Review of a USB "Shortcut Hint" keyboard by Logickeyboard

For users who frequently jump back and forth between several complicated editing suite programs (audio, video, photo, etc.) it can be really hard to memorize all of the hundreds of short-cuts that can really speed up your workflow.  Logickeyboard makes "shortcut hint" keyboards that list all the shortcuts for a specific program right on your keyboard.

 

 

The type of keyboard that I got was a "Nero Slim Line" keyboard, US style, for Adobe Premiere Pro.  US style has the full-size shift key on the right.  European style only has a small shift key on the right.  Here's the video about this keyboard:

A couple of the key points that I love about this keyboard are:
- You can plug a USB light into it, to illuminate the keyboard.
- It has TWO each of the four main modifier keys:  Alt, Ctrl, Flying Windows, and full-size Shift.

One thing I didn't like about this keyboard was:
- The price.  This is designed and priced for professionals.  Mine was $135 base price, but with shipping and customs (from Britain) it cost me almost $200.  Too much.

Logickeyboard has keyboards for the following long list of programs in a variety of styles, for Mac and/or Windows depending on the program, various colours, various keyboard profiles, and so on:

Apple Final Cut
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
Apple Color
Autodesk SMOKE
Avid Media Composer
Avid NewsCutter
DaVinci Resolve
Editshare Lightworks
Grass Valley Aurora
Grass Valley EDIUS
Pinnacle Liquid
Quantel
Sony Vegas Pro
Sony Sonaps XPRI NS
Ableton Live
Adobe Audition
Apple Logic Extended
Apple Logic Preset
Avid Pro Tools
Avid Sibelius
Cakewalk Sonar
MakeMusic Finale
MOTU Digital Performer
Steinberg Cubase & Nuendo
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Photoshop
Apple Aperture
Maxon Cinema 4D Studio
Apple Boot Camp
Apple Parallels
and other specialty keyboards

I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:

djbolivia.ca/training

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia

    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia

    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com

    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Review of the RØDE NTG2 Directional Shotgun Microphone

For a mid-budget directional shotgun microphone, my preferred choice is RØDE's NTG2 condenser microphone. 

 

I bought this a while ago after researching a number of mid-range directional microphones in the budget range of around $250-300. I've been happy with the performance of this microphone, so I decided to do a review. This microphone is more expensive than the most basic low-end directional microphones out there, but I feel that spending a bit of extra money is worth it, and you'll have pretty decent quality for whatever project you're working on. If you want to just watch the video review, here's the link, although I'll also include the NTG2's specs further down in this blog post:





Here is a general list of features of this microphone, taken directly from the RØDE website:

- Broadcast sound quality
- Low noise circuitry
- Condenser transducer
- Rugged metal construction
- Two step High Pass Filter (Flat/80Hz)
- P48 phantom power or AA battery option
- Low handling noise
- Low weight - 161g (5.17 oz.)
- Includes mic clip, wind shield and zip case
- Ideal for professional applications within the film, video, television and production industries
- 10 year extended warranty with online registration


Here are some of the specs of this particular microphone:

- Acoustic Principle: Line Gradient
- Active Electronics: JFET impedance convertor with balanced transformer output
- Capsule: 0.50"
- Polar Pattern: Supercardioid
- Address Type: End
- Frequency Range: 20Hz - 20kHz(selected HPF @0)
- Output Impedance: 250Ω
- Maximum SPL: 131dB SPL (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load)
- Maximum Output Level: 6.9dBu (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load
- Sensitivity: -36.0dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (15.00mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz
- Equivalent Noise Level (A-weighted): 18dB-A
- Power Options: AA Battery+48V phantom power
- Weight: 161.00gm
- Dimensions: 280.00mmH x 22.00mmW x 22.00mmD
- Output: XLR Output
- Warranty: 1 year with free extension to 10 years following online registration



As I've mentioned, I've owned this for a while now and I've been pleased with it, so I figured it was worth a review.

I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:

djbolivia.ca/training

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia

    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia

    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com

    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca