STREAMDECK USERS? Sharing is caring.

Want to talk about music hardware or software that doesn't include Reason?
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selig
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17 Nov 2022

joeyluck wrote:
17 Nov 2022
jam-s wrote:
17 Nov 2022

I have to check, but it might be possible using multi-actions.

EDIT: I've just tested this and yes multi actions can do this.
That's awesome! Thanks for checking! :thumbup:

I think that's how I would set it up...

My view buttons would always be in the same spot on every page, and each one would would switch the view in Reason and pull up the shortcuts more specific to that view. And I suppose with 32 buttons of the XL, I'd probably have a few other repeats of course.

Not sure if I would need the more common ones on buttons...or how long it would take me to use the Streamdeck for things like save, copy, paste, etc. Hard to break that muscle memory. But then it just means more available buttons! Lol

I'm definitely going to consider this. I might still wait to see where the 'plus' line goes.
I feel like we are in the same boat here. I'm looking at the 32 XL and even with all those buttons I'm thinking I'm still gonna need paging either by screen (Mixer/Sequencer/Rack) or by function/workflow (tracking/creating/starting, building/overdubbing, mixing/mastering).

And while I'm curious about the Plus line I'm not sure I'm sold on fewer buttons and needing knobs in a controller like this. May pull the trigger on the XL sooner rather than later because I know I can use it today. I can wait on knobs or maybe get a separate knob controller (or single wheel used as a hover controller?). So many options these days, a veritable embarrassment of riches! ;)

I'll post back if I end up getting one, will have questions I'm sure and hopefully tips as well.
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selig
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24 Nov 2022

selig wrote:
17 Nov 2022
I'll post back if I end up getting one, will have questions I'm sure and hopefully tips as well.
Annnnd, I ended up getting the Stream Deck XL and couldn’t be happier! Will likely cover this in my next livestream coming up in exactly one week. Hopefully I’ll have finished the basic setup for Reason (and LUNA).

But what I realized would be REALLY cool if someone which the proper skills would get ahold of the Stream Deck SDK and write a proper Reason plugin for this. As it is, it’s a nice way to send key commands to Reason, but there is no feedback. So you can’t have the record button light up when you’re in record, or the click button light up to indicate the click is on etc.

But it sure helps in certain areas, like zooming track sizes up/down for which I could never remember the proper key commands (they are not easy to remember IMO), and for combining commands which I’m just now learning about.

I’m also making all my own buttons which I’m happy to share once I get everything fine tuned. More later…
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selig
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30 Nov 2022

MuttReason wrote:
14 Nov 2022
So a question: has anyone found any icon libraries that are designed for a music DAW? There are libraries for a bunch of different creative apps including video editing, but I couldn’t find any for music production apps. I ended up hunting through thousands of different generic icon options to assemble a (sorta) consistent set for my Reason template, and even then it isn’t ideal (and I guarantee that an icon that kinda makes sense to me would leave other people baffled… :D)
I'm building various icons for Reason, so far including the transport and a few others like the click icon - what are you looking for?

Many of my buttons so far have been text because of the lack of appropriate icons, such as Select All or Save etc.
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MuttReason
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01 Dec 2022

selig wrote:
30 Nov 2022
MuttReason wrote:
14 Nov 2022
So a question: has anyone found any icon libraries that are designed for a music DAW? There are libraries for a bunch of different creative apps including video editing, but I couldn’t find any for music production apps. I ended up hunting through thousands of different generic icon options to assemble a (sorta) consistent set for my Reason template, and even then it isn’t ideal (and I guarantee that an icon that kinda makes sense to me would leave other people baffled… :D)
I'm building various icons for Reason, so far including the transport and a few others like the click icon - what are you looking for?

Many of my buttons so far have been text because of the lack of appropriate icons, such as Select All or Save etc.
Thanks! Transport, loop on/off and click for sure. Beyond those, mostly buttons related to different views and zoom settings in the Sequencer. I can never remember the keystroke combinations involved :D

Also new Dub and Alt take lanes for MIDI tracks (as Reason still inexplicably only autogenerates take lanes for audio, not MIDI).

