The Creative Space @Home
03 Apr 2020

The Creative Space @Home


Many in the creative world are now taking their home workplace to the next level. What may have been an occasional space must now be transformed into a fully operational studio, replicating a professional, managed environment.

Many in the creative world are now taking their home workplace to the next level. What may have been an occasional space must now be transformed into a fully operational studio, replicating a professional, managed environment.

1. Ergonomics

The standard office QWERTY keyboard pales next to a professional device with software-specific shortcut keys. Logickeyboard’s Media Composer, Photoshop, Resolve, Premiere, Illustrator and Cakewalk keyboards make the creative process far quicker, with no need to remember shortcuts, while a built-in USB hub reduces cable tangle on the desk.

For DaVinci Resolve users, Blackmagic Design’s Micro Panel is gaining massively in popularity. Its 3 high resolution weighted trackballs closely mirror the feel of a full grading panel, but at just over 50cm in width, it fits most desks.

2. Home Networks (sharing with the family)

In a team environment, multiple editors, animators, sound designers and colourists will all be moving data across the network so a 10GbE network is vital. Before the shutdown, many home studios could comfortably exist on a standard 1GbE infrastructure. Now, however, there are countless draws on your LAN with family members watching Disney Plus, sharing files on Instagram and TikTok and chatting on Zoom. The impact on productivity is severe: sending files between laptop, workstation and storage systems can be frustratingly slow.

Making the migration to 10GbE

Fast 10 Gigabit Ethernet is the solution. Cheap 10G routers and switches are readily available and affordable thanks to the high demand from gamers. A common hurdle is that most laptops and computers only have a 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports or no physical network port at all.

Sonnet Solo10G

Sonnet Technologies can help with their range of 10 Gigabit ethernet adaptors and PCIe cards. Leveraging Thunderbolt 2 and 3 connections on a laptop these SOLO 10G adaptors can provide single or Twin 10G connections. If you have a tower computer with PCIe slots then Sonnet’s 10G PCIe cards can be added too.

No Thunderbolt? If your workstation has no Thunderbolt connections, Sonnet’s PCIe cards are the answer. Install Solo 10G PCIe cards for the high-speed networking over Cat6 cabling, or Presto cards for networks that are based on either Cat6 or Cat5 cables. Laptop users also have an alternative – the Solo 5G mini device which is a USB 3 to 5 Gigabit Ethernet adapter.

3. System Performance

Cool and portable laptops are designed to look stunning, sometimes at the expense of pure processing speed. Thunderbolt 3 attached external graphics accelerators are the answer for users of Premier Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro X or other compatible creative software. Sonnet’s range include integrated Puck units with a powerful GPU built-in. For those that prefer to configure their own systems, the eGFX Breakaway Box is compatible with AMD and Nvidia gaming and pro cards. The Box can also be used to house Avid Pro Tools|HDX or RED ROCKET-X PCIe cards.

Sonnet EGFX Puck

The performance hike is instant and can be dramatic.

Workstations and tower PCs can also benefit from an affordable, high speed storage upgrade. Add Sonnet’s internal Fusion RAID PCIe card, then install dual 2.5” SSD drives (up-to 8TB!). Use RAID 0 for blistering performance (up-to 1000MB/s) or secure RAID 1 (with a maximum 560 MB/s drive performance). Whether used to house the OS and programs or files, you’re likely to see a real difference in real world use.

4. Running out of monitor real estate

Two monitors good. Three screens better! There are very few creatives that can edit for long periods using a single 13” display. Thunderbolt 3 ports can be used to support two external 4K displays. Simply add a Sonnet Dual Adapter for HDMI or DisplayPort monitors.

To use it, simply plug in the Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 to Dual DisplayPort Adapter to one of your computer’s Thunderbolt 3 ports and connect DisplayPort or HDMI cables (sold separately) between the adapter and your monitors. Your computer powers the Sonnet adapter, so there’s no need to connect an additional power adapter.

