Contour ShuttleXpress

The ShuttleXpress is a hardware input device useful for controlling video and audio editing software. They can be configured for all sorts of uses though. A popular one seems to be media playback, but they could be a game controller, and so on.

It has seven kinds of input:

1. An infinitely spinning dial with clicky movement. Good for stepping through a clip frame-by-frame.
2. Another dial with limited movement (70° each side, I think) that snaps back into place. Useful for fast-forwarding and re-winding.
3. Five mouse-like buttons.

There are larger versions that add more buttons.

NB: I've got it working in Kdenlive without installing anything (see below), but I think for wider use you have to use one of these:

• threedaymonk/shuttlexpress
• SERVCUBED/ShuttlePRO
  • agraef/ShuttlePRO | shuttlepro-git
    • SERVCUBED/ShuttlePRO | shuttlepro-v2-git
      • NB: I had to grab the example config from Github, because the makefile in this fork doesn't install it.
• irontoby/shuttleit

Though I've had no luck with any of them. The older ones don't find the device, and the latest one by SERVCUBED doesn't find my config files, and has removed some important bits like debugging and specifying config location. Ugh. I guess merging the working bits together can be a project for another time.

You need to make a udev rule and then you can configure things in Kdenlive's settings:

1. Plug-in the shuttle, use lsusb and note the ID info. ID 0b33:0020 in my case, but in the example on the Kdenlive documentation the product ID is 0030.
2. Create a file in /etc/udev/rules.d (for example 90-shuttlexpress.rules and add the line:
   

   SUBSYSTEMS=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0b33", ATTRS{idProduct}=="0020", MODE="0444"

   where 0b33 is the first part of the ID you noted, and 0020 is the second.

3. Restart the udev stuff with # udevadm control --reload and # udevadm trigger.
4. Open Kdenlive, go: Settings > Configure Kdenlive… > JogShuttle, and once you enable and select your device you should be able to configure the buttons as you wish.

• NB: the FF/RW wheel seems bugged in this setup… it seems to work like a mouse scrollwheel, but reversed

• ShuttlePROv2 working with Linux !

• EMATech/OpenContourShuttle - In development, maybe Windows-only so far (haven't tested). Has a GUI for configuration.

• ShuttleXpress on the Videogame Interface Wiki.
• Using the Contour Design Shuttle Devices in the Ardour manual.