The Creative Space @Home

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

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.

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.