wireless keyboard and mouse ok?

[trock]

this may sound dumb, but i just got PT LE 8 and the eleven rack.

i am on a mac pro 2.8 octo, 16 gigs ram etc running 10.5.8

i thought i had read somewhere to turn off bluetooth on the mac as part of some tweaks that can be done.

just wondering if this is true or if its ok to use a wireless keyboard and mouse with the mac and PT?

thanks

[bmcoonan]

As part of the optimizations, Digi says to turn off Bluetooth and Firewire networking and a bunch of other things. I would just try it and if you have a bunch of weird problems or get a bunch of errors, follow the Digi recommendations.

I usually forget to turn off my wireless networking but never really had any problems on my iMac.

BC

[JesseF]

I use wireless. It's not bluetooth. just a USB thing. no problemas

[nst7]

Regardless of whether bluetooth interferes with performance, there's another reason you may not want to use a wireless mouse. You will be going through batteries about every 3 weeks. You use your mouse way more in Protools than you do for normal computer use (word processing, etc.) Especially things like effects and virtual instruments parameters where you're clicking and holding and dragging, all your editing, etc. If you have a contol surface and/or use keyboard shortcuts, it might lessen this, but overall you will really go through batteries and it's a pain. That's why I switched to an off brand non-wireless mouse.

Also, right-clicking capabilities are easier on an off brand mouse that has a dedicated button. I think you can configure your apple mouse to do it, but it's a little weird. Having a separate right-click button is really convenient for a lot of protools commands.

Another thing is a mouse that has a notched scroll wheel, rather than continuous like the apple mouse. Comes in handy for a lot of things.

Just some thoughts.

[Jperkins]

I am actually a fan of the Apple Mighty Mouse, I know most people aren't.
My complaints with the wireless Mighty Mouse is that it's a bit heavier due to the batteries, and it's a bit harder to fly around and edit, I only used it once so maybe it takes some getting used to, I also think the lack of number pad on the Apple wireless keyboard would be annoying since I use those a lot to go between memory locations. I also question the response time of the wireless mouse, seemed to lag behind a tiny bit.

[Dism]

You will always get some latency with a wireless mouse, I find. Batteries are a pain, too. I can't justify powering something via batteries when I can power it via USB.

I also seem to be of the rare breed that likes using the Mighty Mouse as well. The 360 scroll makes life in Pro Tools a lot easier, considering all of the horizontal scrolling that is necessary.

I'm still not entirely sold on the idea of wireless peripherals. Wireless devices tend to cause interference in many audio settings. Latency tends to be an issue in many devices as well. Not to mention batteries, and the fact that my mouse isn't attached to my computer... well I just feel like it's one more thing that could go missing.

The only wireless device I like is my iPod Touch.

[idleave]

i also use a wireless mighty mouse. i was concerned about the PT bluetooth compatibility thing too but i have not had any problems. i do though use a wired keyboard just because of the number pad i think is a must for PT. needless to say if apple does come out with a wireless keyboard witht the number pads ill be all over it. and just like dism said the 360 scroll wheel is now a must for me.

[trock]

cool

thanks for the replies

i think i am just gonna stick with my cabled mac stuff, might look for that notched mouse though, i know what you mean by that to, love them

thanks!

[Gemylon]

I had a wireless mighty mouse, but now switch to a cable mouse instead.
It is way better to work with.
Its lighter, and no batteries to replace.
That was annoying. Too often.

Cleaning process is much more easy also.
The 360 scroll-button stops to function after a while
because of dirt and dust inside,
so you'll have to open the mouse up and clean it.

With a battery mouse that can be a bit tricky
because of all the different parts inside...

G