimize down on how a lot time I spend digging by software program menus, which could be very good. The Loupedeck+ is a distinct beast that’s considerably above me — I don’t constantly edit pictures or movies at that stage, nevertheless it’s good to know the choices are there if I ever wish to go deeper.
