The Elgato Stream Deck has becoming an invaluable piece of tech for me. It’s not just a way to manage my live streams or media. It’s allowed me to build a system to help me work on my computer both more efficiently, and more effectively.

I’ve been able to build a system for my solopreneur business that allows me to easily control my computer, create content, manage apps, and execute automations. Honestly, without it, I’d be kind of lost.

I know lots of business owners are interested in using the Stream Deck, but aren’t sure what it’s capable of. My setup has evolved over the years, as I’ve optimized and changed it; here is the latest iteration!

What is a Stream Deck?

First up, what is a Stream Deck? It’s a hardware device with programmable buttons that you connect to your computer. It connects to services like OBS, Ecamm, YouTube, Twitch, Phillips Hue, Apple Shortcuts, and much more!

A lot of streamers and podcasters use it to manage live recordings and their environments during a live stream – it’s like a mini control room that only needs one person to manage!

It also makes editing YouTube videos a lot easier. Adding lower thirds, URLs, and transitions with the push of a button sure beats doing it in post-production.

But it’s SO much more than that, tapping into other apps, services, and keyboard shortcuts. Speaking of…

Why Not Just Use Keyboard Shortcuts?

A common question I get is, “Why can’t you just use keyboard shortcuts?” I do. I love keyboard shortcuts. I even have Raycast modify my Caps Lock key to make it a Hyper Key, for even more keyboard shortcuts.

But you can’t put custom graphics on keyboard shortcuts, and the truth is that the Stream Deck makes it way easier to remember certain actions. Plus, Stream Deck makes certain integrations, like with Phillips Hue, easier. The same thing goes with Ecamm.

How I’m Using the Stream Deck XL

I originally got the 15-key Stream Deck to switch between OBS scenes for my online courses. I wanted to easily move between talking head shots and slides without a ton of editing.

But I quickly discovered how powerful it can be, especially since it supports Raycast, Window Management, Zoom and Google Meet, keyboard shortcuts, and Keyboard Maestro. The latter is a Mac app for you to create your own advanced keyboard shortcuts and automated actions.

In other words, I have a complete system on a fantastic little device.

Today I have both a Stream Deck XL and Stream Deck +, which also had a a USB Hub on the back. Both devices have multiple pages. Let’s start with the XL first.

Page 1 Configuration

Here’s what page 1 of my Stream Deck looks like:

Since the Stream Deck is for more than just streaming, I’ve set up page one mostly to run automations, common actions, and lighting in my office. It’s mostly driven by the Shortcuts I’ve turned into “Apps,” as well as Raycast. Here’s the breakdown by Row and Column (marked R# for Row number, and C# for Column number).

Row 1:

R1C1: Open Tella.tv, the app I use most for recording videos for clients, tutorials, and outreach.

R1C2: Keyboard shortcut for starting and stopping a Tella recording.

R1C3: Keyboard shortcut for restarting a Tella recording (deleting current, and starting fresh)

R1C4: Open Google Meet, my primary video call app.

R1C5-C8: Various controls for Google Meet: Toggle Camera on and off, Toggle Mic on and off, “Zen” mode, Leave Call.

Row 2:

R2C1: Preview Tella.tv Recording (stop recording, open the video in the Tella editor).

R2C2: Pause current recording (pausing and resuming lets me stop the current recording but pick up where I left off).

R2C3: Delete current recording

R2C4-C8: More Google Meet buttons: Toggle Chat, Raise/Lower Hand, Thumbs Up reaction, Party Popper reaction, Clapping reaction

Row 3:

R3C1: Raycast opener/indicator. Since it’s my launcher, if it quits, I need know and have a quick way to run it again.

R3C2: Turn on Do Not Disturb Focus Mode

R3C3: Generate Random Password (Raycast feature)

R3C4: Turn on Raycast Focus (locks apps, websites, distractions)

R3C5: Raycast Window Management: Left Two Thirds

R3C6: Raycast Window Management: Right Half

R3C7: Apple Shortcut: Convert Markdown Links to YouTube-friendly Links

R3C8: Apple Shortcut: Add spaces between line breaks (mostly for LinkedIn formatting)

Row 4:

R4C1: Website: Casabona.org Admin

R4C2: WebsiStreamlined Solopreneur Admin

R4C3: Apple Shortcut: Save link on clipboard to GoodLinks (my read it later app)

R4C4: Set my office lights red

R4C5: Turn on the Office

R4C6: Set my office lights bright/white

R4C7: Set my office lights yellow

R4C8: Go to Page 2.

Page 2 Configuration

And here’s page two:

This page is for Ecamm almost exclusively, and it can change more often depending on what I’m recording and what scenes I want accessible. Because of that, so I’m not going to take this one row-by-row. Here are some general descriptions though.

Row 1 is different camera views. You can get the full breakdown of all of my camera over on my Desk post on Casabona.org, but I have 3 cameras:

1. Sony a6400, my primary, straight-on camera
2. OBSBOT Tail 2, which is a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera that sits above my desk, allowing for several different views and “sets” in my office
3. YoloCam S3, which is my overhead camera. I’ll use that viewing what’s actually on my desk.

I’ll also get my iPhone camera in the mix sometimes.