5. Running out of Ports

Creative studios are littered with USB devices – sound devices, scanners, cameras, storage – as well as the usual computer accessories. As soon as ports run out, the natural move is to add an external USB hub – great, but speeds reduce as more devices are added.

Check out Sonnet’s Allegro USB PCIe cards with dual controllers and either USB-A or USB-C ports. The twin controllers mean more kit can be connected at full speed.

If you don’t have a spare PCIe slot because you’re working on a laptop, Sonnet has you covered too. The Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 dock is enough to expand most MacBooks with 2TB of external SSD drive, and adds four USB 3.0 ports, a 4K HDMI output and an SD card reader.

For more information please contact our Sales Desk:
+44 (0)1457 851000 | sales@holdan.co.uk.

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Sonnet Allegro Pro Type A USB3.2 PCIe
Sonnet Allegro Pro Type A USB3.2 PCIe

4-port, SupperSpeed USB-A 10Gbps PCIe Card with Dual Controllers and USB Charging

Sonnet Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe
Sonnet Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe

4-Port SuperSpeed+ USB3.1 Gen 2 PCIe Express Card with Dual 10Gb Controllers

Sonnet Allegro USB-C PCIe
Sonnet Allegro USB-C PCIe

Dual-Port SuperSpeed+ USB 3.1 Gen 2 Charging PCIe 3.0 Adapter Card

Sonnet Allegro USB3 4 Port
Sonnet Allegro USB3 4 Port

4-port, SuperSpeed USB-A 5Gbps PCIe Card with USB Charging

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel

Small, portable hardware control panel

Sonnet Solo 10G
Sonnet Solo 10G

10GBASE-T 10Gb Ethernet Thunderbolt 3 Adapter

Sonnet Solo 10G PCIe Card
Sonnet Solo 10G PCIe Card

10GBASE-T Gigabit Ethernet PCI Express 3.0 Adapter Card with NBASE-T Ethernet Support

Sonnet Solo10G SFP+
Sonnet Solo10G SFP+

10 Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt 3 Adapter with Short-Range SFP+ Transceiver

Sonnet Solo10G SFP+ PCIe Card
Sonnet Solo10G SFP+ PCIe Card

10 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe 3.0 Card with Short-Range SFP+ Transceiver

Sonnet Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID
Sonnet Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID

Dual 2.5-inch SSD PCIe 3.0 card with hardware RAID controller, plus 10Gbps USB-C port

Sonnet Thunderbolt Dual DisplayPort Adapter
Sonnet Thunderbolt Dual DisplayPort Adapter

Dual 4K 60Hz DisplayPort Adapter for Intel Mac; Apple M1 Pro, M1 Max, M1 Ultra Macs; and Windows Computers

Logickeyboard Adobe Filmmaker - Mac Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Adobe Filmmaker - Mac Backlit ASTRA2

Adobe Premiere Pro CC / After Effects CC Mac Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

Logickeyboard Adobe Photographer - Mac Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Adobe Photographer - Mac Backlit ASTRA2

Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC Shortcut Keyboard for Mac

Logickeyboard Adobe Photographer - PC Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Adobe Photographer - PC Backlit ASTRA2

Adobe Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC Shortcut Keyboard for PC

Logickeyboard DaVinci Resolve 18.5 - Mac Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard DaVinci Resolve 18.5 - Mac Backlit ASTRA2

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 18.5 Mac Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

Logickeyboard DaVinci Resolve 18.5 - PC Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard DaVinci Resolve 18.5 - PC Backlit ASTRA2

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 18.5 PC Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

Logickeyboard Final Cut Pro X - Mac Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Final Cut Pro X - Mac Backlit ASTRA2

Apple Final Cut Pro X Mac Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

Logickeyboard Media Composer - Classic Mac Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Media Composer - Classic Mac Backlit ASTRA2

Avid Media Composer Mac Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

Logickeyboard Media Composer - Classic PC Backlit ASTRA2
Logickeyboard Media Composer - Classic PC Backlit ASTRA2

Avid Media Composer - PC Backlit ASTRA2 Keyboard

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