Best Vegas Keyboard?

DataMeister wrote on 10/2/2006, 12:21 AM
I was just wondering, after doing some online research, which Vegas keyboard is best? Do any here, have experience with more than one brand?

The ones I found range from the simplistic sticker packages
http://www.editorskeys.com/sonyvegaskeyboard.asp?currency=usd

To full fledged keyboards and even built in jog wheels.

WorldTech Devices http://www.worldtechdevices.com/vegas.htm

Bella Corporation http://www.bella-usa.com/Pro.htm

or are there any other brands out there?



Comments

Grazie wrote on 10/2/2006, 12:45 AM
What an excellent question!

Well, I have the WorldTEc and to augment it I have a Contour Shuttle Pro. I also have a largish Graph Tablet.

Pros:

#1 I can place devices WHERE I want to.

#2 Having devices in different places can help to guard against TSI and other carpal tunnel issues - not to be ignored! Personally I would eventually feel "cramped" with a jog wheel integrated with a keyboard - I like to spread out.

#3 I have developed different ways of working that have provided me with not only different approaches to the mechanical process of editing BUT has also provided me creative ways to "see" the video - I really do mean this.

#4 The CSP has a mass of configurable buttons.

CONS!:

#1 More wires - hate wires!

#2 Expensive

#3 WIRES . .. oops said that already . . .

OK, this last point COULD be remedied by having a wireless k/b, a wireless mouse and if CSP had one, a wireless Shuttle!
farss wrote on 10/2/2006, 2:55 AM
I too have the WorldTech and well, it's got all the keys labelled very nicely with lollipop coloured keys but it is probably the worst keyboard I've ever tried typing on. I do a lot of typing when editing so it's a real PIA.
The Shuttle is a must have and to be honest once you've got that the keyboard with all the designated keys is perhaps superfluous, I'd probably be better served with a good keyboard and the Shuttle / mouse.

For a good keyboard nothing beats the Unicomp buckling spring keyboards, they're big, heavy and by design noisy and I love it.

The other problem I have with these 'Editors' keyboards is I don't know how much they really help, you've still got to know what the legends and the Alt/Shift/Ctl combos mean. Every keyboard command that I use (not many I'll admit) are in my head regardless of the keyboard.
Now what I'd pay good money for is a controller like the old style edit controllers with dedicated buttons with enough text on them so you knew what the button did.

Bob.
Grazie wrote on 10/2/2006, 3:21 AM
Actually Bob is spot on. The World Tech has "grippy" keys that wont pop up. No, I haven't spilt any coffee on it.

My work flow doesn't use the kb much. I do type stuff into TEXT Fx. I use it for "creeping" events along; Workspace changes; number inserts for Fx and other slider values and maybe 2>3 Doz kb shortcuts, maybe. Ans as Bob says you have to know these anyway to use 'em! However, the coloured keys and the tiny diags do help me to remember stuff.

But yes, having NOT come from a full editing background, maybe I should/could sit down and come up with about 12 essential KNOBS that I need to use and a small numeric/text pad to do the data entry stuff. Interesting Bob .. very interesting.
JJKizak wrote on 10/2/2006, 5:16 AM
After using a Bella keyboard (blue) I had a problem seeing the keys plus they would stick once in a while so I junked it and got a plain old white Microsoft board for $14.00 with no colors and now I am happy. I didn't need the colors anyway.

JJK
ken c wrote on 10/2/2006, 6:06 AM
I love my microsoft "natural keyboard pro" and a contour shuttle pro on the site... used it for years...

looks like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-B61-00002-Natural-Keyboard-Pro/dp/B00002JXFH

edited 14 dvds with it this summer, flawlessly.. the contour keyboard design is very important, to avoid carpal tunnel and wrist fatigue..

ken
Spot|DSE wrote on 10/2/2006, 6:13 AM
I very much like the Bella Pro (black/silver) and have several of them in our various editing stations. It's got 15 buttons on the keyboard, so it's easy to program whatever keyboard points you want. However, I also use the Contour Shuttle Pro with it.
Coursedesign wrote on 10/2/2006, 8:11 AM
I got the Worldtech keyboard, but it didn't do anything for helping me learn new keyboard shortcuts beyond what a cheat sheet next to the keyboard did, and the "key click" wasn't so great either, so I sold it.

The Bella Pro has a much better feel, but doesn't that also have it's own jog/shuttle ring?

Today my keyboard favorite is a Logitech LX700 cordless keyboard & mouse. Great, great feel in both, and all the right buttons that actually do save time. Original MSLP was/is $99.95, but I've seen it on sale for less than $50.

Shuttle Pro on my left of that keyboard, and the mouse and a Wacom pad to the right (no Wacom mouse though, does ANYBODY actually pull their mouse on and off the pad to alternate with the pen?).

The old MS Natural Keyboards were very nice, but all the recent models I have seen including even the $150+ ones, have had really skanky key switches. I have one oldie that I still treasure, when that it is worn out it will be replaced with a Logitech I presume...

MRe wrote on 10/2/2006, 12:05 PM
I just have a standard Logitech keyboard. With ShuttlePro 2, Microsoft Explorer TrackBall and Mackie MCU I _very_ seldom use / need to use kb for anything else than naming the markers.

I have redefined each button in ShuttlePro, to include also SHIFT; CTRL and ALT. MS Trackball has configured so that the two extra keys act as transport controls and with MCU I can master anything else.

And ofcourse I can use menu commands for those seldo´m needed actions.
gordyboy wrote on 10/2/2006, 1:44 PM
I've got a logickeyboard customised for Vegas - waste of money. No better than any standard keyboard and I've never really found it easy to read what all the buttons say so I just use the shortcuts I know anyway.

However, I love the ShuttlePro2 I got at the same time - that really does save lots of time.

gb

Spot|DSE wrote on 10/2/2006, 3:12 PM
The Bella has it's own jog/shuttle, but having the additional 15 buttons is cool, plus I can use the two jog shuttles differently.
My CSP is programmed to scroll up and down, Bella is moving the cursor across the timeline.
David Jimerson wrote on 10/3/2006, 9:54 AM
For about the past year, I've been using the Logitech G15 gaming keyboard.

I like it because it types well and quietly, it has backlit keys, a heads-up LCD display which can display various information . . .

On the left of the keyboard is another set of 18 G keys which can be programmed as anything you want, and each has three modes, so you can have up to 54 function keys customized per app.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the black coating on the keys (which allows them to be backlit) is wearing off some of the most frequently-used keys. It's not THAT big of a deal, but it's a tad unsightly.

I also use a Contour Pro shuttle.