Virtual controls on the screen have a fundamental problem in that they can be hidden, in different locations, and have different sizes or resolutions. This requires a rigid focus with your eyes on the screen to make to make an action: We don't get to take advantage of our capacity for memory. As an example of this problem, imagine if when we drove our car's controls moved around, and required different actions to execute! We would have to work a lot harder to drive. As we "drive" our audio workstations, the more tasks we can offload to our memory, the more our mind is freed to focus on the creative process.
At first glance the Hotkey Matrix might not look that different from other control surfaces for Pro Tools. But as you learn the shortcuts you find that it makes operating the software a lot more like operating a real machine. It is designed to be very close at hand, fitting next to our above your regular keyboard. We have found that to make effective use of a control surface with software it needs to be compact and close to the computer screen, ideally requiring very little reach.
Even though the Hotkey Matrix is a piece of hardware, modern audio production is in fact a software based work process. The Hotkey Matrix is a tool to enhance your control of the software. Many modern control surfaces attempt to bring functionality by emulating old technology: an analog mixer! The form factor of an analog mixer is dictated by needs that we no longer have. These control surfaces also have a virtual element: faders and knobs have multiple functions, so they lack the solidity of a real physical interface. This type of control surfaces have their place and we use them. But the Hotkey Matrix is the only control surface we are aware that has fixed commands. Our goal is to move the art of audio production forward, and create an interface that makes sense for both how the human body works and how software works. We have found that after using it for a while most people really don't want to go without it.
Another issue that the Hotkey Matrix addresses is the problem of too much complexity and customizabilty in the user interface. We have spent years refining the concepts of which keyboard shorcuts are the most valuable. By presenting a set of predetermined commands, it saves you untold amounts of time that you would have to spend researching and programming something similar. Working with music and audio is a process of making choices. By minimizing the field of choices in your tools the Hotkey Matrix lets you focus on the critical choices needed to create excellent work.
It also helps with the issue of shortcut "discoverability." If you look at the list of Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts, there are hundreds. It is overwhelming, and many people are not aware of some of the super helpful keyboard commands that are available. Obviously we could not put all of the possible Pro Tools commands on the Hotkey Matrix. But we carefully picked the set and made it easy for the user to discover new commands that they might not be aware of.
In keeping with the theme of simplicity, we chose a hardware based approach for the Hotkey Matrix. It requires no software that you have to install, learn, maintain, and back-up. There is no extra utility running in the background to add to your computers load. The programming of the shortcuts is all pre-loaded and stored in the keyboard itself. This means it is very portable and you can take it with you if you are working in another studio. It is built on a commercial grade keyboard manufactured by Cherry Corporation, who are known for making keyboards of the highest quality. We have been using Cherry keyboards in our studio for over eight years and have had no failures!
