As a recent Finale refugee, I’m getting ads from these? Does anyone use them and find them helpful?
I have a 32-button (XL) Stream Deck and the Notation Central Scoring Express templates. I have found them to be extremely helpful in my workflow. The Scoring Express templates can always be user-modified, so as you find your own workflow, they can evolve. But it was a super helpful way for me to start transitioning from Finale two years ago.
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I totally agree with Judd, it’s extremely helpful . I’m using the same equipment in conjunction with Keyboard Maestro (on Mac).
I did a quick forum search to scare up a few threads I remembered. Thought they might be valuable as you work towards any decision.
Here’s a rather lengthy thread begun by @dan_kreider. NB — he more recently stated that he has ceased using the SD, so thought you’d appreciate seeing the development here:
I’m another Finale refugee (though from at least 3 years ago now) and can vouch for the Stream Deck. I also have the 32 button XL and the Dorico template to use with it.
I’ve gotten used to some of Dorico’s key commands, but there are still actions that I have to hunt for, which the Stream Deck makes much easier.
I should caveat that my post in that first thread from 2021 (How do the experts do it) is now somewhat out of date. For anyone reading now who’s not dug deep into Dorico 5, yet, or is still on the fence about trying it out,
a) Notation Express now talks directly to Dorico rather than utilising keyboard shortcuts; you can run Notation Express on a physical Stream Deck or on the Stream Deck mobile apps and set as many custom key commands in Dorico as you like.
b) The Library Manager in Dorico 5 (and Dorico 4) makes it easy to compare or transfer Font and Paragraph Styles between projects (along with pretty much all other project settings).
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Thanks for the excellent clarification, @pianoleo! (And with that caveat you became a pre-emptor. 
)
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I absolutely love my Dorico Express template with Streamdeck XL.
I have also modified it slightly by creating a front page with consolidated shortcuts that I use most frequently (less digging into folders).
For Streamdeck I find it most helpful to focus on macro-like tasks which require more than one shortcut. I don’t bother using it for something which an easy key command already exists right on my normal keyboard - for example it doesn’t make sense for me to leave my hand position at the keyboard to add a slur or a tie when I could simply type S or T, respectively. So this is not where the Streamdeck shines IMHO.
However it shines on anything with multiple steps, or complicated key commands that can be hard to remember. With that in mind, I use it a lot for filtering tasks, dynamics, tuplets, tremolos, etc. Basically anything that requires a popovers or a few steps I can do with one button.
You can also create your own. Just recently I made a button which allows me to filter all staves which only have music on them (handy in a large orchestral template in galley view, where I may want to hide empty staves). This requires about 3-4 steps manually otherwise.
My advice if you’re still on the fence - download the free Mobile Streamdeck app for your phone, and use that with the Notation Express Classic. It’s a lower cost, low-stakes entry into the Streamdeck world to see if it works for you. That’s what I did and I loved it so much, I bought the hardware Streamdeck XL just a few months later and now use it every day in addition to the recently released mobile keypad profile too!
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And the great thing is that keyboard input (key commands) and the SD’s input are independent. So one can have things like tie, untie, slur, etc., buttons on the SD for those moments when the user’s hand is at the SD, but still use key commands when at the computer keyboard.
One of my personal faves is the View Whole Page zoom shortcut that shows on several of my SD Dorico Profile pages. I use the SD as a basic Mac controller as well, to launch and quick-switch between apps, auto-fill a few text strings, etc. So when I launch the Dorico app from the SD and get a project open, I can immediately zoom it correctly before I even have to reorient to the MIDI and/or computer keyboard.
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oh yes, 100%. I use them sometimes on the new keypad version, as well as when doing more complex note entry from the SD. So I’m glad they are there! But otherwise in most scenarios the SD has proven most useful for consolidating multiple steps into a single button.
Plus it’s rather satisfying to push buttons. I feel like I’m at an arcade or something. Click-clack, wee! Did I win anything?