The first button is the “main camera” scene, and then A-G are the different camera and angles. G is the iPhone. “A boxed” is an overlay of Camera A that I can add into any scene when I want to.

Everything else else is scenes and overlays, except 3 buttons (R4C5-C7):

1. Show/Hide Controls in Ecamm window
2. Switch between monitor and teleprompter on Elgato Prompter
3. Go Live

R4C1 and R4C8 are page controls.

Note: Page 3 is more Ecamm stuff — specifically scenes for when I do RSS.com videos and live streams.

How I’m Using the Stream Deck +

Since rearranging my office and desk, both of my Stream Decks sit on the same side, so I decide to make the Stream Deck+ some focused, common controls.

Page 1: Browser Control, Music, and Lights

Row 1 uses a combination of keyboard shortcuts and Raycast actions to manage my browser windows

R1C1: A mult action button that will:

1. Pop out the current tab into its own window
2. Move that window to my teleprompter
3. Make the window full screen
4. Hide the tabs

I will use this when I want to have a YouTube video on while I’m doing other stuff (usually music or something I’m passively listening to), or when I have a web-based call, like with Google Meet.

R1C2: Move the current active window to my teleprompter. Similar with R1C1, but it could also be for notes apps, notion, Ecamm, or anything I still want visible but out of the way.

R1C3: Make my browser full screen

R1C4: Hide browser tabs/address bar

Row 2 is strictly music controls. I’m currently using Apple Music after feeling it was madness to be paying for multiple music streaming services.

R2C1: Apple Music: Previous Track

R2C2: Apple Music: Play/Pause

R2C3: Apple Music: Next Track

R2C4: Apple Music: Toggle Shuffle

Then there are the dials:

Dial 1: Change Keylight Color Temperature. Pressing the dial will cycle through my 3 Keylights. Tapping the screen panel will turn the Keylight on or off.

Dial 2: Change Keylight Brightness. Pressing the dial will cycle through my 3 Keylights. Tapping the screen panel will turn the Keylight on or off.

Dial 3: Control volume. Make it louder or quieter. Pressing the dial mutes/unmutes

Dial 4: Page Control

Page 2: Zoom Control

All of the buttons on Page 2 control Zoom in some way. I recently cancelled my Zoom subscriptions in favor of Google Meet (ask me about this later). Zoom did occupy the buttons that Google Meet now occupy, but find I’m using it a lot less. Not so little, though, that the buttons aren’t super useful.

It’s also fantastic that Stream Deck natively supports Zoom now — all of these buttons work way more reliably than when they were just keyboard shortcuts.

R1C1: Toggle Video

R1C2: Toggle Mic Mute

R1C3: Share my screen

R1C4: End Meeting for everyome

R2C1: Raise/Lower Hand

R2C2: React with Joy (😂) Emoji

R2C3: React with Party Popper (🎉) Emoji

R2C4: React with Clap (👏) Emjoi

The dials are:

1. Output volume control
2. Input (primary mic) volume control
3. Overlay in Ecamm (right now it’s this gif. I use it maybe too much?)
4. Page control

Page 3 is just a testing ground, so there’s not much to show there.

Elgato USB Hub

I also picked up the Elgato USB Hub after a recommendation from my friend Mike Schmitz. This helped me eliminate a different hub, and set up much, much better cable management. I’m very pleased with it.

Retired: Stream Deck Neo

My friend Cat told me about this on an episode of Streamlined Solopreneur, and I couldn’t resist. I was using it for a while, but realized there was a lot of overlap, and I had too many things plugged into my computer.

This is officially my travel/video Stream Deck, where if I need to demo anything, I don’t need to mess with my XL or my Stream Deck+.

Additional Apps and Tools

Aside from the Stream Deck and accompanying software (which supports a lot of stuff out of the box), there are a few plugins and graphics I’m using.

Additional Plugins

I’m using a few plugins to help me automate. All of them can be found in the Stream Deck Shop plugins area:

• Ecamm: This one gets installed when you install Ecamm. It even comes with its own pre-configured profile.
• Google Meet: Sadly, while Stream Deck finally got native Zoom support, it doesn’t have native Google Meet support. Since there’s no desktop all, you need the Google Meet plugin and a Chrome extension. I’ve tried a couple, and this is my favorite.
• Raycast Connect: Raycast is one of my favorite apps, and now I can access basically everything from the Stream Deck.
• Keyboard Maestro: The companion plugin to the App, this allows you to map macros directly to Stream Deck buttons.
• OBSBOT Webcam to control my Tail 2

Icon Set: Hexaza, Mostly

My primary icon set is Hexaza from the Elgato Marketplace, which I think is delightful. There are a ton of icons too.

I will also use the default icons when they indicate state changes (like the Apple Music buttons, or Google Meet.

The First 6 Buttons for SOlopreneurs

Now look, I’ve been using the Stream Deck for like 5 years now, and I’m living that multi-deck lifestyle. But if you’re just getting started, it can feel overwhelming. Here’s what I recommend if you’re a solopreneur (but not necessarily a stream) who wants to get started with the Stream Deck:

Have Questions about the Stream Deck?

Do you have a Stream Deck? Want to see what’s possible? Let me know in the comments!