Been a longtime Kensington Slimblade user. A trackball no less. Love them until they start to stick. Then I can't ever get it to not stick during slow precise movements. Thinking of going back to a 'regular' mouse with good ergonomics and programability for a few basic moves.

Anyone care to share their favorite?

Anything in the logitech MX series. i like the MX anywheres but they are on the small size. The laser in the MX are very precise on most any surface.

Have you considered a Wacom tablet? I find it less strenuous and faster to move about the canvas, I much prefer it over a mouse. I have been looking in to mice with programmable macro keys lately though and, as has already been mentioned, found the Logitech MX Master 3 to be recommended very well although I don't have personal experience with it.

Andi

Thanks Andi. I haven't tried a tablet before. I write with my left hand but mouse with my right so I thought that might be an obstacle.  I might take a closer look at the MX 3!

You might want to look into vertical mice too. 

My perfect combo is a wacom and a vertical mouse. The wacom mostly for editing, and the vertical mouse for everything else.

Look into what you find most comfortable. Once you've found it, editing becomes so much faster and more comfortable. 

Thanks for the info and photo.  I find the Wacom so interesting as I can't see how it'd be faster! :-) I'm sure I'm missing something.  I'll have to check youtube to see it in practice.

I almost wish someone came up with a list of the "Top 10 most commonly performed actions" in Avid so I could see some head to head comparisons/competitions on various input devices. 

I'll definiely give the Wacom another look though.

I recently tried using a wacom for a couple months and found that for me at least it slowed me down. Part of the problem was that using it for remote editing there was a tiny lag so there would be many missed clicks and things dropping in the wrong place. Also, I had the smallest size Intuos Pro and for two monitors that wasn't great so maybe my experience would have been better with the next size up. I did end up love using the touch interface on it, though. So I'm back to my mouse but added a magic trackpad for non-editing use.

you might find this video I recorded some time ago helpful.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kEfMCtZ1f9rvL7e1prX8zjkFBXFeSmqh/view?usp=sharing

I remember being quite vague and waffling a lot so feel free to skip sections. 

I forgot to mention how amazing rotoscoping or drawing shapes are with the wacom. 

Also, The quantel systems used pen and tablet interfaces :) 

Thanks Philip! Looks like a great system there. Very helpful vid.   Now...if you've got a vid on how to get Titler+ to not infuriate me, you win the day.

-Dan

Southpaw23:

Thanks Philip! Looks like a great system there. Very helpful vid.   Now...if you've got a vid on how to get Titler+ to not infuriate me, you win the day.

-Dan

Was a lot of birthday money. lol. 

I'm afraid, even I, can't help you there. Pray to the Avid gods to improve it. 

You might have seen the titling I did at the beginning of my timeline, there are a few "tricks", but even so I think we all know it needs improving. 

Trackpad, Wacom tablet, iPad Pro with Avid Control (Pro Tools) and Astropad Studio (mostly with Photoshop).

I used a Wacom tablet for years and loved it, had issues when I went to remote and switched to a Kensington Trackball; it works well and after some time getting used to it, it's quick. Helps with the carpal tunnel stuff...

Also +1 for the upright mouse, the Evoluent is good...

Hahaha Philip...all your issues with the mouse in that video were all the issues I had with the Wacom that drove me back to the mouse. Whatever works, I guess!

jcmcnamee:

Whatever works, I guess!

Absolutely. But I would add that ergonomics are very important; I think the wacom does better than the mouse on that front. 

Maybe give the fullsize Kensington Expert mouse a try?

When they get stuck, all it it takes is a quick clean of the sensors (normally a big dust bunny) and then it's good to go for at least 6 months.

I really love how trackballs don't require mousing room or take up as much space as a tablet. That's why so many Pro Tools guys use it. It can just sit on the console or sit on a desk fully loaded with control surfaces. 

Having said that, I wish Kensington would add all the gee-wiz buttons from the Logitech series for added functionality. In the end, I appreciate the space saving design and the reduced RSI. 

-Robert