Stream Deck or Touch OSC

[westla]

Hi all, just wondering if there is consensus as to which is better with Dorico in speeding up work flow?
Thanks

[judddanby]

Having no experience with Touch OSC, I’ll just say that I appreciate the tactile response of physical buttons on the SD.

[Headphonomenon]

I am not sure about consensus but I also personally prefer the Stream Deck. Touch OSC is probably more flexible and ultimately offers more customization options but takes a lot of tweaking to get set up exactly the way you want. I was able to get going much faster with the Stream Deck which, for me, was a worthwhile trade-off

[westla]

Thanks, think I’ll go wuth Stream Deck.

Couple questions:

1. Is the Stream Deck mk2 (15 keys) enough? I’m sure the Xl would be better, but would the 15 key SD help with workflow.

2. In addition to the hardware itself, is the only other thing I need the Notation Express SD Profile for Dorico?

Thanks.

[judddanby]

I splurged for the 32-key plus the NE XL profile. I’m pleased to have all the extra “real estate.”

[dan_kreider]

That really depends on your workflow. I used the XL and found it helpful.

[arco]

I listed the Notation Express folder structure here, if it is useful to you:

Stream Deck, Keyboard Maestro, MetaGrid Pro: key commands

Hi Luke, Thank you for your question The MetaGrid Pro version of Dorico is a demo one although it works, did you find it? If you only have MetaGrid (not the Pro version) it might not be there. [MGP version: Content manager > Grids > Presets] You would have to add more buttons to customize to what you need. The MGP team are currently working on a new beta of MGP and a Mac version which will make creating grids, buttons, key commands etc. much easier to set up. (These kinds of …

The XL, there is less button pressing to get to a specific button. It is a bigger unit so takes up more space obviously. I also like real buttons to press (they can be a little noisy).

Nothing else you require.

I find it easy to set up buttons for a specific project. You will find various threads here with a search using Stream Deck especially.

[drewnichols]

Just here to endorse XL. The profile comes with an installer for the Stream Deck—Dorico direct connection setup, so that’s all you’ll need.

[Headphonomenon]

Another approach if you happen to have an iPad already is to get the 15-key Stream Deck then use the mobile app if you need to expand it. (I think the lifetime app purchase was $60 so together it even saves a little money over the 32-key version.) You can have grids up to 8x8 in the mobile app so if needed you could have access to up to 79 functions at once.
Also, to be fair, you don’t necessarily NEED the Notation Express profile. You can just program your own actions. But it does make it easy and quick to get started and I can definitely recommend it. I started with the NE profile then customized it little by little as I added or removed actions or moved them around.

[IPX]

the XL is best - simple PnP and also customizable

[arco]

Mine came with a USB cable, it depends on your computer if it plugs in directly or you need a different cable (or adapter).

[westla]

That was going to be my next question, whether I need the Notation Express Profile. If I don’t get the profile, and set it up myself, will the buttons display the “graphics” (like the pic), or just generic text?

[judddanby]

Without the NE profile, you’ll need to set up the SD from scratch.

Here’s a nice thread if you want to try going that route:

Icons for Stream Deck

Is there any way of downloading or converting the glyphs used in “Dorico Icons” and “Bravura” to individual image files? I’m working on my own, non-commercial Stream Deck XL profile, and it would sure streamline the process if something like this exists.

[AndreLorenzatti]

You have to create the icons yourself, otherwise use the default one.
I have a SD XL with Notation Express in it and i can say my workflow has become really really fast with it.

[judddanby]

The other thing to bear in mind: After getting comfortable with everything you can begin to reconfigure the NE profile to your own needs.

[westla]

Ahh, so I can change the profile around, without having to start from scratch?

@judddanby

The other thing to bear in mind: After getting comfortable with everything you can begin to reconfigure the NE profile to your own needs.

[Thomas_LaVoy]

@westla, I just released my Stream Deck XL profile yesterday. It is available for free, but currently only works on Windows (another person has offered to work on converting it for use with Macs, just waiting on files from him currently). It uses more of a “mode based” system than the Notation Central one, but it is not as complete. I’ll be continuing to work on it when I find time on the side to do so. Download is available here: https://www.thomaslavoy.com/profiles

[judddanby]

You can dive right in using the Notation Express profile as it comes, then start to modify it later.

Without the NE profile you’ll have to do everything from scratch…

ADDENDUM: …or use Thomas La Voy’s new profile if you’re Windows-based.

[arco]

Icons, if I need to set up a specific layout for a particular job/process I might not use any icons at all. I just use text, especially on the smaller Stream Deck model. I usually only need 10 or 15 buttons, so on the XL can have a blank (unused) column or row so I know where I am. I might use a color button(s) for a few if needed. I get used to where they are for each action/key command/macro. And sometimes I just need to press the same button to activate some process, so my finger is just sitting on that button. No need for an icon.

You can search for Stream Deck icons, some are free to download from Github.

[judddanby]

…or just scroll up here.