Since Logitech purchased Loupedeck, I’ve been waiting to see what they were going to do to step up the game of the console for the content creator. Loupedeck’s previous partnership with Razer led to a literal clone of the Loupedeck Live with the Razer branding, and my biggest fear was that Logitech would do more of the same. Well the good news is that they didn’t. They came up with a new device with familiar controls and will have the best of old devices, while making something very much their own with the Logitech MX Creative Console.
The Logitech MX Creative Console is the company’s answer to the myriad of control devices out there from most of the big companies in the creator space. In the box, you’ll find the MX Creative Keypad and Dialpad which are separated, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a base on which to mount one of the pads, and lastly the documentation.
The Creative Keypad comes with nine keys with LED screens behind them to indicate the assigned functions (as opposed to the touch screen that the Loupedeck offers) and two page buttons to add multiple pages to your application profiles. This is the only one of the two pads that connects directly to the PC.
The Dialpad, which connects via Bluetooth, comes with a large dial that is front and centre on the device, a scroll wheel and four buttons. On the back of the Dialpad is a single button to connect to your devices via Bluetooth and a cover for where you will install your two AAA batteries. No, the Dialpad does not have a rechargeable battery, but with the lack of screens on this part of the device, your batteries should last quite a long time.
“Using the Logitech MX Creative Console with applications is incredibly intuitive.”
In terms of build quality, the Logitech MX Creative Console is built from 72% recycled plastic and low carbon aluminum to make it as sustainable as they could, but it also feels solid when handling it. The keys on the Creative Keypad could have had a little more click for my liking, but at least there is tactile feedback beyond haptics that let you know that you are actually pressing something. The dial and scroll wheel on the Creative Dialpad feel great and are incredibly smooth when using them.
The Logitech MX Creative Console works with the Logi Options+ app, which works with a number of other Logitech peripherals. From here, you will be able to customize the controls of both the Creative Keypad and Dialpad with preset profiles or your very own selection of controls or hotkeys. The beta version of the software that we are testing has been set up with native plugins for the Adobe Creative Suite, which Adobe has worked with Logitech to create these ready to use profiles in time for launch.
An interesting twist on these plugins compared to plugins that you may use on a Stream Deck or Loupedeck is that when you select an app, it will give you a couple of recommended options; a default with the most popular controls ready to go, or at least one specialized profile. For the Adobe Premiere Pro plugin, they have a colour correction plugin that would turn your MX Creative Console into the perfect colour correction studio.
While plugins are limited in the beta software, we expect that to change quickly, even as soon as the official software launch, as they have access to the Loupedeck plugin library already, but they will need to be reimagined for the unique layout and functionality of the Logitech MX Creative Console.
There is a lot that is special about the functionality of the Logitech MX Creative Console. First, the separation of the Keypad and Dialpad means that you can have separate profiles running simultaneously. So you can set up your Dialpad to control editing functions in Photoshop while your Keypad is still controlling your PC system, letting you navigate through your music playlist or open other applications. However, bringing them together gives you even more abilities. You can create dependent functions where you select a function on your Keypad and use the dial on your Dialpad to adjust that, like your screen brightness for example.
Another unique function is the Actions Ring, a virtual device existing within the software that allows you to bring up an eight-function ring that is completely customizable that adds another lever of control to whatever you do. Again, it can be set up to run an independent profile from one or both of the devices or be a third set of controls for the same plugin.
Using the Logitech MX Creative Console with applications is incredibly intuitive. While I have not been a regular user of Adobe applications for quite some time (I use DaVinci Resolve and Affinity Photo/Designer), I found the controls on the Keypad and Dialpad to be very intuitive. I did swap out some functions just because the default controls didn’t all align with my editing workflow, but making those changes, even to curated profiles, is incredibly simple. The dial’s default jog function for Premiere Pro is so smooth and easy to go through content frame by frame.
As a former VTR operator and a person who edited on analog devices, I wish that the dial could be clicked in to swap between a job and shuttle control, or better yet, a ring on the outside of the dial that could be turned independently of the dial in the middle, giving you an extra customizable dial. That would speed up my editing more than adding the shuttle controls as buttons on the device.
When using the Logitech MX Creative Console outside of any application and just controlling system functions, I’d say that it has no functional advantage over any other controlling devices. It accesses all of the same controls and can be customized for your convenience. I would note, however, that your ability to lay your devices out any which way you choose is something worth taking advantage of.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the MX Creative Console’s compatibility spread to the applications I use more often, but seeing what it can do already is very promising.”
If you just want a few keys to turn on a few apps, mute your audio or whatever you may need to do, you can have the Keypad, much smaller than any other control device, at your side with the Dialpad kept elsewhere. You can also have the Keypad on one side of your desk with the Dialpad on the other for two-handed control that may speed up some of your workflows if you have your profile organized well.
If I missed anything from the Loupedeck Live in the Logitech MX Creative Console, it would be the extra dials. While I only use more than two dials in my photo editing (Zoom, Brush Size and Text Size) and I can recreate those functions by using buttons alongside contextual dial functions, it’s just a couple of extra steps that I didn’t need to take before. An additional small dial in place of one of the bottom buttons (if we aren’t doing the outer dial that I mentioned before) would have given me everything I need.
The Logitech MX Creative Console ships in October, comes in two colours, Graphite and Pale Grey and costs $199.99 USD, the same price of its closest current competitor, the Stream Deck + and comes in $70 cheaper than the forefather of this device, the Loupedeck Live. Its small size, separate devices allow for customizability of your setup as a whole and so simple to use that even with no experience with similar devices, you should be able to pick this up in no time. I’m looking forward to seeing the MX Creative Console’s compatibility spread to the applications I use more often, but seeing what it can do already is very promising.
