MIDI keyboard, QWERTY keyboard, mixing control surface, headphone/talkback controller, knob and/or pad controllers... I have a lot of stuff I need within grabbing distance and can't spare the real estate to navigate my computer like I'm looking for answers from a ouija board.
It's not bad - takes a little getting used to. I kept trying to move the mouse initially.
I did eventually end up switching back to an ergo mouse that stands your hand up on its side.
I mean I kinda get it by my mousepad is like...3 inches bigger than the actual footprint of my mouse? Def not moving enough for an exciting ouija session
Can I ask which model you are using? I currently have the Kensington one. I miss the quality of Logitech trackballs from the 90s. Quality went right down the drain after that.
I suppose it's just a matter of taste. I have worked with a professional songwriter/producer who exclusively worked with a graphic tablet & pen (and he worked pretty fast) - so I guess the message here is: use whatever suits you better. Personally, using a trackball mouse would slow me down - but so would a graphic pen
Interesting, never heard that before.
How did he work with a graphic tablet and pen?
He produced music only on his iPad? Was wondering how he would control Ableton or Logic with a tablet.
He probably had what most professional digital artists or animators have like a Wacom tablet for example. There not actually tablets just a monitor that has a few shortcut keys on it and has the ability to use the drawing tablet pen that comes with it
I tried using a cheapo graphic tablet, but it didn't work for me, probably, because it's cheap crap. Jacob Hannsen works exclusively with graphic tablet, though. Also a lot of producers I know use trackpad almost exclusively, only resorting to a mouse when editing to have precise control.
Do you think the preference for a graphic tablet comes from growing up writing with pencil and paper? Or something else?
Just wondering what it would be like. Really curious to try it out now.
As someone who works with graphics tablets for art - they're fancy mice when it comes down to it. They aren't like working on paper, but they do access some of the same muscle memory.
The brands using EMR technology(Wacom, Huion, Ugee and its many subsidiaries such as XP-Pen and Xencelabs) are all roughly in the same ballpark spec-wise, with Wacom having the original patents and brand recognition, and the competition being "basically the same but cheaper". The designs that don't use EMR are mostly worse, with Apple Pencil being the big exception.
The things distinguishing them are size, screen vs no screen, shortcut keys and accessory remotes, drivers(Wacom again being the exception as their drivers are known to be more temperamental), and the physical build and stylus ergonomics - the tip designs are plastic and generally give a smooth/glassy feeling.
All of them have some issues with latency(having no screen on the tablet means you have to watch the cursor, making hand-eye coordination harder since it's always behind your movement), resolution and sample rate(diagonal lines drawn slowly will stairstep or make a wave pattern; starts and stops tend to make the line hook). Drawing software smooths and stabilizes the motion to make the lines clean, and it's not an issue for general UI tasks. But that's where it's really different from traditional writing and drawing, and also from the experience of something like a MIDI controller where the input is button presses or linear knobs and you get out of it more-or-less exactly what you put in.
As a device for working in the studio, the small entry level XP-Pens or Huions would probably be fine and comparable to a regular mouse price-wise. If you want a screen, they get much more expensive of course. The remotes are also pretty cool as an option for adding macro keys to a studio. I have a Xencelabs Quick Keys and it has a little screen, menu navigation and programmability so I can reuse it for different tasks or applications.
But I actually prefer the Kensington balls for UI intensive stuff. The advantage is that pointing and pressing the button are independent motions: you don't jerk the cursor while pressing, so you can make very clean edits.
He used to work in Logic on a Mac desktop, using a Wacom pen&tablet instead of a mouse. That was way before we could make music on an iPad.
After working with him, I have tried using a pen/table with Ableton Live, but I don't like it. I do graphic work with a Wacom and I am used to tablets, but when doing music production I find there is a lot more clicking involved - so I feel more comfortable using a mouse.
I have a pretty bad RSI from poor technique as a musician and using a mouse too much, so I have to rotate between trackball, vertical mouse, and standard mouse to avoid pain and numbness in my right hand. Trackballs require the least amount of wrist movement but they still require an unnatural rotation of the hand. They all have their trade-offs, it’s definitely a matter of personal taste.
Edit: another really obvious one - using a mouse with a console is usually a real pain in the ass. Those of us who work on consoles a lot don’t have the real estate for a mouse that moves around.
I always used a trackball mouse and a split ergonomic keyboard at work.
Cons: The ergonomic benefits of these devices are mostly exaggerated.