Another good one would be the recording input level meter (Cmd + F3 from memory) as this is a bit fiddly to pull up when I have my bass guitar in my hands or if I'm in front of a mic away from the computer.

I'm sure others will have suggestions as well.

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selig
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01 Dec 2022

MuttReason wrote:
01 Dec 2022
selig wrote:
30 Nov 2022


I'm building various icons for Reason, so far including the transport and a few others like the click icon - what are you looking for?

Many of my buttons so far have been text because of the lack of appropriate icons, such as Select All or Save etc.
Thanks! Transport, loop on/off and click for sure. Beyond those, mostly buttons related to different views and zoom settings in the Sequencer. I can never remember the keystroke combinations involved :D

Also new Dub and Alt take lanes for MIDI tracks (as Reason still inexplicably only autogenerates take lanes for audio, not MIDI).

Another good one would be the recording input level meter (Cmd + F3 from memory) as this is a bit fiddly to pull up when I have my bass guitar in my hands or if I'm in front of a mic away from the computer.

I'm sure others will have suggestions as well.
Some of these can be done with keystrokes or MIDI, with advantages to both. Transport for example can be keystrokes, which only work when the app is focused and have no visual feedback. MIDI via Mackie Control has feedback (the buttons can light when active and dim when not) and work even when the app is not in focus (and need two icons for on and off).
So I’ve generated all possible icons as well as some general purpose colors for functions where text makes more sense (new alt/dub come to mind, as well as zooming). Will be happy to share the icons or the Keynote file used to build them if it’s useful to anyone.
Also, I’m doing a livestream today (20:00 UTC, 3pm EST US) where I’ll be going over using StreamDeck with Reason (at least what I know so far, two weeks in), and you can see the icons and the process there if interested.
https://www.youtube.com/@SeligAudio
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MuttReason
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01 Dec 2022

Giles, you are an absolute legend. Thank you. Will join you on livestream if I can get work crunch out of the way first!

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selig
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01 Dec 2022

MuttReason wrote:
01 Dec 2022
Giles, you are an absolute legend. Thank you. Will join you on livestream if I can get work crunch out of the way first!
No worries if not, I'll post and update the icons as I go, look for them in the livestream thread at some point after the stream ends:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=7530122
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selig
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02 Dec 2022

Icons, get yer icons, free icons! Stream Deck users rejoice, the first set of Reason (etc) icons is here. ;)
This is my personal collection that I'm using (see my live stream for the icons in use), so it is still a work in progress. Feel free to share if you find any of them useful!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5pd2xoo14advi ... g.zip?dl=0
Image
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MuttReason
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02 Dec 2022

selig wrote:
02 Dec 2022
Icons, get yer icons, free icons! Stream Deck users rejoice, the first set of Reason (etc) icons is here. ;)
This is my personal collection that I'm using (see my live stream for the icons in use), so it is still a work in progress. Feel free to share if you find any of them useful!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5pd2xoo14advi ... g.zip?dl=0
Image
Great job! Thanks! :thumbup:

sofine
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25 Jan 2023

Thanks for sharing!

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wendylou
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29 Jan 2023

Oh oh, all this Stream Deck talk finally got to me! I can see all the uses from Reason, Final Cut, design apps, etc. I just ordered the 32-button XL. :thumbs_up:
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

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selig
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29 Jan 2023

wendylou wrote:
29 Jan 2023
Oh oh, all this Stream Deck talk finally got to me! I can see all the uses from Reason, Final Cut, design apps, etc. I just ordered the 32-button XL. :thumbs_up:
Welcome - I actually found it fun to program, especially when you come up with an elegant solution to a long standing problem!
Happy to help with any questions!
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wendylou
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30 Jan 2023

