Track Ball question ... ??

[Don Geppert]

Just curious ....

1) How many of you use the D-Ctrl built in Track Ball?

2) How many of you replace the D-Ctrl Track Ball with an alternate Track Ball (Kensington etc).

3) How many of you prefer a mouse over the Track Ball and have removed it for a flat panel & pad?

4) In reference to #3 how many mouse with wire vs wireless

5) Any other Input solutions over Mouse or Track Ball.

[Mikey MTC]

I'm still within my first month of use and are reluctantly sticking with the D-Control track ball. I actually do like it a lot but I absolutely miss the up/down and left/right scrolling of the Apple Mighty Mouse. The other user in our facility is all for getting the Mighty Mouse back sooner rather than later but I'm insisting on giving the trackball a good long chance.

I was hoping that USB Overdrive would allow us to hold some modifier or something to then allow scroll movement via the trackball but I can't work it out and the author hasn't returned my email to this question.

Any suggestions here would be most welcome because in spite of inherent ergonomics, the track ball suffers for not offering this feature.

[Don Geppert]

We too are struggling a bit with the D-Ctrl trackball and echo your feelings about the limitations in contrast to scrolling with a mouse and wheel. Another user/friend of mine said they yanked the D-Ctrl ball and went with a Kensington so I am curious to hear from other users.

[Matt Chan]

we're using kensingtons. the mighty mouse would be great though. i found the d-control trackball too heavy and we macro the kensington buttons for some of our mixers.

for scrolling and zooming, i am really liking shift-wheel and option-wheel combinations.

[Mikey MTC]

for scrolling and zooming, i am really liking shift-wheel and option-wheel combinations.

The wheel stuff is certainly cool but it's on the opposite side of the keyboard so you have to learn to jump from left to right depending on what you want to do.

[Chris Lambrechts]

I use the standard one. I like the heavy feel actually. I use a kensington expert mouse pro trackball at home and that one indeed could be an alternative if ever needed one. But I don't miss the extra buttons on D control that the kensington has. Everything is there really.

[tonmeistermat]

I HATE the track-ball thing! Whenever I'm mixing in ProControl rooms I take my own mouse with me, just to be on the safe side. In my own studio I have a D-Comand, and I've got a bluetooth mightymouse which is just brilliant... can't recommend it enough!

Mat

[DrDub]

Having used D-Controls running both the ball and mouse, mouse wins every time. Mainly as you've stated for the wheel on the mouse; it just gives a whole set of useful features that the ball doesn't have. That and the fact that mouse just feels more natural (to me anyway).

[Don Geppert]

Dr. Dub,

Yup I agree 100%.

One weird thing though .... as much as I find the D-Ctrl Trackball frustrating, it is making me learn the console functions better as I am forced to find ways to work quicker and more efficiently than using the ball will allow. Still in the end, I am almost positive that we will rip out the ball and go back to a mouse. I personally like the Microsoft Intellimouse and I will see if I can find a cordless version that I can live with.

[Great Divide Studios]

I've been using the Kensington Turbo Mouse Pro which is a track ball with a scroll wheel. I just love this thing, but
I lose comm about once a day and have to go through the crazy exercise of switching off the main D control unit, rebooting the
gefen cat 5 extender, rebooting the Mac and physically unplugging/replugging the Kensington several times to get it to come back to life.

This has been a complete nightmare, so I'm gonna have to get mad at someone as soon as I get the chance. I've gone through 3 gefen extenders and a new usb card for the d control and still have the problem. I'm sure it's the D control's fault as I have a few other things hanging off the gefen and they always work.

Best,

Jamie