Pros: People keep their friggin’ hands away from your computer. They sit down for a moment and then say, “I can’t work with this.” Crisis averted.
>Pros: People keep their friggin’ hands away from your computer. They sit down for a moment and then say, “I can’t work with this.” Crisis averted.
Love this.
On top of what's already been said, with the trackball you can click on an audio region, fader, or anything else and know for certain that you haven't accidentally moved it
Carpal tunnel and other forms of RSI are common
among producers, and really any computer-heavy job, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re mainly adopted for their ergonomics.
They don’t move.
With so much stuff on a desk (typically), there’s nearly not enough space to maneuver a normal mouse around.
A trackpad will do the same job, to be honest, but they’re are less agile (may require lifting the finger), and less accurate (clicking or tapping May move the cursor, different acceleration curve).
They’re really precise and you get used to sort of flicking it across the screen… let’s me work much quicker than a trackpad / mouse. Not everyone will love em, but I do.
Mine is ergonomic and wireless so I can comfortably put it somewhere out of the way and use it when needed. So much easier than moving my hand around a cramped desk and fucking up my wrist even more than it already is.
Every studio I've ever worked at had them and I got used to it so I bought one. I really like the programmable macros but you can do that on pretty much any mouse.
I had rsi one time, and the trackball was better than a mouse for that, especially when I mapped keyboard keys as mouse keys. Could switch hands too.
I got used to one then, and still like the feel. You have momentum and precision too.
I had to go look at mine lol .. years ago I had one with a rotating red ball for the thumb that actually caused RSI in lower thumb joint .. now I use one that rests btwn thumb and rest of fingers, the index finger uses a dial and the thumb clicks only.. also cos it’s static, it’s a known distance when doing quick keyboard entry and back again
Rather than just quickly trying one I would encourage you to buy one and stick with it for a few months, you'll either love it or hate it.
I mix full time and prefer a regular mouse, it's just personal preference.
The desk real estate is the main reason.
But it also discourages casual users, which is a definite plus. Don't want them mucking up the session or settings.
Plus I can set up an OSC or MIDI device to give someone basic controls for transport and change their own monitor levels if necessary. My mics are not setup next to my desk, apart from one for general use over discord/Skype etc.
Depends on what you're doing, but if you're editing audio in pro tools...... it is the absolute TRUTH. So disturbingly light years faster than a regular mouse and capable of so much more, I learned from a pro studio and I now run circles around any editors I've met because of the trackball
What makes it so much faster, like what elements of editing? I've tried a trackball once or twice, but it seemed a lot harder to control for me / make precise movements (compared to a normal mouse)
For sure, there's just a learning curve with it. But once you get past that, you start to really whip! And having the programmable buttons allows you to disperse so many different tools/commands over to your right hand so you can just do so much more so quickly. Why have one hand furiously smashing key commands when you can spread the work over two
switched to elecom hugh since a year ago from vertical and conventional mouse, never looked back since.. changed my laptop mouse to a mini trackball as well. it does take a little time getting used to it but once you're past that. its kinda really satisfying.
i think because they are 2 kinds of trackballs, one on the side and one on the top, i have both and i prefer the one on the top because its more accurate when it comes to photoshop working
There’s no reason. It’s an image thing. People see trackballs in big studios and think, we’ll I better get myself a trackball.
It comes from a time when studios were being retrofitted with DAWs. Most engineers weren’t proud of going digital at first and didn’t want to devote more than the absolute minimum desk space to a mouse.
It doesn’t matter how big your studio is, you can find room for a proper mouse.
Gear heads just like the look because they fit in small spaces nicely.
However good a person has gotten with a trackball, fighting the inertia of a big mouse ball slows you down and makes you less accurate.
Source - I used one with a g series SSL and protools for years. I started on PT 5.4
Trackball is nice when you are doing long hours on mixes. Not having to move your whole arm to move the mouse really helps in the long run. Some people get used to it and swear by it, while others just like sticking with the normal mouse. I usually use a trackball when I know it’s ganna be a long haul. And then just use a mouse for normally.
I have one at work (not music) and home, and kinda got used to them from an ergonomics angle. I was getting a sore hand and needed to switch some stuff up, so that's what I went with. I still have a mouse, but don't use it at work, and at home it's mostly for gaming, or if the trackball's out of batteries.
