Using Elgato Stream Deck with Video Sync
Benefits of a Hardware Remote
Video Sync offers a wide selection of keyboard shortcuts, but during a session the hands are often on the DAW and the eyes on the picture. A dedicated hardware remote with labelled keys - separate from the computer keyboard - puts the most common Video Sync tasks one key press away: transport, Markers and Streamers, the Time overlay, display modes, and muting or soloing individual tracks.
The Stream Deck range of controllers by Elgato provides an open platform with customisable keys. A free Video Sync plug-in adds all Video Sync actions to the Stream Deck app, and two ready-made profiles get a Stream Deck working with Video Sync straight away.
The keys do more than send commands. Video Sync reports its current state back to the Stream Deck, so a key shows whether the Time overlay is on, which display mode is active, which tracks are muted, or whether an action is currently unavailable.
Device Versions
The Stream Deck comes in three versions:
Stream Deck Mini - 6 keys
Stream Deck MK.2 - 15 keys
Stream Deck XL - 32 keys
Stream Deck + XL - 32 keys, 4 rotary dials and
a touchbar strip
The Stream Deck XL or Stream Deck + XL is recommended, since it holds transport, Visual Events, overlays, windows and track keys on a single page. The Stream Deck MK.2 is well suited to a reduced set - for example transport, Markers and two pairs of track keys.
Requirements
The Video Sync plug-in requires Video Sync 6.3.4 or later and the Stream Deck app 6.6 or later. Video Sync and the Stream Deck app need to run on the same computer.
The Video Sync plug-in is separate from the Cue Pro plug-in. Both can be installed at the same time, and each one only talks to its own application.
Installation
Download the Video Sync Stream Deck plug-in
Installing for the First Time
Double-click the plug-in file to install it in the Stream Deck app. During installation, a dialog asks whether to add the Video Sync profiles — click Yes to install them. The profiles can be customised to match personal preference.
Upgrading from an Earlier Plug-in
If an earlier version of the Video Sync plug-in is already installed, the new plug-in must be installed cleanly for the updated profiles to appear. In the Stream Deck app, open Preferences:
On the Profiles tab, back up any customised Video Sync profiles by right-clicking each one and choosing Export, then delete them.
On the Plugins tab, select the Video Sync plug-in under Local and click Uninstall.
Once the old plug-in and profiles are removed, double-click the new plug-in file to install it. When the dialog asks whether to add the Video Sync profiles, click Yes.
Included Profiles
The plug-in includes a basic profile for the Stream Deck + XL: Video Sync + XL. To start using it, choose it from the profile menu at the top of the Stream Deck app.
All Video Sync actions are listed under the Video Sync category in the action list on the right-hand side of the Stream Deck app.
Working with the Keys
Key States
Keys follow what happens in Video Sync, no matter whether a change is made on the Stream Deck, with a keyboard shortcut, in a menu or with the mouse. Pressing Command & T to turn on the Time overlay, for example, switches the Toggle Time Overlay key on as well.
Keys for settings that can be turned on or off show a switch. The switch is green while the setting is on - for example while sync is enabled, while Pre/Post Roll is active, or while the Event List window is open. The same states are shown as checkmarks in the menus.
A key is greyed out while its action is not available. Delete Event, Go to Event In and Go to Event Out are greyed out until a Visual Event is selected, and Display Mode, Add Video Track and Add Audio Track are greyed out during playback.
While Video Sync is not running, all keys are greyed out. After Video Sync has been launched, the keys come back within a few seconds.
Transport
Play, Stop, Step Back and Step Forward work like the transport controls in Video Sync. Fast Rewind and Fast Forward wind for as long as the key is held and stop when it is released. Return to Zero moves the playhead to the start of the timeline.
Toggle Sync turns sync on or off, and Toggle Pre/Post Roll turns the Pre-Roll and Post-Roll on or off.
