I agree. I see people posting about trouble with sideways scrolling or zooming or needing to use the Hand Tool and I think “What? … oh, of course - they don’t use a Trackpad.”
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Well, what about the transpositions ( octave or semitones)?
No mouse: Wacom Intous Pro! After I started using Wacom with stylus, I am never going back to mouse again, it´s just so intuitive and my arm/elbow is no longer strained. I have the Intous Pro Medium, and the Small, for traveling/homestudio, both arte excellent.
I think it all boils down to what you get used to. I’m pretty snappy with my trackpad at home and just about equally so with my trackball at work. It’s just a matter of acclimation. That said, a trackpad is a multi-dimensional input so certain things can be accomplished in a single fluid motion rather than two which is a point in its favor.
Also, it should be noted: trakckballs DO take getting used to.
You can’t do those with a mouse, a trackpad, a trackball or a Wacom pad (unless you have a programmable mouse that can learn these shortcuts. It’s still a case of clicking a button, though).
Alt-Up/Down for diatonic
Shift-Alt-Up/Down for chromatic
Cmd/Ctrl-Alt-Up/Down for octaves
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I have Intuos Pro 10. It is twice as expensive as Apple MTP II and support multi-touch gesture and has more features ( buttons and touch ring). So I assume automatically it is a better choice than Apple’s MTP. Plus, I see @John_at_Steinberg has it but doesn’t touch it and uses slimblade (hidden on his right side).
I am right-handed. Do you place it on the left side or the right side?
I assume you use it with touch on mode and not with its Pen. Aren’t I correct?
The pen is too thick and to do a keyboard shortcut, I need to put the pen down next to my keyboard and then press the keys on my keyboard? Do you use its button and touch rings?
If so, how. I appreciate it if you could explain that.
These are exactly I need and use more than anything after note entry KCs, when I am composing. So to do those, a mouse ( mouse with trackball) with a minimum of 6 buttons is needed.
As @DanMcL mentioned, it all comes down to what you do? Are you mixing, composing, engraving/typesetting.
Thanks to your responses, I guess I came down to a conclusion for my case.
PS. After thinking twice: it is doable with two extra buttons! I noticed my middle finger hurts from time to time!
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I use it with the pen, and the ring only for zoom. I don´t find it a problem to hold the pen while typing shortcuts.
For me, the swittch to Wacom was mostly to put less strain on a problematic mouse-arm, and I am cured for that. But that I don´t miss a mouse anymore was something I hadn´t thought!
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Thank you.
I have three displays two in front of me and the third one right above them.
Do you put the Wacom on the right side?
I recently bought a Kensington Expert Wireless Mouse and I think I made the wrong decision.
I’ve found my hand getting tight and that under my wrist gets sore from balancing my hand. Perhaps it’s just the height of the desk etc, or I have bad mouse technique!
Does anyone have experience going from one of these “flat” trackballs to a vertical one? In theory, it seems that my problems could be sold. Also, I’ve just realised that a Trackpad might be another alternative too?
I did spend $150 (AU) on the Kensington but I think I’d rather spend it again but keep my hand safe.
I have used/use:
Right handed mouse (regular)
Right handed mouse (vertical, one moderate, the other bona fide)
Left handed vertical
Trackpad
Kensington expert trackball (current main mouse)
Wacom pad
(Professional organist with tendinitis and not insignificant arm pain here)
All the above, by the way, also led to standing desks and split keyboards; I recommend them both.
I use the trackball as my daily driver now but always keep a trackpad at the ready for adjusting zoom and positioning on screen. You simply can’t beat trackpads for that. They are so much more fluid. I don’t like relying primarily on trackpads, however.
I didn’t find vertical mice to be all that difficult, particularly for my right hand. But even a vertical mouse with my left is perfectly doable and I actually got it back out the other day. Yes there’s a learning curve, but if you’re trying to stave off carpal tunnel, it seems a trivial price to pay.
So in summary: I have three mice on my desk and use different mice depending on how I’m feeling and what I’m doing. If you can afford the space, don’t lock yourself into a single mouse. I’m not sure I’d go for a vertical trackball, however. And I certainly wouldn’t use the kind where the trackball is only for your thumb. That’s just begging for thumb pain.
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I’ve been using the Countour’s RollerMouse Red plus in combination with Contour’s Balance Keyboard for four years already. No wrist pain since. I highly recommend.
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That’s the one type of mouse I’ve never tried.
For keyboard I use a kinesics freestyle edge (original, non-egg version) and love it.
KINESIS Gaming Freestyle Edge RGB Split Mechanical Keyboard (MX Brown) (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HYKQ3Z8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_T2F3GV5PTR3AFT180YC6
You can split the halves to shoulder width apart and tent them so your not pronated (and angle them so there’s no ulnar deviation).
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I am looking for a wired or wireless standard type mouse but with say 2-4 programmble buttons (excluding the usual left & right click buttons which I wish to leave as standard use).
Can anyone advise how I know whether the buttons can be programmed for spcific Cubase keyboard shortcuts/macros or alternatively recommend a programmable buttoned mouse for Cubase?
I’ve just spent 2 hours googling and it seems on looking at the user manuals that some mice’s buttons can only be programmed to their own listed set movements and not linked to Cubase.
I have a Kensington trackball which I tried for 3 months and unfortunately for me I just couldn’t become proficient (Dom Sigalas and Chris Selim swear by trackballs but I found it difficult to hit the required spot on my 42" screen whereas moving back to a standard mouse was a breeze and much more intuitive!).
Thanks in advance.
After a really bad couple of months with Carpal Tunnel I bought the Logitech MX vertical. It’s got 5 buttons - left/middle/right (index finger) and Forward / Back (thumb). I haven’t reconfigured the buttons myself but the available options (including the inevitably named “Smart Actions”) suggest that there’s a fair range of options available. There is an option in there for Keyboard Shortcuts and that’s available for the Middle/Forward and Back buttons. The Left and Right are not configurable.
It took me a couple of days to really feel at home with it. The CT is gone (thank God) and the only minor quibble I have is that my old mouse seemed smoother across the mouse mat.
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Excellent, thank you @David_Tee 
I’ve added that to my Christmas list so if nobody bites I’ll pick it up in the post Christmas sales 
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Wow! that looks a smart bit of kit & reasonable price too!
Thanks for the links
How many of the buttons be programmed to kb shortcuts please?
I programmed 4, but I don’t see why not 8… (not sure, anyway…)
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Well, about mouses… I’m really happy with my Logitech Ergo Lift.
It’s a bit smaller than Logitech Ergo MX, but has silent buttons.
Of course the choice of such a mouse depends on the hand. My hand allows me to work fine with both MX and Lift, so went for Lift because of the silent buttons. 
Best wishes,
Thurisaz
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