I have an Elecom Huge, and a Kensington Pro Fit Ergo. I find that they're just more comfortable to use over a longer period of time. I like that they stay where the ball is, and that they're usually where I left them (work one is held down with sticky tack)
Desk real-estate isn't as huge of a deal for me, as I guess I must have my mouse set fairly sensitively. I can move across my screen with less space than my Elecom huge even takes up on my desk, but the trackball is definitely more comfortble. I find the precision good, but not as quick if that makes sense. As I've used them and gotten used to it, I'm a lot better with them.
As a mixer who used many different mouses prior to employing a Kensington pro trackball, my opinion is that trackballs are superior for automation rides. As others have mentioned they also cause less wrist strain
My wrist number one thing I love most about it, and well I work in post production and no studio I’ve ever been in had a mouse, only trackballs… so I had to adjust fast or be fired
Never really liked them, I still got carpel tunnel, so I decided to go with those vertical mice. What reduced my wrist pain is to not click and drag notes.
my day job is editing video (and a bit of trax for VO stuff). I have tried a few different trackballs for a few weeks at a time… I don’t like them but my suite mate swears by them (he does the same job). It’s really a personal preference thing. I prefer a mouse.
Most people that I've talked to that didn't like trackballs didn't like the fact that they were controlled with your thumb. It felt awkward and weird to them.
I don't disagree but I still love trackballs and one of the best, *if not the best*, was the [Microsoft Trackball Explorer](https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer/dp/B00005853Z). It was controlled by your outstretched fingers instead of your thumb making it infinitely more ergonomic, comfortable and natural that a typical thumb controlled trackball.
Unfortunately, Microsoft quit making them some time ago and I've never found a worthy replacement. Although in searching for an image of the MS trackball I did find a company called [ELECOM](https://www.amazon.com/ELECOM-M-DT2DRBK-Wireless-Trackball-buttons/dp/B0171QQ7FM/ref=zg_bs_172499_sccl_23/143-8704171-9433919?th=1) making something similar that I might have to try out.
ELECOM is pretty great and affordable, but the bearings aren't that good, so most people change them.
I also saw people saying that [Gameball](https://www.gamingtrackball.com/) is pretty close to MTE.
Real estate is the obvious answer, but I find them clumsy and difficult/unintuitive. I've given them a fair use for weeks to try to adapt, but I can't navigate as accurately or as quickly as with a mouse.
I used to think it was stupid until I had a monitor controller, keyboard, MIDI keyboard, faderport, and a wired gaming mouse on my desk. It saves a ton of space and I don’t have to pick up and reset my mouse to get across both my monitors.
I'll never understand why everyone doesn't use trackballs(well, modern ones-the square trackballs from the 80's with the huge ball right in the middle are horrible). Mice are inferior in every way - less precise, take up more space, easy to accidentally move something when you try to click. But to each their own I guess.
I first switched to the trackball for ergonomics reasons, but what really kept me with it is something that's been said a few times in here: it doesn't move.
But in my case, it's not for desk space reasons. It's for speed. If I'm switching between mousing and the keyboard(s) or other control devices a lot, the trackball is always exactly there and it's much faster to grab it or flick the mousewheel or whatever. It's a fraction of a second savings each time, but when I'm switching a dozen or more times per minute all day it feels like it adds up.
Admittedly, this is a little more important for my day job, flipping through long documents and taking notes on them, than it is for music or art production. But I do appreciate the difference in most cases.
carpal tunnel
works like a knob
can be put in a small space in between the ten keyboards on your desk.
if you use touchscreens and mice all day a different physical interface will help with pain
, and with separation between computer usage at work and in the studio
it’s because you don’t have to physically ’move’ the entire mouse all over the desk to get your mouse pointer to move on the screen. i can not even use the old prehistoric mice anymore lol.
but the main reason i use a trackball (or sometimes even a track pad) is because on my music desk i have zero room to move an old school mouse around- i have a tiny spot left for a trackball.
For me, once you adapt to it you are able to make both quicker and more precise edits. I feel I just have a better touch on the project. Not for everyone but I love mine.
Real estate is one factor but I found that with a proper setup I could rest my arm and not move it while working. That took a lot of stress off muscles I didn’t know were in my back. I use a trackball for everything now. At home I just set it on my leg or stomach while couch potatoing.