Indeed. (Most of my exes would agree, incidentally…)
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anyone know if its possible to try out stream deck mobile with Dorico without having to buy notation express? I might end up with that eventually but right now I just want to try a couple quick commands with dorico to see if I even like the concept or not, but I can’t seem to find any way to add dorico commands to Streamdeck…if there is a plugin for dorico its not on their site… Most of you seem to have purchased notation express to get it going…I get it…but as far as my trying to do a free preliminary test of stream deck mobile and a couple simple dorico commands is there any wya to do that?
Just add standard Dorico keycommands!
I don’t believe so, since the profiles themselves do not use any kind of serial or license registration, so I don’t think they have any way of providing a fully-functioning trial.
However I have found their support to be very helpful and responsive. It’s worth asking them directly if they have a demo or downsized version you can try).
If not, the Streamdeck app is very easy to use, so you could always set up a few hotkeys as a way to test. Many of Notation Express’ profile commands are in fact rather basic under the hood, most of them are just key commands or short macros anyway – but of course what makes them ideal is how well organized/curated they are with nice graphics in a single package ready to go, with a layout that has been very well thought-out.
Therefore if you just want to try out Streamdeck as a workflow, you could just re-create a few commands to see what you think.
I have an older version of Notation Express, I decided not to purchase the latest for v5 Dorico. I do not use the full range of possibilities (yet) of Dorico, indicated by all the buttons.
I have made a few pages of buttons with just what I need currently.
Also I have a project I am working on where only a few scripts are needed and specific buttons, so I like the flexibility of Stream Deck where you can program certain key commands or (macro) actions as you need to for whatever you are needing.
Also if you are using another notation program, you could map some of the buttons in the same location for the equivalent key command, so if you swap between each, you do not necessarily need to remember each programs (different) key command, each time you bring the other forward, SD changes to that profile for that program.
I also have a Stream Deck Plus, which has dials, meaning I can simply turn a dial to zoom in/out and press in the dial for default view. (This dial does the same in Affinity Designer etc.)
I’m happy to create a simple stream deck profile in order to test it out but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to create dorico commands in stream deck, that seems to require a dorico plugin but maybe I’m missing something?
Anything with shortcut command can be programmed into a SD. If you hack additional shortcuts into your user keycommands file for things that aren’t natively supported (like many Properties panel items and other things) then you can create SD buttons for those too. Or for macros that are a sequence of commands.
Here’s my current configuration:
Many of these involve quite a few steps. Here’s one I use for part layout. I always add a System Break on the very first bar, even though it’s unnecessary, so this workflow will work:
It makes laying out similar parts very easy. Or 1st and 2nd time buttons that both add the text and suppress the playback:
And so on. The SD app is pretty straightforward and simple to use.
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what exactly is this about? There is a way to create key commands for commands that don’t already exist in the key commands window?
alright, so I see now the way to do very basic things is just have StreamDeck send key commands to whatever the current app window is. I’m not sure it automatically switches panels if and when I switch apps on the mac? Anyway I will explore a bit.
So when people are using the notation express pack it’s using a so called dorico plugin I take it, which accesses the Dorico remote API directly. Yea? Is that particular method able to do more things then are possible with key commands? Is it quicker at execution or something of this nature? What is the main benefit of using the remote API for controlling with Streamdeck instead of key commands>?
I agree with some other comments, I don’t really see the point of making a big streamdeck profile for all the stuff that is just as quick, or quicker to co directly from the QWERTY. However, there are still a few things I might use it, which are for functions I don’t use very often and hard to remember the key command, or if I can come up with some macros that would normally be several key commands in sequence…might be useful…I’m curious what some of the common things to do are people doing. I guess Notation Express probably just already thought of all that and I will probably buy it soon.
The main benefit of using Stream Deck is
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Less keystrokes. For example to enter (edited) a fermata you have to enter SHIFT H f e r
, with Stream Deck you press the Articulations and then the fermata button. Or enter multiple dynamics in multiple bars. This requires at least 3 keystrokes each. With Stream Deck and active dynamics section you need only one button press. -
Any key command which you need both hands for is slower than pressing the appropriate button.
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Less key commands to remember, could become important.
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Much quicker access to nested menus like the Notation or Filter or Paste Special menu.
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The ability to create sequences of commands. For example I created sequences for triplets of various durations and for double dotted notes, however with help of Keyboard Maestro (Mac only) which is another significant performance accelerator.