The 8 Best Stream Deck Shortcuts for Streamers
Streamers have a lot to organize both before and during their stream to confirm everything is going smoothly. This can be a lot of work and can be quite distracting when you are trying to keep your audience entertained.
Stream Decks allow you to perform a wide range of actions with just the click of a button, so it’s possible to focus on streaming instead of fiddling around with your settings. Every Stream Deck is a blank canvas that each streamer can personalize. But what are the most worthwhile shortcuts to have?
How Do I Add a Button to My Stream Deck?
When you download and open your Stream Deck software, you will be greeted with your Stream Deck layout on the left side of the screen and a menu on the right showing the many default shortcuts that are there waiting for you to explore. Adding a button to your Stream Deck is as easy as locating the one you want and dragging it across to the exact location you would like it to be.
If you can’t find the exact shortcut you’re looking for in the list on the right side of the screen, press theStream Deck iconwith the blue+on it at the top of the screen. This will take you to the store, where you can pressPluginsto browse even more options. When you find one you want, pressInstallto download and add it to your menu. You can also browse and install plenty ofIconoptions to customize your Stream Deck even further.
The number of slots shown on your Stream Deck example will depend on the type of Stream Deck you have. There are many greatStream Decks for Twitchon the market, and they all have a different amount of buttons. Having a rough idea of how many shortcuts you want is a good way to make sure you are getting a Stream Deck that will work for you.
1. A Master Stream Shortcut
One of the most essential shortcuts to add to your Stream Deck as a streamer is a Master Stream button. This is a shortcut that will open everything you need to start streaming. Ideally, you will want to set it up so that when you press the button on your Stream Deck, it automatically opens up your streaming software, your audio mixer, your capture card, your stream dashboard, and anything else you need to manage your stream.
With so many apps and programs to remember, it can be easy to forget to open one until you really need it. Having a button like this on your Stream Deck ensures that you will never be caught out mid-stream waiting for programs to load up that you forgot to open earlier.
2. A Change Scene Button
Flicking from one scene to another doesn’t take long. But when you’re in the midst of your stream and both you and your viewers are in the zone, every moment counts. Instead of reaching for your mouse and averting your attention from your game, you could save valuable time and just press the button on your Stream Deck.
Having a dedicated button on your Stream Deck to change your scene may not sound like the most essential button at first, but once you create one, you might find that it becomes one of your Holy Grail shortcuts.
3. Sound Bites
Say you make a really cringy joke, or you had a particularly awful or embarrassing death in your game. Having a button on your Stream Deck to play a well-timed slow clap or a ba-dum-tss could be absolutely hilarious.
Having sound effects to use whenever the mood strikes is actually far more difficult without the use of a Stream Deck, so they are a great use of the technology. Offering sound effects aschannel point redemptions is another way to make your stream more interactive.
4. Arranging All of Your Stream Applications
Every streamer knows the feeling of having a desktop full of different apps and programs open in an almost Tetris-like puzzle on your monitor. Instead of doing this one-by-one with every app before every stream, you could just make a Stream Deck button for it.
You can create a Stream Deck button that remembers your preferred configuration and resizes and shifts your apps around for you with the click of a single button. You just have to remember to have them all open first.
5. A Mute Microphone Button
Having a Stream Deck button that you can push in an instant to mute your microphone is essential for any streamer. Audio mixers are often difficult to read at a glance, and many headsets require you actually touch the microphone to hit the mute button, which can make some awful and scratchy sounds for your viewers.
Streamers are human too, and sometimes you might need to sneeze or cough without much warning. By the time you’ve put your controller down, reached over to your mouse, found your microphone input in your audio mixer, and muted it, you probably would have already sneezed.
Hearing a sneeze, cough, or even a burp through someone’s microphone on stream can be both repulsive for the viewer, and embarrassing for the streamer. But that can all be avoided by setting up a Mute button on your Stream Deck.
6. Clip That
You never know when a hilarious moment may strike on stream. And if you don’t have a dedicated mod or viewer to clip something for you, you might have to do it yourself. Butcreating a clip on Twitchwhen you’re the streamer rather than the viewer is easier said than done.
Instead of stopping the stream to create a clip yourself, it’s much easier to just click a button on your Stream Deck.That way, you can verify you never miss out on saving any of the hilarious moments that might occur on your stream.
7. Test Your Stream Connection
Technology has a mind of its own, and it doesn’t always work in our favor. There is nothing worse than gathering around all of your viewers and starting your stream before noticing you are dropping frames and buffering like no tomorrow.
It is always better to test your internet connection before you start than have to cut your stream off early due to technical difficulties. Having a button on your Stream Deck that redirects you to an internet speed test is by far the most convenient way to make sure your stream can go ahead.
8. A Raid Button
To raid without a Stream Deck is a relatively long process that involves you visiting different browsers and manually entering all the information into chat yourself. By setting up a shortcut on your Stream Deck, all you have to do is press a button.
All the live accounts that you follow will pop up on your Stream Deck, so you can view them easily and select your choice. Once you have found the streamer you want to raid, hold their button down for a couple of seconds, and your raid will automatically begin.
Use Any or All of These Stream Deck Button Ideas to Make Streaming Easy
Streaming doesn’t have to be difficult to manage, especially if you use any or all of these Stream Deck button suggestions. Things that once used to take anywhere from a couple of seconds to minutes can be done in an instant with the Stream Deck, so you can start focusing more on your actual stream rather than tweaking settings behind the scenes.
Looking at the blank spaces on your Stream Deck can be overwhelming, but hopefully, these suggestions have helped you fill up any available slots to make your streaming process easier.
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