I always find it interesting when finding new products and then reviewing them when a seemingly unthought of side benefit pops up.
I discovered another of these the other day and I thought I’d pass it on.
As regular readers know, I am a fan of the Loupedeck CT, USB connected controller that with the correct programming, has a whole bunch of buttons, dials, panels and a jog wheel that can be used to control, commands and functions in a program.
Initially, I found it ideal for use with DaVinci Resolve when video editing as an adjunct to my Davinci Resolve Speed Editor console (which as I have said before, for anyone using Resolve, especially with the Cut page mode is a MUST have).
Since then, I have discovered there are 3rd party add on “packs” for the Loupedeck CT (and other consoles such as the upcoming Loupedeck Live S and current Streamdeck) for a whole swag of programs. These include Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cakewalk and Cubase, Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere Pro, Cinema 4D and Blender, Final Cut Pro, Microsoft Excel and Word and more, with others under development I understand. The company that makes tghese is called Sideshowfx.
The speed up in workflow is very noticeable using the Loupedeck and I find it far more intuitive than using a mouse to find menu items, or even shortcut keys.
Installation of the profiles / packs is a piece of cake too taking literally a few minutes. And it has to be said, the detail the company has put into the icon artwork is a joy to behold which is not something you can say too often in tech reviews I admit!
But back to the side benefit.
Longer term readers will know that a couple of years back my right wrist went under the knife for an operation to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome. If you are not aware of what this is, it’s a degenerative condition that back in the 80s, everyone sneered at when typists were reportedly getting it in droves (remember this is before every man and his kelpie had a computer on their desk and typewriters and word processors ruled the tech Universe).
It affects a nerve going through the wrist and take it from me, is bloody painful. In my case it affected my right hand typing and mousing in particular as well as giving me a constant feeling that there was a permanently very tight elastic band around my wrist.
Well the surgery fixed it for a period as sadly, as often happens apparently, arthritis setting in after the operation brings other issues, and so once again, using a mouse for any large portion of the day is just a no-no for me.
Enter the Loupedeck CT and Sideshowfx packs!
With the Loupedeck setup for my left hand and the DaVinci Speed Editor for my right, my actual mouse usage is now minimised for many of my day-too-day applications. And less pain being the consequence, that makes me happy trust me!
The attached photo shows my setup. The only tweak I am going to make is 3D print a “riser” allowing me to put the Loupedeck on more of a tilt.
So if you are getting the symptoms of carpal tunnel, give this a bit of a thought. It’s a small price to pay to save the agony (and maybe even the expense of surgery). And if you do go this way (carpal tunnel or not the Loupedeck and Sideshowfx Packs are brilliant anyway) and want a riser, get in touch and we can work something out.
