Get illuminated with Logickeyboard’s new backlit Astra keyboard

RedShark Review: For nearly fifteen years now, Danish-based Logickeyboard has been busy producing custom colour keyboards that interface industry standard video, audio and graphic packages, and the new Astra LED backlit series continues in that fine tradition. By Iain Churchill-Coleman.

I’ve used them frequently and happily over that time with just about every software application they directly support.

One thing that is always limiting about general purpose computer keyboards is that the multimedia production suite, whatever the application, is often a dimly area so that operators can focus with clarity on the important job at hand — producing great content. Backlit, general purpose computer keyboards, have been around for quite a while now, but wouldn’t it be nice to have your coloured edit keyboard light up? Step-up the new Astra LED backlit series from Logickeyboard – just the ticket!

Too often at home, when the sun sets and my own office-come-edit suite slips into darkness, I’ve found myself relying on the monitor light to illuminate the keyboard surface. Rather than stop work, walk four metres (!) to the light-switch and break the creative flow I just carry on squinting (ever closer) at the keyboard and hope the right keys get hit! A double-edged sword: risking incorrect and untimely key-presses that jeopardise the benefit of actually carrying on working! I do have a goose-neck USB light that solves the issue, but it’s really not that pleasant working in low-light spaces with that in front of your field of view.

Our review Astra unit was mapped for Grass Valley’s Edius NLE, but units are available for all the popular production software offerings from Avid, Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Sony & Quantel.

Looking the part

Connected, operational and looking great straight out the box, we hit the edit suite lights and got to work. No need to mess around popping out (flimsy) back legs to angle the unit towards the operator, the Astra is already ergonomically angled forwards avoiding hand/wrist strain – editors work long sessions and poise is a very important consideration. Stylish aluminium end panels finish off the look in-situ nicely. [Continue Reading…]

Testing the Editors Keys Illuminated Final Cut Pro X Keyboard

Editors Keys very kindly lent the site a backlit illuminated FCPX keyboard to try out. So why not take it out on a real job and use it under pressure? What was the verdict?

 I’ve been using a standard low profile Final Cut Pro X keyboard from Editors Keys for a while now. (Purchased) In fact it gets so much use, the E, C, A, S and nudge right keys have quite a bit of wear on them.

Not too sure what that means about my editing skills, but interesting to know which keys get the most battering.

So when Editors Keys asked me if I’d like to borrow one of their new illuminated FCPX keyboards I said ‘of course.’ Especially as I was working on a job in the next few days where I knew I’d be in a dark OB environment.

The illuminated keyboard was made possible by a Kickstarter campaign that was oversubscribed by 100%. The model tested is priced at £99 on the Editors Keys website.

Once I got over how impressive and sturdy the box was, out came the new black keyboard. Nice to see that they have added labels for every FCPX function on the extended or right area. This gives you labels for keyword tags, timecode and the go to functions. These were missing on the previous model.

The keyboard also comes with a long 6 foot USB cable which makes plugging it in to a computer under a desk or behind monitors easy. It is made entirely of plastic, not like the aluminium slab of previous keyboards. They seem to weigh about the same. Although I can twist the new model slightly, it is more than robust enough.

And then the big moment. Plug it in! It works as expected, however there are instructions included to run an Editors Keys app that I never really got around to.

So how does it perform?

Under lights, you still see the lights around the keys, but not much through the actual keys themselves. [Continue Reading..]