Elgato Stream Deck XL

This is proving far more useful than I had initially conceived (even after all the research I did on it before purchase). Other review here and elsewhere will talk about its functionality, so let me address some points you may not get elsewhere.

I'm using it on my Mac Mini (running Big Sur) and haven't encountered any incompatiblities or problems. It's been absolutely fantastic for my teaching online as it effortlessly allows me to control not only OBS and my Atem Mini but also PowerPoint (for slides) and VLC (for various media clips) *in the background* while Zoom takes centre-stage - which is absolutely fantastic.

Using Bitfocus Companion, my Elgato can do quite complex things with OBS, Atem Mini (via Software Control) and Reaper.

Finally: yes, a lot of its functionality (if not all of it) can be replaced with software (e.g. AutoHotKeys and macro keyboards) but this is easy to setup, simple to use, and wonderfully tactile.

Could this be cheaper? Well, I certainly balked at the price, and cannot say it warrants *all* its high price. But if the price doesn't bother you too much, what I can say is that it does all that it promised (me!) and more.

I only heard about these when Whytse did a studio workflow video. I was a bit taken aback that such a thing even existed and that I hadn't heard about them. I should say if you have a spare phone then you can use the software to achieve the same with a touchscreen but I love this thing! It comes with a very stable stand that it clings to magnetically. This also doubles up as a cable tidy. Each button is a mini LCD screen and displays an icon to remind you what it does. The XL is the perfect size for me with 32 buttons but you must remember that you are not limited to 32 functions because you can flip between different pages which allows for the grouping of commands by software task. A download of the free app Companion allows you to create your own commands, such as adding specific plugins, so it is very useful for music production. I have used Editors Keys keyboards in the past but this is updateable and very flexible. I can see me wanting a second soon!

On the surface, it is s 32 freely assignable buttons for streaming.

As you start digging in the software, you realize it can execute macros, run apps, control the system, insert special characters and automate a whole bunch of tasks.

You're not limited to 32 commands: you can have folders of commands, and folders within folders, and even more folders within those folders. With enough folder nesting, you can stuff this control surface with as many macros as you want.

I use this for editing video and text, inserting special characters and emojis, adding Ableton devices, sending template responses in email, timing my screencast recordings and setting alarms to make sure I don't work late into the night. It also monitors my CPU usage and helps me tag my photos as I sort through them after a photoshoot.

A very handy a versatile package.