Visual Events
Add Marker, Add Streamer and Add Flutter create a Visual Event at the playhead position, just like the keyboard shortcuts. Previous Event and Next Event select the previous or next Visual Event, and Go to Event In and Go to Event Out move the playhead to the In or Out Point of the selected event. Delete Event removes the selected events.
Overlays and Display
Toggle Time Overlay shows or hides the Time overlay, and Toggle Overlays turns all overlays on or off at once (the same as View → Toggle Overlays Globally). Toggle Region Names shows or hides the region name overlay, the same as its checkbox in Preferences / Settings → Overlays.
Previous Overlay Preset and Next Overlay Preset load the previous or next overlay preset, in the order of the list in Preferences / Settings → Overlays → Presets. After the last preset, Next Overlay Preset starts again at the first one. If the active preset has unsaved changes, the same question as in Preferences / Settings comes up first: the changes can be saved or discarded, or the switch can be canceled. Both keys are greyed out during playback.
Display Mode steps through the display modes with each press - Single, Side-by-Side, Split Screen and Picture-in-Picture - and always shows the mode that is currently active. The display mode button in Video Sync follows each press.
Toggle Fullscreen shows the video fullscreen and back, and Toggle Mini Player switches to the Mini Player and back.
Windows
Toggle Event List, Toggle Audio Settings and Toggle Preferences open or close the Event List, Audio Settings and Preferences / Settings windows. All window keys share the same dark blue colour and show a switch that is on while the window is open.
Editing
Undo and Redo work like Command & Z and Command & Shift & Z. Zoom In and Zoom Out zoom the timeline horizontally.
Tracks
Add Video Track adds a video track, the same as Track → Add Video Track. Add Audio Track opens the same dialog as Track → Add Audio Track.
Mute Audio Track, Solo Audio Track, Mute Video Track and Solo Video Track work like the M and S buttons in the track headers. Each of these keys controls one track, chosen by its number in the key's settings. Pressing the key mutes or solos the track, and pressing it again unmutes or unsolos it. The key turns blue while the track is muted and orange while it is soloed, and the track header in Video Sync follows each press. Soloing a video track is a quick way to switch between several versions of a picture, for example.
The video track keys are shaped like the camera-style buttons of video tracks, so they can be told apart from the audio track keys at a glance.
Choosing a Track
To choose the track for a key, select the key in the Stream Deck app. The Audio track or Video track dropdown in the key's settings lists the track numbers together with the names of the tracks in the open project. Tracks are numbered from the top of the timeline. For audio tracks, the audio tracks of video files are included in this count, also while their video track is collapsed.
The key always shows the name of the track at its position in the open project, so the same profile works for every project. Long track names are shortened to fit on the key - "Track" is dropped from multi-word names, and long words lose their vowels, similar to the way Pro Tools® control surfaces shorten names.
If the open project has no track at a key's position, the key shows only the track number and is greyed out. While Video Sync is not running, track keys stay empty.
Building a Profile
A set of keys on the Stream Deck is called a profile. The Video Sync + XL profile is a starting point and can be changed freely in the Stream Deck app - actions are dragged from the action list onto keys, and keys are rearranged by dragging them.
The Video Sync + XL profile fits on a single page. The first row holds transport, sync, pre/post roll, the Time overlay, preferences, the Event List, audio configuration and return to zero. The second row covers markers, streamers, flutter, delete, event navigation and the Mini Player. The third row provides mute and solo keys for audio and video tracks, alongside overlay preset cycling. The bottom row holds undo, redo, zoom, fullscreen, single display mode, add video track, add audio track and preset navigation.
Several profiles can be set up for different tasks, and Stream Deck profiles can also control other applications, such as Pro Tools®.
Troubleshooting
If all keys stay greyed out while Video Sync is running, quit and relaunch Video Sync and wait a few seconds for the keys to come back. If the keys still do not respond, check that the installed Video Sync version supports the Stream Deck plug-in (see Requirements).
If a track key shows a number instead of a track name, the open project has fewer tracks than the number set for the key. Select the key in the Stream Deck app and choose a different track from the dropdown.