YOU’LL NEED THIS

ELGATO STREAM DECK https://www.elgato.com/us/en/s/welcome-to-stream-deck

ELGATO MARKETPLACE https://marketplace.elgato.com

STREAM DECK SOFTWARE https://www.elgato.com/us/en/s/ downloads

ELGATO’S STREAM DECK is one of those devices that you don’t think you need, but then you get one and wonder how you ever lived without it. It’s more than just a macro keyboard, and combined with an extensive range of plugins and open-source devkits, its flexibility has been well documented. In fact, a significant number of companies have integrated it into their workflows too, most notably Virgin Atlantic, who utilize a fleet of them for all manner of automation and workflow simplification.

We’re not focusing on that today, though; we’re going to be running you through how to set up your own little piece of Stream Deck majesty, and what you need to get started. Whether you’re a Twitch streamer with a vast assortment of clips, audio files, lighting, and cameras to control, a professional photographer working in a photo studio, or to a casual gamer who just wants to control some desktop software and the odd light or two, there’s a solution for everyone using one of these fancy bits of kit. Let’s dive in, shall we?

–ZAK STOREY

A

1 WHICH STREAM DECK?

There are a plethora of Stream Decks out there to choose from, and getting the right one for you is going to depend on a number of conditions. First and foremost, budget; second, how many buttons you want, and finally, utilization. Bear in mind that you can always configure a Stream Deck with additional pages and folders, so don’t feel like you ‘must’ have a 32-button deck to satisfy all your needs.