OK, Stream Deck XL arrived today. I made Home and System Prefs buttons, so I have much work ahead setting this up. Before I set up app-specific profiles, any tips on what makes a well rounded default profile page? Do you always program these one at a time or can you bulk load this from some sort of user sharing?
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

MuttReason
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31 Jan 2023

wendylou wrote:
30 Jan 2023
OK, Stream Deck XL arrived today. I made Home and System Prefs buttons, so I have much work ahead setting this up. Before I set up app-specific profiles, any tips on what makes a well rounded default profile page? Do you always program these one at a time or can you bulk load this from some sort of user sharing?
I think it is possible to import presets with all key mappings and icons included. It’s certainly possible to backup, import and export your own presets so I guess that means you could also share with others and use presets that others have shared.

That said TBH I’ve found it is pretty fast to create your own sets. The hard part is working out in advance exactly which computer keystrokes (and/or potentially MIDI CC commands) you want to emulate and then putting them in a logical order on the StreamDeck interface (ie transport controls all clustered together, view mode controls all clustered etc) so the whole thing feels intuitive in use.

Also, if you download all of the free icon sets available from Elgato you will have 1000s of icon choices available which is great in terms of flexibility but does mean it can take forever to scroll through options for matching icons. Much faster to create your own icons (or use a dedicated set like the one Selig kindly shared).

The key thing is that it’s a super flexible and powerful little box, and no two user configurations will be exactly alike. Somebody else’s preset *may* be exactly what you’re after but there’s a good chance you’ll want something slightly different for your own setup.

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selig
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31 Jan 2023

wendylou wrote:
30 Jan 2023
OK, Stream Deck XL arrived today. I made Home and System Prefs buttons, so I have much work ahead setting this up. Before I set up app-specific profiles, any tips on what makes a well rounded default profile page? Do you always program these one at a time or can you bulk load this from some sort of user sharing?
I've been programming one at a time, but it's super fast IMO. There's not a lot involved - I probably spent more time fine tuning the button graphics than setting up the actual functions…
BTW - buttons can be dragged around easily so you don't have to get the arrangement right from the start - I even have a spare button page on my Reason Profile because I didn't use some function but didn't want to just delete them either…

Here's my current HOME page:
Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 9.48.59 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 9.48.59 AM.png (176.32 KiB) Viewed 1600 times
The top row is the generic transport, which works in any active app that uses spacebar for play/stop including Youtube videos. In the upper left corner is the open/close button for the Stream Deck Editor, which is a bit 'meta' but is also quite handy IMO!
The next row down is basic 'Home Screen' functions such as time and date displays (the buttons themselves do nothing when pressed), plus some common HUE lighting presets for fun.
Now it gets interesting, as the next two rows are links to the application specific Profiles.
The third row are the application Profile buttons, which call up the Pages I've created specifically for each application. I also have it setup to change to the application profile when you change applications, but you can control this for each Profile individually.
The fourth row is the fun row, as it not only launches the application Profile, but ALSO the application (or it navigates to the application if it's already launched). I added the text "+ LUNA" and "+ REASON" to these buttons to indicate they not only switch to the application Profile in Stream Deck but ALSO (plus) the application itself - very handy. On the bottom left you see an unfinished button graphic - the application graphic is added automatically with these buttons (they use the System/OPEN command), but the bottom button is not "Open" but the extremely handy "Multi Action" button, so I have to add the graphic myself and just haven't gotten around to it. The Multi Action buttons along the bottom have TWO actions (you can have more), Open, and Switch Profile, but don't automatically include the application icon.
Speaking of Multi Action buttons - probably the most complex button I've built to date is my "Do Over" button which has four actions: Stop, Undo, Return to Start, Record. I used the default 100 ms delay between each action to make sure the previous was complete before triggering the next (this is adjustable per action). You can see it, still with the default icon but my own text in my Reason Profile.
Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 10.04.26 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-01-31 at 10.04.26 AM.png (214.29 KiB) Viewed 1600 times
The Reason Profile is centered on three pages for Mixer/Rack/Seq, showing the SEQ page below. The bottom row of buttons aligns with the Function keys in Reason, so 5/6/7 are like F5/F6/F7 in Reason, which call up the Mixer/Rack/Sequencer - this was suggested by JoeyLuck earlier in this thread (thanks Joey!).
Of all these buttons the ZOOM related buttons are the ones I'm the most thankful for because I can never remember those (arcane IMO) key combinations! I also have an Application Zoom button that switches between my default 120% and 200% (used for building combinators) which is also handy and illustrates the button graphic switching function. Since buttons can switch between settings (using Hotkey Switch function), you can have two versions of the buttons each with its own text. I also use this feature on MIDI buttons such as on the transport so you can see the Play button "light up" when you hit Play, etc.
Along the top you see the navigation buttons, which I don't use if using the bottom Mixer/Rack/Seq buttons but are handy for overriding those function when you don't want the Reason screen to follow.

