Editors Keys Edius Dedicated Keyboard Review

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Editors Keys Edius Dedicated Keyboard Review

Production and Design

Friday, 18 May 2012 06:07

The Edius dedicated keyboard from Editors Keys is a smallish USB keyboard that helps reduce the amount of menu navigation necessary while editing. It's quiet and the color coding is attractive and practical when learning categories of activities and placement on the keyboard. The keyboard has non-slip pads on the bottom and stays in place even when pounded on a bit. This is one of the first keyboards we've reviewed from Editors Keys so we'll report back after extended use on how it holds up.

The keyboard was instantly recognized by our Windows 7 workstation. There's no setup or drivers that need to be installed. Plug it in and start editing. After mousing around in an editing program like Edius it's an adjustment to start using a dedicated keyboard. Yes, all the main menu items are there but you have to learn the location on the keyboard. That takes some time. However, the keys are well labeled, if not a little small, and it's generally a pretty seamless transition.

Editors Keys makes dedicate keyboards for several of the major video and audio editing programs. We tested the Edius version but our comments on the quality of the keyboard should apply to the rest of the lineup as well.

The keyboard is compact in size. it's about 3/4 the size of our trusty Key Tronic keyboard which is still our favorite for writing and office work etc. This is a key point (no pun intended) with limited individual key travel it's less than ideal for writing and daily office tasks on the PC.

For dedicated NLE workstations this is not a concern but for some editors working out of a home studio this keyboard may be connected to a workstation that is also used for invoicing, emails, web....etc., so it will likely either share desk space with another keyboard or replace it all together. The good news is the compact size does make it easy to store the keyboard when it's not needed if it is used in a non-dedicated environment.

If you're looking for a way to speed up your edits and give your suite a more professional feel, dedicated keyboards like this are worth exploring. Eliminating mouse clicks can lead to faster turnaround times which ultimately means happier clients not to mention the ergonomic benefits of a more efficient work flow.

At first glance, you may think Editors Keys is doing ridiculous margins on these keyboards but they tell us because of the colored keys and design these keyboards are actually priced quite aggressively. So, if you find that a dedicated keyboard helps you work smarter and faster, it's money well spent.

Visit Editor Keys for more information and to see the rest of the product lineup.

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