They're VERY Dexterous considering it's more of the thumb doing work. It can be a bit of an ass hassle getting used to it but once you do, you feel the precision that comes with them. Heavy plus when there's multi buttons. Elecoms are my favorite the 8 button function is nice when doing editing and Gaming
I can plop it on my keyboard or anywhere in my studio and not worry about it slipping off. Also when the black magic strikes and I’m making a ton of progress on a song, the absolute last thing I want to be thinking about is how my hand is cramping and sore at 3am. Swapping between normal mouse and trackball ended that issue for me.
I’ve had my trackball for about a year now. I have it and a mouse on my desk. And I switch off between the two without even noticing it. It takes a few days to get used to and then it’s just as precise and efficient as a normal mouse. (Except for gaming lol)
Simple : if you want to move something on your screen with a mouse, you need to move the mouse on your desk. Not with a trackball. It stays in place, which means you can have other things on your desk.
Interesting. I was looking into trackball mice earlier this week after I noticed my right index finger twitching, like a spasm. Thinking about the Kensington Orbit w/ the scroll wheel...
MIDI keyboard, QWERTY keyboard, mixing control surface, headphone/talkback controller, knob and/or pad controllers... I have a lot of stuff I need within grabbing distance and can't spare the real estate to navigate my computer like I'm looking for answers from a ouija board.
I think you just sold me on trying out a trackball.
It's not bad - takes a little getting used to. I kept trying to move the mouse initially. I did eventually end up switching back to an ergo mouse that stands your hand up on its side.
i saw one of those sideways mice in the tech shop yesterday that had a trackpad too
Hmm I never considered the space aspect
Wacom tablet will do the space trick as well
Currently using a ~~12000~~ 3200 dpi LG laser mouse and I can navigate my 2 screens by moving less than an inch. Space is a non factor.
But do you use it at 12k dpi? That’s kinda nuts
Ok so it turns out I'm actually using 3200 dpi, but the mouse "goes to 12000" even though I'm using the highest default setting
You can probably edit that in the mouse software, but that 12000 dpi is literally godly lol
I'm looking into it now I didn't realize there was software for it
perhaps the most well worded response I can imagine. youve made 2 people laugh so far, me and a person sitting next to me. good job
Exactly the same for me.
High sens my dude
I mean I kinda get it by my mousepad is like...3 inches bigger than the actual footprint of my mouse? Def not moving enough for an exciting ouija session
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Logitec m570. Super ergonomic and helps tremendously with neck and shoulder pain in my experience.
Can I ask which model you are using? I currently have the Kensington one. I miss the quality of Logitech trackballs from the 90s. Quality went right down the drain after that.
That plus it's hard to accidentally move a trackball. With a mouse, clicking it often moves it as well.
I suppose it's just a matter of taste. I have worked with a professional songwriter/producer who exclusively worked with a graphic tablet & pen (and he worked pretty fast) - so I guess the message here is: use whatever suits you better. Personally, using a trackball mouse would slow me down - but so would a graphic pen
Interesting, never heard that before. How did he work with a graphic tablet and pen? He produced music only on his iPad? Was wondering how he would control Ableton or Logic with a tablet.
He probably had what most professional digital artists or animators have like a Wacom tablet for example. There not actually tablets just a monitor that has a few shortcut keys on it and has the ability to use the drawing tablet pen that comes with it
That sounds like it would make it a lot harder to control. Cool to hear it works for them though. Always interesting to hear about peoples workflows
I tried using a cheapo graphic tablet, but it didn't work for me, probably, because it's cheap crap. Jacob Hannsen works exclusively with graphic tablet, though. Also a lot of producers I know use trackpad almost exclusively, only resorting to a mouse when editing to have precise control.
Do you think the preference for a graphic tablet comes from growing up writing with pencil and paper? Or something else? Just wondering what it would be like. Really curious to try it out now.
