What's new

Mouse vs. Trackpad (and keyboard) questions

hibhardwaj

New Member
What do you guys prefer- a mouse or a trackpad. I am on a 2015 Macbook Pro and adding a Mac Mini for which I want to decide between a magic mouse vs. a trackpad. Also I use Logic Pro X as my primary DAW.

A subsequent question, any advantages of buying a keyboard with numeric keys on it vs. a regular keyboard.

Small decisions, but I think can make major impact on the workflow.

Thanks in advance for your time!
 
I use a numeric keyboard. In Logic the numbers are assigned to selecting screensets. The up/down/left/right buttons scroll through your tracks in the main and mixer windows. I also use it in other applications like a calculator or any time I need to enter numbers.

I never got along with a track pad and the rare occasions I've been on a laptop it felt very awkward to get around. That said, I haven't put in much time using one, so I suppose one gets accustom to it. I dislike Apple mice. They feel small in my hand and limited as far as extra functionality goes. I use a Logitech Performance MX. I love it. I think they discontinued it and replaced it with the MX Master 2S. There are a bunch of good Logitech mice to choose from. It just depends on the size and fit you like and how many programable buttons you require. I like having those extra buttons and use them to zoom in and out, scroll left and right, start and stop Logic, open new finder windows, close windows etc. They are fully programable and you can have them do different things for different applications.
 
Mac Mini for which I want to decide between a magic mouse vs. a trackpad.
I like the Magic Mouse better than the autonomous trackpad. Except if you get the wireless version you need a wired mouse spare for when the wireless needs recharging.
 
Specifically for apple

Larger keyboards with numeric keys might give you more shortcuts (with Cubase it allows easy access to switch editing tools) which save time.

Trackpads aren't as precise, but I have a feeling they are better for the health of your hands long term. Personally I don't think the magic mouse is comfortable.
 
The problem with sequencers and notation applications and any application that has lots of horizontal scrolling (not general office work) is that mice put a lot of left-right strain on the wrist and trackpads on the fingers. At least that's what I found after a couple of years pain.

That's why I now have the Logitech MX Ergo. The hand is in one position and can be tilted and the trackball is for the most versatile joint: the thumb.

Have never had a problem since.
 
I’m a big fan of the Magic Mouse as it’s the best of both for me. I also always use a full keyboard on the DAW.
 
the trackball is for the most versatile joint: the thumb.

According to my doctor the thumb joint is absolutely not intended and equipped for all the stuff we do with it in our modern world. It's the joint where I get get pain in first when I put too much strain on my hands, and I don't even use trackballs or smartphones.


Based on anecdotal experience from RSI sufferers, the most ergonomic and pain free method of input is not one, but all of them. Switch it up every hour or so. Wacom tablets are also an option. Nowadays they might have a touchpad mode too, I'm not sure. They are such high built quality, that I'm still using the Wacom Intuos 3 that I bought over 10 years ago. And I frequently used it too.
Don't know about their newer models but I assume they are good too.
 
I've switched to trackpads years ago. I use a keyboard without numeric keypad to move the trackpad to a more comfortable position. An embedded numeric keypad is simulated, in the Mac, with programming in Karabiner Klements.

With keypads, it is very important to lay your hand as often as possible, to avoid fingers being continually in tension.

Paolo
 
Thanks for the reply guys! Really appreciate your inputs. Based on the discussion and the points put forward, I have decided to go with an ergonomically well designed mouse and a keyboard with numeric keys on it.

Best,
~Himanshu
 
I'm late, and it's a matter of preference, but I use a Magic Mouse for mousing and a Magic Trackpad for gestures. They're both very well designed ergonomically. Then I have a Belkin 10-key that I bring over when I need to enter a lot of numbers, like during tax time.

BetterTouchTool is the shazzle - it lets you program all kinds of things to gestures on both of them.

The current Apple keyboard with the 10-key is very good (after one that wasn't as good as the perfect one before it).
 
I know this is an old thread, but since I did reply to it once...

I've been an avid lover of the Magic Mouse because it combined a nice mouse and touchpad. However, I had a slim blade on one of my other machines and started using it. How quickly I've become accustomed to it and now have ordered a 2nd one along with a magic touchpad.

This came about during a live broadcast this weekend where my mouse kept sliding down onto the keyboard. I have an S88mkII and I have a thin mouse pad on it. Another thing is the magic mouse will occasionally hiccup as it is very susceptible to dust.

I do miss the smoother scrolling of the magic mouse though, this I figure for the times I need the hand gestures I can use a touchpad and see how that goes.
 
I love the trackpad and keyboard ergonomics of my MacBook pro. It took a while to shake the mouse in favor of the trackpad, but now I couldn’t operate as easily without it. If I finally bite the bullet and get a more powerful computer (desktop) I will recreate that configuration, putting a Magic Pad 2 and keyboard in a custom made frame.
 
You are going to get as many opinions as there are people responding to this question.

I personally really like the Magic Mouse in conjunction with BetterTouchTool, and I have a Magic Trackpad that I use for gestures (also with BTT) but not for pointing and clicking.

Lots of people love trackballs, but they slow me down. It's not that I *can't* use them, it's that I don't like them.

As to the 10-key, it's useful with Logic, especially if you know it by touch, because you can locate and control the transport with it (in addition to selecting screensets + whatever other commands you have assigned to it). I have a stand-alone Belkin one that I move over to use with Logic - stand-alone because they didn't make a Bluetooth keyboard with a 10-key until a couple of years ago, and because the Magic Trackpad + 10-key is too much.

It would be a tough choice if I had to choose between the Magic Trackpad and a 10-key.
 
Top Bottom