anyone using a graphics tablet?

[noizetronic]

Hi forum,

as a developing case of RSI on my mouse hand is starting to drive me bonkers, i am thinking of getting a graphics tablet as a mouse replacement.

Does anyone use these? What brand or minimum size would you suggest? Known Disadvantages? How does controlling a VST this way feel?

regards noizetronic

[Meffy]

I've suffered far more paw pain from using a stylus than from any (non-garbageworthy) mouse. But they're great for some things. For graphics nothing else is quite like a Wacom with pressure and tilt sensitivity.

The bigger the active surface, the more accurately you'll be able to place your pointer -- but the farther you'll have to move the stylus tip in the real world to make the pointer travel the corresponding distance in display space. Like so many things, it's a tradeoff.

Never used a stylus and pad for music, can't help you there. You'll probably have to flip the driver into "mouse emulation mode" for it to work right.

Oh -- I've never heard anyone say anything good about those special mice designed to be used on a digitizing tablet. Just the opposite.

[liqih]

Hi,

I tried with a Volito tablet, the pen is very good and you can get used to VST easily,

the problem is switching often from keyboard to pen, to mouse it's easier since it's horizontally held

Volito got a mouse too but the tablet size is too small for it

[aMUSEd]

Yep - Wacom Intuous 3 - A6 is fine for me. Has a nice mouse too and a sort of ribbon slider that can be set to handle zooms and stuff. Very useful for drawing envelopes and moving stuff around the screen though I tend to prefer my Phatboy for controlling VSTi knobs/sliders.

[asseca]

Hi noizetronic,
Try using mouse emulator...

[simulacreant]

how about a tablet pc? anyone use one of these?
i'm especially considering one as the main system to run my Nord G2's editor software. i think that nearly touchscreen experience will be a boon to my productivity.

[ceenda]

Wacom all the way. They're expensive, but the stylus feels great in the hand and you get the sense that the devs have been thinking alot about the design. They are also rock-solid and take quite a bit of (unintentional) abuse.

Don't settle for cheaper models with badly designed pens that will give you pain in your hands after a while (also, ones with batteries in the pen are terrible).

Don't use it for music at the moment. Just for the art. [shameless plug] http://www.flyingislands.co.uk [/shameless plug]

[noizetronic]

Oh -- I've never heard anyone say anything good about those special mice designed to be used on a digitizing tablet. Just the opposite.

i will go stylus then anyway..

Try using mouse emulator...

pretty cool.. brings back some atari ST feeling where you just could ignore that tank mouse if your action would not require to be done in tenths of a second. Can't imagine that on a VST but will try..

I tend to prefer my Phatboy for controlling VSTi knobs/sliders.

got a fader box here already and quite love it. But you know, these things always are too small / missing those last three pots

how about a tablet pc?

must be fun but tends to be an option too expensive, for me at least. Wacom has a combined display/tablet, same here with the price.

I will go the volito way then, as i'm chronically broke and this seems to be a cheap but useful solution.

Thank you all for your feedback so far!

regards noizetronic

[pHz]

been using a wacom volito for ages now ... and i love it for all aspects of computer work (YMMV though ... my background is in the visual arts so brain > hand > space coordination is second nature to me ... tablets have always felt a more 'natural' way to control the cursor than a mouse or pad) ...

(the volito is only A6 sized but ive found this more than adequate ... i use an A4 tablet at work and find that really awkward - as mentioned you have to physically move the stylus tip MUCH further ...

... as mentioned switching from pen to keyboard can feel clumsy at first (and my - again background / education influenced - workaround by chucking the stylus in my mouth while typing / playing may not be to EVERYONES taste) ...

... and SOME (very few actually - ableton live is only main culprit in my setup) apps seem not to like the tablet completely (live works fine until you try to move a native live slider / knob when things get PRETTY imprecise - VST controls work fine though so go figure) ...

... for some audio / sequencing tasks (like drawing envelopes and automation curves) the tablet cant be beaten for speed and accuracy ... assuming your drawing skills are up to the task (for some people the displacement between eye hand and cursor can be awkward to overcome) ...

... in summary id say go for it ...

slainte rob

[farlukar]

[metoo]Wacom.[/metoo]

[dharmawan]

use a tablet occasionally for graphic work and also everything else when my wrists start to feel strained. the strained feeling disappears in about a day after switching to a tablet so i really recommend them

[dharmawan]

Don't use it for music at the moment. Just for the art. [shameless plug] http://www.flyingislands.co.uk [/shameless plug]

youre really good dude! whats "speed painting"? those look great.. what painting software are u using, the brushes look wicked

[noizetronic]

Don't use it for music at the moment. Just for the art. [shameless plug] http://www.flyingislands.co.uk [/shameless plug]

youre really good dude! whats "speed painting"? those look great.. what painting software are u using, the brushes look wicked

seconded. Some things almost look like photographs

[GypsyJazz]

Hi forum,

as a developing case of RSI on my mouse hand is starting to drive me bonkers, i am thinking of getting a graphics tablet as a mouse replacement.
Does anyone use these? What brand or minimum size would you suggest? Known Disadvantages? How does controlling a VST this way feel?

I had a bad RSI problem from gripping the mouse
a few years back.
I bought a Cirque Glidepoint Touchpad and it solved my problem.Takes a bit of getting used to, but once you
master it, a Touchpad is actually better than a mouse..... IMHO..... it has extra features (like scrolling & zooming simply by sliding your finger along different edges of the pad) which I've gotten very used to.....but the best thing of all is not
having to grip anything.......I just control every thing with my fingertips! Very natural and relaxed....
stress free.....

http://www.cirque.com/

[ugo]

i started running into a bit of trouble a while back and found that using my graphics tablet (a wacom intuos) for a few months instead of a mouse helped get me away from potential trouble. however, i use a right handed mouse...but i use a tablet with my left. so the strain was completely removed since i was using another hand. but i do suspect that a change in motion and wrist angle could help, even in the same hand.

one suggestion though buy a relatively small tablet. it will minimize your hand/arm motions. the 12x12's are cool but they take up a lot of space and make you move a lot. i use a 6x8 and it minimizes my motions, but not so much that i feel cramped.

i normally just use my tablet for graphics work, but any time i feel my wrist, arm or shoulder acting up, i'll switch to the tablet. and in general...dont forget to watch your posture and always take some breaks. i am guilty of not doing both and i think i've had more trouble because of that than i have the mouse.

i've been looking into various other alternative/ergonomic computing devices but some are pretty damn expensive. at home i've been using a microsoft natural media keyboard for years now and i love it. however, at work im just on a normal keyboard and i'd rather get something like another natural media. im really curious to try the kinesis contoured keyboard and vertical mouse but no one around me stocks them. the datahand keyboard looks really wild but i've no idea how easy it would be to adapt to and they are damn expesive.

while we are on the topic, anyone know of a particularly good (but not outrageously expensive) ergonomic computer chair? my chair at work is worn out and i'd like to replace it with something thats better for me.

-ugo