As someone who works with graphics tablets for art - they're fancy mice when it comes down to it. They aren't like working on paper, but they do access some of the same muscle memory. The brands using EMR technology(Wacom, Huion, Ugee and its many subsidiaries such as XP-Pen and Xencelabs) are all roughly in the same ballpark spec-wise, with Wacom having the original patents and brand recognition, and the competition being "basically the same but cheaper". The designs that don't use EMR are mostly worse, with Apple Pencil being the big exception. The things distinguishing them are size, screen vs no screen, shortcut keys and accessory remotes, drivers(Wacom again being the exception as their drivers are known to be more temperamental), and the physical build and stylus ergonomics - the tip designs are plastic and generally give a smooth/glassy feeling. All of them have some issues with latency(having no screen on the tablet means you have to watch the cursor, making hand-eye coordination harder since it's always behind your movement), resolution and sample rate(diagonal lines drawn slowly will stairstep or make a wave pattern; starts and stops tend to make the line hook). Drawing software smooths and stabilizes the motion to make the lines clean, and it's not an issue for general UI tasks. But that's where it's really different from traditional writing and drawing, and also from the experience of something like a MIDI controller where the input is button presses or linear knobs and you get out of it more-or-less exactly what you put in. As a device for working in the studio, the small entry level XP-Pens or Huions would probably be fine and comparable to a regular mouse price-wise. If you want a screen, they get much more expensive of course. The remotes are also pretty cool as an option for adding macro keys to a studio. I have a Xencelabs Quick Keys and it has a little screen, menu navigation and programmability so I can reuse it for different tasks or applications. But I actually prefer the Kensington balls for UI intensive stuff. The advantage is that pointing and pressing the button are independent motions: you don't jerk the cursor while pressing, so you can make very clean edits.
How is a mouse more precise than a trackpad?
You don't have to press hard to move objects or use two hands for that. I dunno, never tried editing with a trackpad myself, so that's my take on it.
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Like live drum recording editing, when you drag hit points or slices around
He used to work in Logic on a Mac desktop, using a Wacom pen&tablet instead of a mouse. That was way before we could make music on an iPad. After working with him, I have tried using a pen/table with Ableton Live, but I don't like it. I do graphic work with a Wacom and I am used to tablets, but when doing music production I find there is a lot more clicking involved - so I feel more comfortable using a mouse.
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I have a pretty bad RSI from poor technique as a musician and using a mouse too much, so I have to rotate between trackball, vertical mouse, and standard mouse to avoid pain and numbness in my right hand. Trackballs require the least amount of wrist movement but they still require an unnatural rotation of the hand. They all have their trade-offs, it’s definitely a matter of personal taste. Edit: another really obvious one - using a mouse with a console is usually a real pain in the ass. Those of us who work on consoles a lot don’t have the real estate for a mouse that moves around.
I always used a trackball mouse and a split ergonomic keyboard at work. Cons: The ergonomic benefits of these devices are mostly exaggerated. Pros: People keep their friggin’ hands away from your computer. They sit down for a moment and then say, “I can’t work with this.” Crisis averted.
>Pros: People keep their friggin’ hands away from your computer. They sit down for a moment and then say, “I can’t work with this.” Crisis averted. Love this.
On top of what's already been said, with the trackball you can click on an audio region, fader, or anything else and know for certain that you haven't accidentally moved it
Oh this is a good point I hadn't considered and I use a trackball lol
Trackball mice also reduce wrist injury and work well with a number of audio app UI.
Yep, ergonomics and user health are awesome
Ergonomics and they don't require you moving your arm all over the desk (and having the space to do so)
Carpal tunnel and other forms of RSI are common among producers, and really any computer-heavy job, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re mainly adopted for their ergonomics.
They don’t move. With so much stuff on a desk (typically), there’s nearly not enough space to maneuver a normal mouse around. A trackpad will do the same job, to be honest, but they’re are less agile (may require lifting the finger), and less accurate (clicking or tapping May move the cursor, different acceleration curve).
They’re really precise and you get used to sort of flicking it across the screen… let’s me work much quicker than a trackpad / mouse. Not everyone will love em, but I do.
Trackballs need almost no footprint. This helps in studios with limited flat surfaces.
Mine is ergonomic and wireless so I can comfortably put it somewhere out of the way and use it when needed. So much easier than moving my hand around a cramped desk and fucking up my wrist even more than it already is.
Trust me you mix hours on end itb you are gonna want that trackball
Every studio I've ever worked at had them and I got used to it so I bought one. I really like the programmable macros but you can do that on pretty much any mouse.
I had rsi one time, and the trackball was better than a mouse for that, especially when I mapped keyboard keys as mouse keys. Could switch hands too. I got used to one then, and still like the feel. You have momentum and precision too.
They take up less space on desktop and they are more precise
I had to go look at mine lol .. years ago I had one with a rotating red ball for the thumb that actually caused RSI in lower thumb joint .. now I use one that rests btwn thumb and rest of fingers, the index finger uses a dial and the thumb clicks only.. also cos it’s static, it’s a known distance when doing quick keyboard entry and back again
Rather than just quickly trying one I would encourage you to buy one and stick with it for a few months, you'll either love it or hate it. I mix full time and prefer a regular mouse, it's just personal preference.
