Contour ShuttlePRO v2 Review
PROS: ergonomic Design, works on pretty much ANY software.
CONS: might take some time breaking the habit of not using it.
PRICE: $99
It’s not often a computer accessory works great across multiple applications, and does each function well. Contour has released v2 of their ShuttlePRO controller, which goes beyond mere accessory to an indispensable tool for your home studio.
With 15 buttons surrounding a spring-loaded shuttle wheel, which in itself contains a rotating selector, the ergonomic design works well for both right and left handed users. Placing the palm on the “tail” area, all the buttons are well within reach of fingers and thumb. Each button seems to fall into an intuitive place, easy to press.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEcY7uVEavo
So what can it do? After downloading a driver, each button can be assigned to do a specific keystroke or command, depending upon the software being used. For example, in your DAW software, set a key for SAVE, another for Cut, or Paste, or any command that has a keystroke. Your transport is now easily under your fingertips.
It frees up the non-mouse hand from shifting to enter commands on a keyboard, or having to use a mouse to click through menus and tabs. The shuttle wheel works great for sliding over a track to get to a specific point. After a little use it can become second nature. Going beyond normal keystrokes and commands, it can execute macro commands, bringing multiple commands and control sequences to a single button. Amazing for repeated commands commonly used during tracking and mixing.
It works with a variety of software programs, anything from Pro Tools to GarageBand, Photoshop to MS Paint, iTunes to Microsoft Office. If it’s a common piece of software, it will work with the ShuttlePRO. Trying to find software that it didn’t support was impossible. Other than the specific software drivers, it can work on a Mac or PC with ease.
The bottlenecks are going through and assigning commands to buttons, thinking of the particular commands, and arranging them across the control surface. A good suggestion is to assign a few commands to the buttons that fall exactly at your fingertips, and add a new command to a new button as you get more comfortable using it. It makes the user re-think work flow patterns to make common, repetitive actions become more familiar. You may also find that using the ShuttlePRO instead of the keyboard and mouse becomes a problem when using a computer without it!
Overall it can really do a lot, and it’s really up to the user to program it to their specific needs. After a short period of time, the biggest problem will be trying to get by without it. Trust us, if you do even the most modest recordings, this’ll be your new best friend in the studio.