Finally we have one more StreamDeck function: Folders. I only have one so far, accessed from the Rack page and used for quick loading Reason Devices. If there's a limitation here it's that you need to assign key commands to the devices (easy enough to do on a Mac), and there are plenty available since you can combine them with modifier keys. But it's a handy way to access your most used devices by clicking on an icon of that device! And one more thing - once inside a folder, the "return" button is fixed in the upper left corner and cannot be moved. This is why I moved the transport and page buttons up to the top row, so all navigation buttons would be in the same place (upper left/right) on all screens.

NOTES:
All Profiles, including the Home/Default Profile, can have multiple pages. Page navigation is added automatically but can be moved. On the first and last page of every profile I add a "return to HOME" button so I can get back to the home page easily. On the first page it's on the left, on the last page it's on the right, on other pages the next/previous page buttons occupy the same position making navigation logical and fast IMO. The built in text is basic but functional. You can choose from around a dozen fonts, and adjust size and basic placement (top/middle/bottom) and by hitting 'return' you can somewhat adjust placement of multiple lines on screen.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but feel free to ask questions if I've not covered it here - and have fun!
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wendylou
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01 Feb 2023

MuttReason wrote:
31 Jan 2023
I think it is possible to import presets with all key mappings and icons included. It’s certainly possible to backup, import and export your own presets so I guess that means you could also share with others and use presets that others have shared.

That said TBH I’ve found it is pretty fast to create your own sets. The hard part is working out in advance exactly which computer keystrokes (and/or potentially MIDI CC commands) you want to emulate and then putting them in a logical order on the StreamDeck interface (ie transport controls all clustered together, view mode controls all clustered etc) so the whole thing feels intuitive in use.

[... ...]

The key thing is that it’s a super flexible and powerful little box, and no two user configurations will be exactly alike. Somebody else’s preset *may* be exactly what you’re after but there’s a good chance you’ll want something slightly different for your own setup.
I am already blown away by the power and convenience of this device. I have never been very good at remembering keyboard shortcuts, as there are so many depending on the app or finder. So having the ability to create intuitive push buttons is just awesome!
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

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wendylou
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01 Feb 2023

selig wrote:
31 Jan 2023
I've been programming one at a time, but it's super fast IMO. There's not a lot involved - I probably spent more time fine tuning the button graphics than setting up the actual functions…
BTW - buttons can be dragged around easily so you don't have to get the arrangement right from the start - I even have a spare button page on my Reason Profile because I didn't use some function but didn't want to just delete them either…

[... ...]

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but feel free to ask questions if I've not covered it here - and have fun!
Thanks for all the deep-dive info - much appreciated and helpful! :puf_smile: So far, I've made Page 1 of my Default/home page for things I access frequently enough. Several buttons use the Multi Action Switch to change states like open, then close, etc. Stream Deck is not exactly something I thought I needed before, but now that I see its potential impact on productivity and the multitude of use cases, it's hard to imagine not having one of these things.