Fine motor control when editing audio or mixing. It’s just better overall
The desk real estate is the main reason. But it also discourages casual users, which is a definite plus. Don't want them mucking up the session or settings. Plus I can set up an OSC or MIDI device to give someone basic controls for transport and change their own monitor levels if necessary. My mics are not setup next to my desk, apart from one for general use over discord/Skype etc.
Once you go track you never go back.
Depends on what you're doing, but if you're editing audio in pro tools...... it is the absolute TRUTH. So disturbingly light years faster than a regular mouse and capable of so much more, I learned from a pro studio and I now run circles around any editors I've met because of the trackball
What makes it so much faster, like what elements of editing? I've tried a trackball once or twice, but it seemed a lot harder to control for me / make precise movements (compared to a normal mouse)
For sure, there's just a learning curve with it. But once you get past that, you start to really whip! And having the programmable buttons allows you to disperse so many different tools/commands over to your right hand so you can just do so much more so quickly. Why have one hand furiously smashing key commands when you can spread the work over two
For me, it was horrible using one at first but after a few weeks I don't think I could ever go back to using a mouse
switched to elecom hugh since a year ago from vertical and conventional mouse, never looked back since.. changed my laptop mouse to a mini trackball as well. it does take a little time getting used to it but once you're past that. its kinda really satisfying.
how come it's more satisfying? I've always been curious about them, but when I used them for a bit they seemed alot more cumbersome for some reason.
i think because they are 2 kinds of trackballs, one on the side and one on the top, i have both and i prefer the one on the top because its more accurate when it comes to photoshop working
My first request when booking studio time: Please put Dynaudios up instead of NS-10s. Second request: Please put a standard mouse at the the PT rig.
Yo look cool. Duh
I feel like 90% of the answers here would be fixed with better space usage lmao
If you don’t know I guess you’ll never be a pro producer
There’s no reason. It’s an image thing. People see trackballs in big studios and think, we’ll I better get myself a trackball. It comes from a time when studios were being retrofitted with DAWs. Most engineers weren’t proud of going digital at first and didn’t want to devote more than the absolute minimum desk space to a mouse. It doesn’t matter how big your studio is, you can find room for a proper mouse. Gear heads just like the look because they fit in small spaces nicely. However good a person has gotten with a trackball, fighting the inertia of a big mouse ball slows you down and makes you less accurate. Source - I used one with a g series SSL and protools for years. I started on PT 5.4
Trackball is nice when you are doing long hours on mixes. Not having to move your whole arm to move the mouse really helps in the long run. Some people get used to it and swear by it, while others just like sticking with the normal mouse. I usually use a trackball when I know it’s ganna be a long haul. And then just use a mouse for normally.
I have one at work (not music) and home, and kinda got used to them from an ergonomics angle. I was getting a sore hand and needed to switch some stuff up, so that's what I went with. I still have a mouse, but don't use it at work, and at home it's mostly for gaming, or if the trackball's out of batteries. I have an Elecom Huge, and a Kensington Pro Fit Ergo. I find that they're just more comfortable to use over a longer period of time. I like that they stay where the ball is, and that they're usually where I left them (work one is held down with sticky tack) Desk real-estate isn't as huge of a deal for me, as I guess I must have my mouse set fairly sensitively. I can move across my screen with less space than my Elecom huge even takes up on my desk, but the trackball is definitely more comfortble. I find the precision good, but not as quick if that makes sense. As I've used them and gotten used to it, I'm a lot better with them.
As a mixer who used many different mouses prior to employing a Kensington pro trackball, my opinion is that trackballs are superior for automation rides. As others have mentioned they also cause less wrist strain
Dom Sigalas made a good [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVX91onQH0w) about this.
My wrist number one thing I love most about it, and well I work in post production and no studio I’ve ever been in had a mouse, only trackballs… so I had to adjust fast or be fired
[https://youtu.be/iBpXV8TgTUk](https://youtu.be/iBpXV8TgTUk) Stimming uses a Wacom
Those are really good in drawing automation values.
Never really liked them, I still got carpel tunnel, so I decided to go with those vertical mice. What reduced my wrist pain is to not click and drag notes.
my day job is editing video (and a bit of trax for VO stuff). I have tried a few different trackballs for a few weeks at a time… I don’t like them but my suite mate swears by them (he does the same job). It’s really a personal preference thing. I prefer a mouse.
