Stream Deck

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Cakedaddy
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Stream Deck

Post by Cakedaddy »

Wife bought me a Stream Deck for father's day. When I first opened it I thought "Oh cool. An expensive gadget that I have no need for that I have to act like I like but will never use". The last time I thought that was when she bought me the Amazon Echo. Which I ended up really liking.

And like the echo, once I learned more about the product, it's actually quite cool and useful, even if you don't stream.

It's basically a set of highly programmable, customizable buttons. There are TONS of apps you can download for it that can do all kinds of things. Heavy learning curve, but that's only because it can do so much.

First use: Controlling music. I don't have media buttons on my keyboard, so I always had to have a media player open to be able to skip songs, pause, etc. I downloaded the VLC controller app and now have VLC buttons. I can pause/play, skip, rewind, volume up/down. I do have a volume slider on my keyboard, but that controls the master volume. The VLC buttons only control VLC. It's not often that I have to have music low, while listening to other stuff louder. But now I can, easily. When a song that was ripped louder than all the others comes on, I can adjust it without adjusting any other volumes. The learning curve with this one was that it required me to stream my music using VLC instead of just launching the app and playing music. The app wants to connect to a streaming VLC server. So, I also created a button that launches VLC in streaming mode, queues up a playlist (of every song I own) and starts playing in random order. It took me longer to figure out how to get VLC to do what I wanted, than it did to learn how to get the Stream Deck to do it for me.

Second use: Payroll. When I do payroll, I have to have a handful of things open. Web browser with time sheets, support spreadsheet for data, Quickbooks for accounting, etc. I created a button that opens all of those apps, positions each window where I like them, to the size that I like, so I can see all data on my screen and crunch the numbers. This took a while because my monitors are backwards and the apps kept getting moved to the wrong monitor, or off the monitor. Hard to explain, but it has to do with how you have your monitors physically sitting on your desk, and how Windows seems them connected to your PC. (Display Settings)

Next use: Gaming. It will launch Steam, Discord, put me in our regular channel, switch my sound output to my headset, etc. I'll have discord buttons available to change channels (if needed), mute, volume controls. You can even setup individual volume controls for each user. So if Leisher all of the sudden gets louder, I can adjust his volume alone, without tabbing out of the game and doing it in Discord. It also puts my mic mute button back on my desk where I've had it for like a decade with the Megaladon headset I had.

Each button graphic is customizable as well. Its an LCD touch screen with buttons overlayed on top of it, so you can use any 72 x 72 pixel image for buttons. They are also updated with live data. For instance, there's a speedtest app you can assign. The button sits there with the speedtest icon on it. Push it, and it starts a speedtest. When it's done, it displays your speeds on the button itself. You get the info without having to tab out of your game, launch a browser, etc. Another button displays my CPU utilization and when pressed, will open task manager.

I have the 15 button unit. There's 6 and 32 button versions as well. However, you can have pages of buttons. Buttons that are folders that when pressed change all the buttons to that folder, etc. So, you can program 100's of macros and organize them in nested folders/pages/etc.

Oh, and of course there's IFTTT support.

It's pretty cool and I know I'll get some good use out of it.
TheCatt
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Stream Deck

Post by TheCatt »

Do you have the original or Mk 2?
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Cakedaddy
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Stream Deck

Post by Cakedaddy »

MK 2
Leisher
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Post by Leisher »

At first I read this as Steam Deck and was blown away that you were doing all of this on it. :D

I've been very curious about the Stream Deck. Your review has me thinking of ordering one for the office.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
TheCatt
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Stream Deck

Post by TheCatt »

Leisher wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:43 am At first I read this as Steam Deck
I did, too, at first and was like "Don't we already have a thread for this?"

I'm intrigued after Cake's review.
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Post by Leisher »

Ordered the big 'un. It fits perfectly in a spot on my desk. Looking forward to giving it a run.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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Cakedaddy
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Stream Deck

Post by Cakedaddy »

Have you been using it at all? Or did you get it, see that you had to learn stuff and put it aside to 'learn later'?!

I use mine quite a bit for some basic functions. Have not gotten around to 'learn more later'.

I have:
Button for screen capture because I can never remember the keyboard shortcut.
Start a VLC music server and play my music - includes volume (for VLC only) and skip butttons.
Button to switch between headset and desktop speakers
Payroll button that opens all the programs and positions windows on monitors.

All of which I may have already mentioned.
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Post by Leisher »

Haven't even gotten it out of the box yet.
“Every record been destroyed or falsified, books rewritten, pictures repainted, statues, street building renamed, every date altered. The process is continuing day by day. History stops. Nothing exists except endless present in which the Party is right.”
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