Elgato’s Stream Deck + and Companion from Bitfocus are two powerful tools for video production professionals. If you’re looking to streamline your workflow and have more control at the touch of a button, then you’ll want to know all about these two products. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at how to use the Stream Deck + with Companion and what makes them so special.
What is the Stream Deck +?
The Stream Deck + is a handy device that features eight standard Stream Deck style buttons with a screen behind them, a touch screen row, and new dials that can be rotated left and right. These buttons and dials allow you to control various video production equipment with ease.
What is Companion?
Companion is a great way to control all sorts of video production equipment. With Companion, you can assign various functions to the buttons and dials on the Stream Deck +, making your workflow much smoother and more efficient.
Download Companion on the Bitfocus website: bitfocus.io
Upgrading to the Latest Version of Companion
To make sure you have the latest and greatest features, be sure to upgrade to the latest version of Companion. As of this writing, version 2.4.2 is the latest, and it comes with new rotary action features that are very handy.
Using the Stream Deck + with Companion
When you connect the Stream Deck + to your Mac or PC, it will show up in Companion. The top eight buttons on the Stream Deck + are reflected in Companion as the top eight buttons. The touchscreen row on the Stream Deck + is reflected as the next four buttons in Companion, and the rotary dials are reflected as the bottom four buttons in Companion.
To get the most out of the Stream Deck + and Companion, you’ll want to enable the rotary actions option in Companion. This will give you access to the rotate left and rotate right actions, as well as the classic press and release actions.
For example, you can connect Companion to your ATEM switcher and use the rotary dials to control the audio within the ATEM switcher. By setting the rotate left actions to minus the audio master gain by five and the rotate right actions to increase the audio master gain by five, you can quickly and easily adjust the audio levels.
Other audio sources in the Fairlight mixer on the ATEM can also be controlled with the rotary dials, such as the headphone volume or a specific input. The Stream Deck + and Companion work nicely with the ATEM, making your video production workflow much smoother.
Future Improvements
The Companion UI could use some improvements in the future, such as the ability to choose which Stream Deck you’re using. In the case of the Stream Deck +, the rotary dials would be shown at the bottom of the Companion UI instead of the classic Companion buttons.
The Stream Deck + is Already Available
The Stream Deck + is available for purchase now, and the latest stable release of Companion supports the rotary actions. It’s definitely worth downloading Companion and giving it a chance to see how well it works in your setup.
Conclusion
The Stream Deck + and Companion are two powerful tools for video production professionals. With the Stream Deck +, you have control at your fingertips, and with Companion, you can assign functions to the buttons and dials on the Stream Deck +. The rotary actions in Companion make adjusting audio levels a breeze, and there’s certainly room for improvement in the future. Consider yourself In The Loop on the Stream Deck + and how well it works with Companion.