Screenshot 2023-02-01 at 1.16.03 AM.png
Screenshot 2023-02-01 at 1.16.03 AM.png (582.04 KiB) Viewed 1577 times

Here's my screen saver I made with Flame Painter - easy on the eyes until it turns off in 5 min.

IMG_E1169.jpg
IMG_E1169.jpg (81.47 KiB) Viewed 1577 times
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

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selig
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01 Feb 2023

@Wendy:
I can see I'm under-utilizing my home page - you've given me lots of ideas to fill it out.
Lovely screen saver too, I'm just using the Selig Audio logo at present so it looks kinda boring compared to yours!
EDIT: you gave me an idea, and it works great.
I added a Calculator button on the home page like yours, and also created a Calculator Profile which I launch along with the Calculator application via Multi Actions.
So now I have a "physical" calculator on my desktop!
Screen Shot 2023-02-01 at 11.06.00 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-02-01 at 11.06.00 AM.png (112.91 KiB) Viewed 1552 times
Now I just need to figure out how to display the results on the StreamDeck…I also need a few more buttons like "C" for clear - a work in progress for now.

EDIT: covers all the basic functions on the app, good for now!
Screen Shot 2023-02-01 at 11.22.34 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-02-01 at 11.22.34 AM.png (280.75 KiB) Viewed 1551 times
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wendylou
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01 Feb 2023

@Selig Nice! Perhaps there is a way to output the results in Stream Deck using either OSA Script or Script Deck plugins, or maybe Shortcuts.app or even Automator.app? Also, there's a paid 3rd party app Keyboard Maestro that can be controlled from Stream Deck using either KMLink or Keyboard Maestro plugins, which extends the kinds of complex things you can do.

I just added individual HomeKit device control with Multi Action Switch by following this Shortcuts.app how-to:https://appleinsider.com/inside/homekit ... tream-deck
Last edited by wendylou on 01 Feb 2023, edited 2 times in total.
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

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selig
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01 Feb 2023

wendylou wrote:
01 Feb 2023
@Selig Nice! Perhaps there is a way to output the results in Stream Deck using either OSA Script or Script Deck plugins, or maybe Shortcuts.app or even Automator.app? Also, there's a paid 3rd party app Keyboard Maestro that can be controlled from Stream Dec using either KMLink or Keyboard Maestro plugins, which extends the kinds of complex things you can do.
What I'm hoping is some kind Reason user with skills looks at the SDK and decides to write a 'proper' control plugin for StreamDeck and Reason!
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wendylou
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01 Feb 2023

selig wrote:
01 Feb 2023
What I'm hoping is some kind Reason user with skills looks at the SDK and decides to write a 'proper' control plugin for StreamDeck and Reason!
Any takers? Here's the SDK: https://developer.elgato.com/documentat ... rview/#sdk
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

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wendylou
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02 Feb 2023

wendylou wrote:
01 Feb 2023
selig wrote:
01 Feb 2023
What I'm hoping is some kind Reason user with skills looks at the SDK and decides to write a 'proper' control plugin for StreamDeck and Reason!
Any takers? Here's the SDK: https://developer.elgato.com/documentat ... rview/#sdk
Javascript is their preferred SDK programming language to keep it universal, although any language could be used.
:puf_smile: http://www.galxygirl.com -- :reason: user since 2002

MuttReason
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02 Feb 2023

OK this thread is now becoming pretty awesome. Love the calculator idea Selig, so useful in the day job. And it would be fantastic if someone were able to get into the SDK and create a “Reason StreamDeck”. I cannot code for love or money so would gladly purchase something like that.

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DaveyG
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02 Feb 2023

That is is one expensive calculator!

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selig
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02 Feb 2023

DaveyG wrote:
02 Feb 2023
That is is one expensive calculator!
I don’t know, the computer it actually runs on accounts for 90% of the cost…even my phone is a more expensive calculator than any I’ve ever purchased in the past… ;)
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