Best input device for DP?

[SMS]

I need a new input device. I've used a multi-button mouse for years, and was thinking of switching to a Magic Trackpad, but realized I'd lose the ability to one-handedly option-, shift-, command-, and control-click, which really speeds up my workflow.

What do you recommend? Some multi-button mice don't seem to implement these keystrokes in a DP compatible way.

Thanks

Bill Spencer

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Others will tell you the Magic Track Pad is infinitely configurable, and with 3rd party software is may be, but I don't particularly like it very much. Maybe because I'm a pianist and like to use my hands and wrists and fingers on a tangible item and not a flat surface. But that aside...

I have been using a Logitech MX Revolution (original version) for years. I am so confident in it that I searched for a replacement before it went south (and still haven't used the backup). A switch went out for the left mouse button (did I mention I'm a pianist?) and I was able to replace it easily and continue to use the repaired mouse.

My point (pun intended) is it's a good, durable mouse and with 11 programmable buttons and a top notch acceleration wheel, I program a ton of commands and my hand never leaves the mouse. If you can find one and are searching for a mouse, I highly recommend it. You'll only find used ones. On Amazon they're like $200+ used (they're that good - retail was $79 - wish I bought three). I found one in perfect condition on Craig's list for $30! I had to drive 35 minutes to fetch it, but it was so worth it.

I might also recommend Quickeys. The company is in limbo in terms of development at the moment, but it works fine in Yosemite on my machine (see below) and many users (even those "trackpad guys") still find it indispensable. Between those two items, you can pretty much streamline even complex processes and repetitive tasks down to a single keystroke or mouse click.

ps - The MX is wireless with an RF USB dongle and rechargable stand. It has a very long battery life. If you're looking for a new keyboard, the Logitech solar powered ones are exceptional. Also about $80. There is a version of the keyboard (also both are wireless) that comes with a similar (almost identical) MX mouse to the Revolution, but it lacks a couple of compatibility features. I am also using Steer Mouse as an alternate to the horrible Logitech drivers.

Happy hunting!

[SMS]

Thanks- just bought an MX Revolution on eBay for $55. Not crazy about the USB receiver, but oh, well.

I already use QuicKeys, love it.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

THe nice thing about 3rd party drivers for the mouse is they are configurable per app. Some use USB Overdrive and I think there are others. Steer Mouse gets regular updates and works flawlessly.

[mikehalloran]

I need a new input device. I've used a multi-button mouse for years, and was thinking of switching to a Magic Trackpad, but realized I'd lose the ability to one-handedly option-, shift-, command-, and control-click, which really speeds up my workflow.

What do you recommend? Some multi-button mice don't seem to implement these keystrokes in a DP compatible way.

Thanks

Bill Spencer

I use a Magic Trackpad and am able to do all of those functions one-handed. I do this by placing the trackpad below the control keys to the right (I have a large hand).

My left arm is crippled from a stroke and I adapted. I am not for a second recommending this, just saying that it can be done.

[Shooshie]

There was a time when I'd have laid everything on the Magic Trackpad and said "this is unbeatable." Since then, OS X and DP have changed, and the response is not as positive as it once was. By that, I mean that faders do not move smoothly in DP, and windows do not scroll as smoothly as they once did. When it was in its prime, the acceleration, efficiency, and weighted action of the Magic Trackpad was breathtaking. The control was pixel-precise. Rocking your finger could get you to the exact pixel you wanted to click, and I used it even in Photoshop and Illustrator in addition to the Wacom drawing pad, where previously I used just the pad. The diminishing of the Magic Trackpad's operation has been troubling, because I really had believed that I'd never use anything else, ever again. Now I'm not so sure, but when I try other things, I really just want back on the Magic Trackpad, so I guess it's not bad enough to jump ship.

I feel reasonably sure that its functionality will return to 100% at some point. Until then I put up with its recalcitrance and occasionally curse it, for it's not as it once was. That breaking point, if I recall correctly, was Mountain Lion. Give it another release or two of OS X, and it'll probably be back on top of things again. But I'm not going to recommend that someone put the time and effort into training their hands for it as I once did.

Prior the Magic Trackpad I used the Kensington Turbo Mouse Pro Wireless, also known as the Expert Mouse Pro (wireless), which was the previous contender for best input device ever, in my opinion. Unfortunately, like MIDI Life Crisis's Logitech Revolution, it has not been made for many years. I've got a box of them in my closet. Some are usable, others are there for the parts. I'm not ready to part with them, seeing how the trend these days is toward devices that simply don't work very well but look spiffy and appear good in the tech specs.

Kensington's current "Turbo Mouse" is a slick, squarish device with a ball in the middle and a scroll wheel around the ball. It has four buttons, with two "chords" (press two buttons at once to get another programmed action) for a total of 6 programmable actions. The old Turbo Mouse Pro had 13 buttons including 2 chords. The new one is 100% optical, but with poor resolution so that it takes too much movement before it starts responding. The old one had areas around every button where you could rest fingers without pushing a button. This is very important. With the new one, all surface area belongs to one or another of the buttons; there is no resting fingers without moving your hand from its position. This alone is a significant contributor to carpal tunnel syndrome, because you must keep your hand elevated all the live-long day. Their wrist pad helps, but not enough.

