Elgato Stream Deck + review
When a guest comes in too loud, I want to turn that one voice down without losing sight of the live preview. If the guest is on a separate Wave Link channel, I can assign a Stream Deck + dial to that channel. The controller has four dials and eight programmable keys, enough to give a few controls I use on every stream a place of their own.
Give the stream and your headphones different controls
With the Wave Link 3 plugin, a dial can adjust a channel or an entire output mix. A dial for the stream mix changes what goes to the audience. A dial for the monitoring mix changes what you hear. The plugin needs the Stream Deck app and Wave Link 3 running, so check the software requirements before planning a layout. Wave Link 3 supports microphones and interfaces your computer already recognizes. Elgato Wave devices get additional device controls.
Decide what deserves its own dial
The touch strip shows what the dials are doing. A Dial Stack lets you press a dial to cycle through several actions, useful if you occasionally change a light or camera setting. I’d keep microphone and stream levels on their own dials so I can reach them without checking which action is active. If the work you need is arranging sources and previewing a scene before it goes live, start with XSplit Broadcaster. Stream Deck + makes chosen controls easier to reach after the setup is in place.
Anabel’s take
I’d give the audience mix and my headphones separate dials first. If I mostly need a mute button and two scene shortcuts, I’d set those up in software and see what I still reach for during a show before buying a controller.