qlab-xkeys-setup
Xkeys, QLab, and Nomad Integration
Project maintained by bunnylushington Hosted on GitHub Pages — Theme by mattgraham
Xkeys XK-60 Layout
Rationale
I’d like to acknowledge upfront that it’s impossible to design the perfect layout. For starters, there just aren’t enough keys! Beyond that, I suspect we all use QLab and EOS in different ways (I, for instance, don’t do a lot of video work in QLab but I’m sure I have a counterpart out there who only does video).
I worked with these design parameters and assumptions:
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One layer (layer one/blue) is dedicated to QLab and one (layer two/red) to EOS.
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Where possible, the function (if not the underlying macro) is the same for both layers (like go, panic, number, arrows) or related (copy/copy to, paste/recall from).
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I made the choice not to attempt matching the EOS console layout. The goal of the project is to make programming easier than using the standard keyboard shortcuts instead of providing a familiar programming surface for folks who are accustomed to programming on a console. ETC provides support for the latter use case.
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I assume there’s a qwerty keyboard alongside the XK-60 (obviously). This assumption let to not mapping one of my most used EOS shortcuts (“l”) since creating labels almost always requires qwerty input (and “l” is easy to remember).
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The notable exception to the above is the Go/Panic mappings. Escape is not in the same place on all keyboards (!) and should be easily located when needed. Likewise, I find the action on the XK-60 to be a whole lot less susceptible to accidental triggering, hence the inclusion of Go.
Layout
Keys are labelled with QLab (layer one/blue) functions on top and EOS (layer two/red) functions below. Keys not mentioned are (I hope) self explainatory.
Top Section
| QLab Label | QLab Function | EOS Label | EOS Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group Q | Create a Group Q | Effects | Effects Key |
| Audio Q | Create an Audio Q | Offest | Offset Key |
| Fade Q | Create a Fade Q | ML | Bring up the ML Tab |
| Net Q | Create a Network Q | Virt Kbd | Show the Virtual Keyboard |
| Video Q | Create a Video Q | RemDim | RemDim Key |
| Memo Q | Run MEMO Script | Sneak | Sneak Key |
| P/R Sel | Pause/Resume Selected Qs | Format | Format Key |
| S/E | Toggle Show/Edit Mode | Flexi | Flexi Key |
| EOS | Activate Nomad and Switch Layers | QLab | Activate QLab and Switch Layers |
| Arrow Notes Arrow | Run Ninja Fade Script | Color P | Color Palette Key |
| Pre Up/Down | Run Pre-Wait Change Script | Focus P | Focus Palette Key |
| Notes Arrow | Run Speedup Preroll Script | Preset | Preset Key |
| Eos Q | Run EOS Netork Cue Script | Macro | Macro Key |
| Select Down | Run Select Group Members Script | Full | Full Key |
| Pause | Pause Cues | Out | Out Key |
| Resume | Resume Paused Cues | Learn | Learn Key |
Left Section
| QLab Label | QLab Function | EOS Label | EOS Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q Mode | Cycle Through Continue Mode | Cue | Cue Key |
| Preview | Preview Q | Record | Record Key |
| Pre Wait | Edit Q Pre-Wait Time | Goto Cue | Goto Cue Key |
| Q Time | Edit Q Time | Update | Update Key |
| Q Notes | Edit Q Notes | Blind | Blind Key |
| Q Target | Edit Q Target | Group | Group Key |
| Q Num | Edit Q Number | Live | Live Key |
| Q Name | Edit Q Name | Time | Time Key |
Center Section
| QLab Label | QLab Function | EOS Label | EOS Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut | Cut | Thru | Thru Key |
| Copy | Copy | Copy To | Copy To Key |
| Paste | Paste | Recall | Recall From Key |
| Paste Att | Paste Attributes | / | / Key |
Right Section
| QLab Label | QLab Function | EOS Label | EOS Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Panic | Panic | Stop | Stop/Back |
| Delete | Cmd-Delete | — | Delete Key |
| Panic Sel | Panic Selected Qs | Next | Next Key |
| Redo | Edit -> Redo | Sel Last | Last Key |
The remaining four keys in QLab (Cart Q 1…4) are mapped to the four placeholder cues in the cue cart (Alt-1…Alt-4).
In EOS (M 801…804) these are mapped to macros.
Corrections and Clarifications
Please file a GitHub issue if you find an error in the documentation or if clarification is required. Thanks!
Author
Bunny Lushington; February 2022