trackball

drush · Post by **drush** » Mon May 23, 2005 9:10 pm

i don't know if it has anything particular to do with audio production, other than audio requires a lot of moving around and often a lot of small, precise movements. and i find that a trackball is far more preferable for that -- physically moving the whole mouse around is annoying.

ethios4 · Post by **ethios4** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:27 am

Well, I got my Kensington Expert about a month ago.

It took a few days to get used to, but now I love it! Having 6 customizable buttons/combinations is really handy, and the scroll-wheel is sweet!

As far as wrist pain goes, if I practise correct hand/wrist orientation and correct posture, I can use the Kensington as long as I want without pain. With previous trackballs and mice I've used, I would develop pain no matter what I did. So, for me, the Kensington by itself was not the total solution, but as part of a regimen of overall mouse-using health it does the trick.

The only problem I've noticed was last weekend playing for 4 hours standing up, my hand/wrist was hurting because of the angle my hand was at. It works great if you're sitting down, but standing up may require some workaround for a straight wrist.

Overall, I'm happy with spending $100 on the nicest trackball around. It has been a big part of better health for me, and increased the functionality of my mouse-hand.

Rx · Post by Rx » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:44 am

i got a Logitech Marble Mouse (ie the $20 cheapie on Amazon.com) and i like it much better than my laptop's touchpad. i also find that i can be a little more precise than with my optical mouse. it's worth $20, and it's designed to fit in either hand.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/produ ... ENTID=5003

rachmanoff · Post by **rachmanoff** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:10 am

i should add my name to the list of thumb trackball horror tales. i had always used regular mice. then after using the microsoft thumb trackball for only a couple months, i started to get pins and needles in my forearm and palm. i never knew this was a symptom of carpal tunnel.

a month or two into the pins and needles phase, i found out. i did some googling, and got a kensington expert mouse (i actually bought it at one infinite loop in cupertino, for all the losers out there).

i still get pain and numbness every once in a while, but i'm convinced it's the thumb ball that started it. i wish i used the kensington from day one.

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:22 am

I am very interested in this, but am sceptical of how i will settle down using a trackball after all these years with a mouse.

Do u guys really think that a trackball would be superior in terms of speed and accuracy?, atleast as far as audio use goes...?

rachmanoff · Post by **rachmanoff** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 4:31 am

for what it's worth, the trackball i'm using now is vastly superior to any other pointer device i've used. not just in terms of speed and accuracy, but from an ergonomic standpoint also.. a pretty bitchin design.

orage · Post by **orage** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 9:00 am

teejay wrote:Do u guys really think that a trackball would be superior in terms of speed and accuracy?, atleast as far as audio use goes...?

No doubt about the speed. I've been editing with trackballs for over 10 years now. It's gotten to the point where I can "throw" the ball and then catch it right where I need the pointer. Another speed advantage to trackballs is that you don't need to constantly pick up the mouse and recenter it so your cursor has room to move.

Accuracy? When editing, it's so easy to surgically cut into a region. Just start by moving it straight down and then slowly spin it into to the region you're trying to edit.

Then add 6 or so hotkeys to execute your favorite commands and you're on fire!

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 9:28 am

For music production: www.3dconnexion.com

And for DJs:

DJRetard · Post by **DJRetard** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:22 am

Strauzzie wrote:Can someone give me some positives of using trackballs as opposed to an optical mouse for audio production?

I cant as I dont use my Trackball mouse now. I use an optical one. Sorry

After using a trackball for a number of months I realised my productivity was slower and th etrackball was less accurate. Neither did I find it comfortable,

thx1138 · Post by **thx1138** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:08 pm

polyslax wrote:Kensington Expert, the only way to roll.

And yes, bigger balls are better!

My beast:-

Sinjin · Post by **Sinjin** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:16 pm

wow..live is so easy even dead guys can use it! i can just hear montybreaks now...

i tried the trackball approach...i even had a trigger-style strackball..yu know, it loops over one finger, thumb works the ball and top buttons, plus theres a 3rd programmable button.

this was before live existed tho im afraid. i can tell you it sucks the proverbial schwanz when it comes to manual data entry, but i bet its a bunch o' fun with traktor

Pitch Black · Post by **Pitch Black** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:26 pm

hambone1 wrote:For music production: www.3dconnexion.com

Hambone, those pointers are SICK!!!

Have you ever seen the David Cronenberg movie Dead Ringers? Kinda reminds me of "gaenocological instruments for operating on mutant women"

(Kensington Orbit user here... trackball ever since getting off the atari in 95. I'm a klutz with a mouse)

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 8:17 pm

They're primarily for 3D and CAD/CAM work, and are designed to work in conjunction with a mouse, i.e. mouse in one hand and the 3d controller in the other. Everything is then done without ever having to touch the keyboard.

They'd work great work music apps, too, as all of the keys are programmable as single keystrokes or macros.

If you think THEY'RE sick, check this out the Space Controller at www.3dconnexions.com. (I tried to paste the pic in, but couldn't get it to work)

teejay · Post by **teejay** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 5:38 am

How does the Kengsington compare with the Logitech trackballs?

Any experience, anyone?

MrYellow · Post by **MrYellow** » Thu Jun 23, 2005 6:24 am

Anyone else have any experience with computer-related wrist injury or solutions?

I did mine from working with air-con pointing directly onto my wrist and
using the mouse-wheel too much.

1. Keep it warm.

In the depth of winter I have been known to wear a sock with a hole cut in it
over my wrist. Having a really active hand that's exposed to cold can kill it
fast. Working away from your body all the time you never get a chance to
warm it up in your pocket or whatever.

2. Exercise.

Spread/bend/fist the fingers.... Look for sites with exercise diagrams.

3. Put mouse-wheel on "1 page per click" rather than 3-lines.

Makes a big difference to how much u move your middle finger.

4. Take breaks.

When you're first recovering, it's a great idea to download a warning
program that forces you to take 5min breaks every 15mins. This is very
important at first.

5. Diet.

Without meat and veggies in your system you can't rebuild the damage.

6. Stop smoking.

Important..... I didn't until recently, but when I was in the middle of the
injury, it was easy to see that everytime I smoked it felt worse.

7. Massage.

A mate showed me something that worked well for mine..... Pretty much
grabbing the tendons, pinching them and rolling back and forth. You could
feel "crunchy bits" breaking up and going away. He explained it as calcium
deposits that fuse the tendon to the tunnel wall.

The result of these "fuses" was that it would spasm and I could feel the
tendon moving within the tunnel, quite off-putting.

When I original injured mine, even making my hand into the shape of the
mouse would hurt. Soon as I touched the mouse I was in pain..... Pushing
through does not help, you need to take steps to heal.

The good news is, although the injury can stick with you, with some focus
you can heal and go on with your life. You won't be disabled forever, it gets
better.

-Ben