I just got a Stream Deck Mk 2 and Stream Deck XL (they’re bundled together on Amazon in the States right now) and I have to say, they are a perfect match with Dorico. Here are a few preliminary tips. I’ll be posting more in this topic and hopefully others with more experience with both Dorico and Stream Deck (SD) will provide additional ones:
First, after getting your SD, get Notation Express for Dorico which has lots of beautiful pre-made SD shortcuts. I copy the Notation Express buttons I plan to use into a custom SD profile (which is permitted, sharing their buttons with others is not).
At this stage in my understanding of both programs, there are two main uses for SD (aside from making some commands more convenient to access): (1) help in memorizing and/or remembering shortcuts; and (2) customizing Dorico to do things the way you want it to. Two simple examples:
Memorizing shortcuts: there are hundreds of potential shortcuts in Dorico. I have many under my belt but one I keep forgetting is the hand/marquee toggle because I"m usually using the hand and rarely use marquee. I made an SD hotkey with a custom icon that includes both the label “Hand/Marquee” and the command key assigned to it (Opt-H). Gradually, I’m remembering it. Eventually, I’ll have it memorized and I’ll remove it from my main SD screen and put under an SD folder button called Docs and Old Shortcuts. (If I don’t use the program for a while, I may need to reinstall the button.)
Customizing Dorico’s behavior: When in Write Mode, I like to quickly display and hide the Key Editor. As far as I know (please correct if I’m mistaken), this requires remembering two commands (in my case Ctrl-K,. to open the Key Editor and Cmd-8 to close the lower panel). But that’s too much to think about when I’m busily composing and just want to quickly adjust a key velocity. I want Dorico to toggle the Key Editor display. So I made an SD button using a hotkey switch that integrates both commands. (BTW, I’ve set up a similar button to open and close the Properties Editor.)