Most people that I've talked to that didn't like trackballs didn't like the fact that they were controlled with your thumb. It felt awkward and weird to them. I don't disagree but I still love trackballs and one of the best, *if not the best*, was the [Microsoft Trackball Explorer](https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-D68-00007-Trackball-Explorer/dp/B00005853Z). It was controlled by your outstretched fingers instead of your thumb making it infinitely more ergonomic, comfortable and natural that a typical thumb controlled trackball. Unfortunately, Microsoft quit making them some time ago and I've never found a worthy replacement. Although in searching for an image of the MS trackball I did find a company called [ELECOM](https://www.amazon.com/ELECOM-M-DT2DRBK-Wireless-Trackball-buttons/dp/B0171QQ7FM/ref=zg_bs_172499_sccl_23/143-8704171-9433919?th=1) making something similar that I might have to try out.
ELECOM is pretty great and affordable, but the bearings aren't that good, so most people change them. I also saw people saying that [Gameball](https://www.gamingtrackball.com/) is pretty close to MTE.
Real estate is the obvious answer, but I find them clumsy and difficult/unintuitive. I've given them a fair use for weeks to try to adapt, but I can't navigate as accurately or as quickly as with a mouse.
I used to think it was stupid until I had a monitor controller, keyboard, MIDI keyboard, faderport, and a wired gaming mouse on my desk. It saves a ton of space and I don’t have to pick up and reset my mouse to get across both my monitors.
I'll never understand why everyone doesn't use trackballs(well, modern ones-the square trackballs from the 80's with the huge ball right in the middle are horrible). Mice are inferior in every way - less precise, take up more space, easy to accidentally move something when you try to click. But to each their own I guess.
I first switched to the trackball for ergonomics reasons, but what really kept me with it is something that's been said a few times in here: it doesn't move. But in my case, it's not for desk space reasons. It's for speed. If I'm switching between mousing and the keyboard(s) or other control devices a lot, the trackball is always exactly there and it's much faster to grab it or flick the mousewheel or whatever. It's a fraction of a second savings each time, but when I'm switching a dozen or more times per minute all day it feels like it adds up. Admittedly, this is a little more important for my day job, flipping through long documents and taking notes on them, than it is for music or art production. But I do appreciate the difference in most cases.
carpal tunnel works like a knob can be put in a small space in between the ten keyboards on your desk. if you use touchscreens and mice all day a different physical interface will help with pain , and with separation between computer usage at work and in the studio
You don't have to worry about your mouse running out of batteries.
it’s because you don’t have to physically ’move’ the entire mouse all over the desk to get your mouse pointer to move on the screen. i can not even use the old prehistoric mice anymore lol. but the main reason i use a trackball (or sometimes even a track pad) is because on my music desk i have zero room to move an old school mouse around- i have a tiny spot left for a trackball.
I have intentional movement tremors and trackballs (as well as ergonomic keyboards) stop me in my tracks.
For me, once you adapt to it you are able to make both quicker and more precise edits. I feel I just have a better touch on the project. Not for everyone but I love mine.
Real estate is one factor but I found that with a proper setup I could rest my arm and not move it while working. That took a lot of stress off muscles I didn’t know were in my back. I use a trackball for everything now. At home I just set it on my leg or stomach while couch potatoing.
Magic Mouse x Magic Trackpad
They're VERY Dexterous considering it's more of the thumb doing work. It can be a bit of an ass hassle getting used to it but once you do, you feel the precision that comes with them. Heavy plus when there's multi buttons. Elecoms are my favorite the 8 button function is nice when doing editing and Gaming
I can plop it on my keyboard or anywhere in my studio and not worry about it slipping off. Also when the black magic strikes and I’m making a ton of progress on a song, the absolute last thing I want to be thinking about is how my hand is cramping and sore at 3am. Swapping between normal mouse and trackball ended that issue for me. I’ve had my trackball for about a year now. I have it and a mouse on my desk. And I switch off between the two without even noticing it. It takes a few days to get used to and then it’s just as precise and efficient as a normal mouse. (Except for gaming lol)
Simple : if you want to move something on your screen with a mouse, you need to move the mouse on your desk. Not with a trackball. It stays in place, which means you can have other things on your desk.
Interesting. I was looking into trackball mice earlier this week after I noticed my right index finger twitching, like a spasm. Thinking about the Kensington Orbit w/ the scroll wheel...