Shortcut-Workpad

[Astraios]

My idea (and concept) about a Shortcut-Workpad:                                                             (started this a few years ago in Berlin Germany)

- 1 keyboard for normal use (mostly text-editing)
- 1 modified keyboard (Shortcut-Workpad) dedicated to shortcuts only
- 1 programmable mouse, containing at least 5 or 6 buttons, whereat the extra buttons are directed to ctrl, alt, shift...
 

The use of two keyboards in this way, requires a software allowing you to switch between both easily (like e.g. ATNsoft 'keyremapper')

The combination of mouse and shortcut-keyboard allows me to avoid the 
conventional handling of shortcuts, twisting your fingers all over your workpad
 (as for example "ctrl+alt+U" - what needs two hands for and is defenetly a workflow-killer) 
This way it's possible to use hundreds of shortcuts with one left finger only and the bottons of your right-hand mouse.

For example: 
- U without mouse
- U within combi of mousebuttons 
 (ctrl+U, shift+U, alt+U, alt+shift+U. ctrl+shift+U, ctrl+alt+U)
 
= 7 commands produce with only one button (one left finger) on the shortcut-keyboard and mouse (right hand).
 

I removed some buttons for a better overview and organisation of the workpad, as you can see on the pictures. (there's no need for that many buttons) 
This helps choosing commands easily and quickly. The colored stickers 
give me an exact hint to get my intended actions.

The right section (NumPad) is for transportation, loop and marker issues.
The arrow area is for window regulations like 
left/rigt - up/down - scaling up/down/left/right - choose one/all track - 
undo/redo  etc.

Main or left area is for all kinds of commands. 
In this area seven buttons are dedicated for controlling the HUD-funktion.

It is another great adventure to devide the use of shortcuts and editing text.
I found this reduces the rate of accidents by wrongly pressed keyboard-
combinations, leaving a horrible mess in your project sometimes.

With this solution I'm be able to control my sequencer more laxly, and it gives me room to slow down my right-hand mouse-jerking activities.
For achieving a better and harmonical workfow I tent to devide my activities 
to both hands.
 

    ATNsoft  KeyRemapper

As I pointed out in other mailings, this should give you the powerto regulate 
about 700 shortcuts, but..
Cakewalk once decided to bind many commands (about 340) in their own 
'default keyboard' context. This makes the situation quite complicated.
The rudimentaly created keybinding-editor gives everybody a hard time to 
realize what I try to set up.
 

 

Shortcut-Workspacemin.pdf