Video editing is all about shortcuts. To that end, a desktop console can help by programming favorite tasks and macros so that a function can be repeated with a touch of a button.
That’s where DaptKey comes in, with a fully programmable array of buttons, switches, and dials, to give the most seasoned cutter an edge when it comes to editing.
Functionally similar to the Loupedeck, the DaptKey desktop console has twenty customizable Cherry MX buttons and five separate turning dials. All twenty-five buttons and dials come complete with OLED touchscreen displays integrated within.
Image Credit – Dapt
These are presumably for indicating what menu function is active and dedicated to that particular dial and will change as the user navigates through the menu assigned to that particular dial.
Compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems, the console can be programmed to execute a macro or series of keyboard commands or shortcuts.
According to the Kickstarter campaign, the DaptKey is able to run shortcuts and macros from a variety of popular NLE editing apps including Apple Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere, as well as effects apps including Adobe After Effects, Blender, and others.
Image Credit – Dapt
There is also the possibility that the DaptKey will offer some sort of native API support so that as the post-production artist moves from one app to another, the console will update and adjust to a completely different set of preferences and shortcuts based on its initial setup.
Otherwise, without that feature, users would have to manually reconfigure all twenty-five before any workflow resumes.
Image Credit – Dapt
According to the designers of DaptKey, the console is easy to set up, with a host of detailed instructional videos to walk the user through configuring the interface.
Once done, the console can perform hundreds of separate shortcuts and keyboard commands, freeing the editor from having to drill down through menus in order to find the desired function. With a simple press of a button, or shuttle through a dial, the function is deployed.
Image Credit – Dapt
The console is designed with a 15° tilt and offers a pull-down adjustable feel, much like a standard keyboard does. This design offers ergonomic comfort that is vital for getting through long editing sessions that tax the user with fatigue and discomfort.
Users can also choose key types and shafts when ordering taking the customizable experience a step further.
The DaptKey console seems well thought out and judging from the response the company has gotten on Kickstarter, is bound to be very popular when it hits the market.
Already the item has not only reached its crowdfunding goals but has surpassed them by nearly fifteenfold.
Pricing and availability:
Backers of the project can get a single DaptKey console at a super early bird price that is as low as $189, with two Daptkeys for $379.
These early bird prices, however, have limited quantities remaining due to their popularity. Delivery is estimated to begin in December 2023.
The DaptKey console will also be available in one of three colors: Frost White, Steel Gray, and Midnight Black. Users are encouraged to visit the official DaptKey Facebook group and vote on their favorite.
Currently, Midnight Black seems to be the most popular with 55% of the votes.
More details can be found on the Daptkey Kickstarter page.
[source: DIYP]
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