I just wanted to report that I have been using the Logitech Marble Mouse for some time now, and so far I think it is GREAT and KILLS the mouse for DAW work.

The Marble Mouse is a trackball mouse. I always hated trackballs since I used one, but this one is very ergonomic and unlike the ones I had used before. You move the ball with your index and middle fingers and you have two big buttons at the sides. I have also tried the TrackMan, a trackball that you move with your thumb, and that one sucked for me (moving the thumb for accurate pointing is ackward and not very natural).

I have found that:
* Moving a large block of plastic (normal mice) is not as accurate as moving your fingers (Marble Mouse).
* Moving a fader or moving a plugin knob accurately is made difficult with a normal mouse since you have to press a mouse button while moving the mouse, which causes you to apply force downwards on the mouse, which makes it harder to move.

So, overall, I have gained speed and accuracy in my DAW work. Moving a fader now feels great.

I bought it for $20, but I think it can be found cheaper online.

If you are considering buying a control surface, get a Marble Mouse and reconsider

I used to have a track ball mouse with the huge ball in the center and four buttons around it:


But it didn't work with XP, so I had to go back to using a regular mouse. At first I wanted to get another track ball that would work better with XP, until I found how much faster it was to work with the mouse wheel. Things like zooming, scrolling, and even adjusting faders and other controls with the mouse wheel works so much faster. Pressing shift with the mousewheel allows for smaller changes on the faders and controls.

I have different control key combinations setup for both horizontal zoom and scrolling and vertical zooming and scrolling. Then I have a keyboard shortcut (V) that will bring up the volume box for the track that I'm on so I can use the mousewheel to adjust the volume (pessing "P" does the same thing for panning)... If you haven't tried this out yet, give it a try. When I first started using it I was surprised at how much faster I could get around and get work done using the mousewheel. I was a huge trackball fan, but I honestly don't think I could go back to a trackball mouse now. lol

-tkr

I've got a Logitech and I like it for a different reason; my finger was getting raw using my Powerbooks track pad! It seemed a no-brainer to pick up the Marble for $20 at Staples when I saw it. Of course I do most of my editing with my 002, so it's mainly for navigating. Can't beat real faders and dedicated controls.

I am new to the DAW scene. I am waiting for the delivery of my new PowerMac G5 Dual 2.3Ghz and DP 4.6 along with a 24 i/o. I also have a Ghost 32 that I want to use both to track and mix thru. What would be a good control surface to use if I was just interested in making it a little better than a mouse. Are there any in the $500 range that would work well with my setup? I understand that an inexpensive unit will not cover all parameters, but any suggestions on best "Bang-For-The-Buck"?!!

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Tekker:
I used to have a track ball mouse with the huge ball in the center and four buttons around it:


But it didn't work with XP, so I had to go back to using a regular mouse. At first I wanted to get another track ball that would work better with XP, until I found how much faster it was to work with the mouse wheel. Things like zooming, scrolling, and even adjusting faders and other controls with the mouse wheel works so much faster. Pressing shift with the mousewheel allows for smaller changes on the faders and controls.

I have different control key combinations setup for both horizontal zoom and scrolling and vertical zooming and scrolling. Then I have a keyboard shortcut (V) that will bring up the volume box for the track that I'm on so I can use the mousewheel to adjust the volume (pessing "P" does the same thing for panning)... If you haven't tried this out yet, give it a try. When I first started using it I was surprised at how much faster I could get around and get work done using the mousewheel. I was a huge trackball fan, but I honestly don't think I could go back to a trackball mouse now. lol

-tkr

You know there's a new Kensington Expert Mouse trackball with a scroll ring around the outside of the ball, right? it does the same thing as the scroll wheel...look around and you'll find it...the new ones are black with a built in wrist rest.