Even the Magic Trackpad allows you to rest your fingers on the area above the battery compartment, or even on the pad itself if you are careful about it.

If I were changing to another device, I'd try to get my old wireless Turbo Mouse devices working again. If that didn't work, I'd go back to one of the wired versions. I've owned about 15 of those devices, because I bought them for every place that I worked regularly (so I wouldn't have to carry them around), as well as one for each member of my family, and I replaced them occasionally and bought spares.

Failing that, I'd probably go to eBay and see about getting one of MLC's Logitech Revolutions. I know this sounds like "these kids just don't know how to do things anymore," but it's not the engineers' fault; the new devices are designed by marketing departments, not engineers. In stereotypical Dilbert fashion, the engineers are told what they can do, given the parameters within which they can work, and they come up with the best device they can make within those limits.

If you had the time and interest, I could show you graphically and technically why both the Logitech Revolution and the Kensington Turbo Mouse Pro (the old 13 button model) are superior devices. Most of it has to do with the way they blend the optical and mechanical, starting with industrial strength ball-bearing rollers as the interface with your fingers. They don't clog, they always operate smoothly, and their resolution is higher than any optical ball I've seen so far. If you do an intensive search, look for this kind of device. Avoid the old "mouse-roller" spindles that were the core of most mice and trackballs. They simply perform poorly in the long run, because you cannot keep them clean, no matter how hard you try. Long after you throw one of them out the window in frustration, the Kensington or Logitech are still as smooth as the first day, only requiring a real, invasive cleaning about once every 5 years.

Good luck, and if you find something spectacular, PLEASE report it back to us here. I gave up looking for new input tech after the Magic Trackpad appeared, but I'd really like to know if there exists another option, currently being manufactured, that has all the things going for it that these old devices did. I'd buy one just to have it. Who knows? I might switch!

Shooshie

[Shooshie]

PS: if you go with the Magic Trackpad, use JiTouch with it. It opens the trackpad up to infinite programming, with specific commands and gestures for each individual application. It's simply amazing. I also have Better Touch Tool, which I've switched back to now and then to see if it works any better than it used to, but Jitouch is still way ahead of it, so I always go back to it.

Also, get a firm wrist rest that's about an inch high, and not a bean-bag thing that lets your wrist lower almost to the table level. You need your wrist to be always at the same level, high enough that you aren't constantly pulling your fingers UP, always resting and comfortable. In most applications, the Magic Trackpad is still amazing. My criticism of it is because of a diminishment from beyond breathtaking to just amazing. It is still the only mouse/pad device on my desk.

I keep a wired mouse in a drawer for working on operating systems, when Bluetooth sometimes is not yet operating.

If you've never tried the Magic Trackpad, you owe it to yourself to give it a go. It takes a week or two really to become "one" with it. After a year, you realize that your hand is speaking a "sign language" that you don't even think about.

Shooshie

[midilance]

I bounce back and forth between the magic trackpad and my Kensington Expert Mouse (Trackball).

[bolla]

Mouse in the right hand and a Contour Shuttle Pro 2 in the left hand.
Cheers, Bolla

[MIDI Life Crisis]

And in the middle?

[Killahurts]

From left to right, I have the Logitech solar keyboard (best keyboard I ever had!), Magic Trackpad and Magic Mouse. I use them all!

They sit on a wide keyboard shelf under my hardware console, which also has some custom commands available through programmed buttons.. DP gives you access to so many commands, via Mackie Control, MIDI, and keyboard combos, all of which my console does!

So just how many commands are in the Command Window? Anybody ever counted them? Gotta be several hundred. I've worked with a few other DAWs that don't even come close to this kind of customization without proprietary hardware. Love DP.

[HCMarkus]

Mouse in the right hand and a Contour Shuttle Pro 2 in the left hand.
Cheers, Bolla

Me too, but the Shuttle Express not the Pro. I use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out quickly while editing. Purrfect for me.

And yes, MLC, keyboard (Apple aluminum wired full-sized) in the middle.

[frankf]

Kensington Expert Trackball on right, iPad with Keypad Pro and Alphatrack on left and, MLC, a wired Apple keyboard in the middle. ( you couldn't resist, could ya


Frank Ferrucci

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Why am I the monkey in the middle with all those Apple keyboards? LOL

[bayswater]

I try all sorts of things, but always end up with a simple two button mouse with a scroll wheel. Smooth and accurate tracking with a good acceleration curve is what matters for me. The mouse that came with a Wacom Intuous is good for that. I also have an old wireless MS mouse someone gave me that is also very good at consistent fine tracking. The Apple magic mouse is fine for most applications, but I find it very erratic with DP -- the slightest stray movement on the surface can send the editor into a tailspin. I have trackpad to the right of the small wireless Apple keyboard for a few gestures like getting launchpad, fast horizontal scrolls, etc, (although it has become pretty much useless for most operations in DP), and a numeric keypad to the left keyboard for transport key commands.

It's odd that my Apple devices, usually fine with other applications are near useless with DP.

Over time, a few people have praised the logitech solar keyboard. What's the advantage? What does it do that other keyboards don't?