Traditionally, if you want to have a box of useful streaming tricks and keep your most-used features within easy reach, buy the Elgato Stream Deck and you’re done. If you don’t want to use a Stream Deck or want to try something different, the Loupedeck Live S in front of you might just be for you.
Loupedeck is a company best known for its pro-grade decks designed to help professionals as creative as streamers, and the Live S is the cheapest product ever, at $179/ £159 / €179. So you’re getting a much smaller box than the Stream Deck, but instead of buttons, you’ll also get a pair of knobs you can tweak, three physical buttons, and 15 touch-sensitive pads. Included. The knobs here are nice to the touch, firm to press, and have a solid resistance, but the actual buttons on offer also have a pleasant click. In an era of becoming pads, Live S’s buttons and knobs are a reminder of the joy of real, physical controls.
These knobs also incorporate some nifty features that support MIDI dial mapping. This allows you to use it with MIDI-enabled instruments such as keyboards and synthesizers, or use Live S with your DAW or digital audio workstation. While this is seemingly a device designed for streamers, Loupedeck’s reputation for empowering creative professionals is also packed into this tiny deck.
The main pads offer similar functionality to the Stream Deck, allowing you to do everything from locking your device to starting a program, and can be programmed within Loupedeck software. The software is definitely not as intuitive as Elgato’s, but it’s a great natively supported plugin with presets for everything from Spotify for media playback to Final Cut Pro for video editing on macOS. There is a set of Streaming platforms like Twitch and capture apps like his OBS are also supported, but that’s just scratching the surface of Live S’s capabilities.
live s spec
Number of Buttons/Dials: 4 buttons, 2 dials
Connectivity: USB Type-C
cable: USB Type-C, detachable
Size: 140×138×110mm
weight: 168g/0.37lb
price: $179 | £159 | €179
Arguably one of the biggest things here is the native support for Adobe apps like Photoshop and Premiere Pro that Elgato’s deck lacks, the idea that Live S is a solid product for streamers as well as creatives. In other words, if you’re creative and want a device that’s a solid option for all sorts of applications that you might normally use in your daily workflow and have easy access to features, With Live S, you should feel at home.
The Loupedeck suite has its own marketplace where you can download various additional plugins and overlays to suit your needs. Live S has a wide variety of plugins, profiles, stream overlays and icon packs, both free and paid. It’s an interesting system, in some ways he’s similar to Elgato’s software, but one that Loupedeck can offer a sort of all-in-one solution for streamers who want to get started with Live S right away.
The Live S is also a particularly slim device, much smaller than its competitors and arguably with a sleeker profile. It offers a minimalist look that doesn’t get in the way of your setup and doesn’t take up too much desk space. The textured plastic frame is solid and doesn’t flex at all, but it can get a little dirty after a few days of handling. Reinforcement keeps it nice and simple. Having a few legacy apps on top of it can make such a difference.
My only real problem with the Live S’s design is that it sits so flat that it’s a bit difficult to simply look down and press an icon to enter a feature. There is also a way to snap it into the bottom of the S and lift it up, but it feels a little fragile because it’s thin plastic and breaks easily. Raise the Live S angle to at least an angle close to the fixed angle of the Stream Deck Plus. (opens in new tab) I saw it a few weeks ago, but beyond that, the stand isn’t the best in the world.
So can the Loupedeck Live S take down the Elgato Stream Deck? Not exactly, but it’s a slightly different device that attacks things from a different angle.
Loupedeck is primarily designed for creators who want a small device that can be used with apps like Photoshop and Final Cut, and musicians who want a box of tricks to control their MIDI enabled devices. However, it can be a blast for streamers, especially with the fun of the Loupedeck software marketplace and the easy access to 15 buttons and extra knobs and buttons for extra functionality. If you’re a streamer or creative pro, it might be worth picking up.
