Elgato Stream Deck XL

The Elgato Stream Deck XL is a universal DAW controller that can be adapted to any user's personal needs with a remarkable degree of freedom and flexibility. The hardware was originally developed for live streaming video content via YouTube, Twitch and the like, but it's also extremely well suited to controlling DAW software. Thanks to its simple folder structure, the device's 32 buttons – each one a tiny, customisable LCD screen! – can be freely assigned up to 210 keyboard shortcuts (or other actions). The ability to freely assign thumbnails to each of these keys ensures users also have a clear overview of their options, making it easy and intuitive to work just the way they want.

Keyboard shortcuts are essential for a good workflow when using a DAW. With the software included with the Elgato Stream Deck XL, users can assign any imaginable key combination, no matter how complex, to a single LCD key on the controller. Apart from this, other actions such as starting programmes or opening websites can also be triggered. To create the personalised thumbnails that are displayed on the LCD keys, simply use screenshots or any other suitable images – another avenue for every musician's creativity!

Thanks to its universal concept, the Elgato Stream Deck XL is suitable for use with any conceivable software that can be controlled via keyboard shortcuts – this of course applies to every DAW on the market. Whether it's Apple Logic, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, Avid Pro Tools, Presonus Studio One or any other more or less established application – any software suite with lots of hotkeys can be made immensely more intuitive and accessible with the Elgato Stream Deck XL. Equally, the complex software used in other creative fields besides music, such as image editing or video production, also lends itself well to the Stream Deck.