A locking mouse button idea?

[Grekim]

When mixing with the mouse, would it not be great if you could not have to hold down the mouse button?! This is where the midi controller is superior. Holding down that button creates extra tension which for me, and I suspect many others, allows for less natural movement of the other muscles that are supposed to be making ultrafine fader moves. So, I think it would be most spectacular if there were a way to lock the button down within the software, for example by perhaps right-clicking on the fader knob. You could then move the fader without holding down the mouse button. Another right click would then return to normal functioning.

[TotalSonic]

Personally I don't like the idea because we're talking about altering one of the most basic DAW function controls that has been around for about 14 years. I really like the fact that most right-clicks equate to initiating playback in SAW and don't really want this change either. Obviously ommv - but for those folks who prefer DAW controllers over mousing there are a good number of them that interface well with SAWStudio already.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Naturally Digital]

When mixing with the mouse, would it not be great if you could not have to hold down the mouse button?! Yes!

The Sonalksis plugins lock to the control with a double-click. I like being able to operate the controls with my trackball and without holding the mouse button.

I'm setting up a second trackball so I can hold the button with my left hand and adjust the control with my right.

Some of the trackballs and mice have programmable buttons that include a click lock feature.

Windows XP includes a click lock function in the mouse settings but it is activated by holding the mouse button for a certain amount of time and doesn't really work well in a DAW environment.

[Grekim]

Another + for Sonalksis :)

Steve, I'm not partial to a right click. My first thought was a vitual button in each fader box that you could engage.

David, cool. I was wondering if there were already a hardware solution out there. I'm sure it would be useful in graphics as well. Still interested in Bob's opinion on this.

[Grekim]

Well I'm learning a few things here. You can indeed lock the drag function in the windows mouse control panel. And the fader locks perfectly and it's so much nicer to use (BTW, I am a lefty, mouse in left hand and still use the left/right buttons like a righty). The problem is when you want to mark an area to write moves into or for offest purposes...things get confusing. But! it looks like I can program my basic Logitech mouse to use a separate button altogether to do drag-lock. Just make sure you remove any existing drag-lock functions you may have imposed on your mouse before installing the Logitech mouseware. Now I need to unistall it, deactivate the wondows based drag-lock, and reinstall mouseware because it takes over the windows mouse control panel. Zoinks. In further mouse news, my cat caught two this week.

[Dave Labrecque]

Well I'm learning a few things here. You can indeed lock the drag function in the windows mouse control panel. And the fader locks perfectly and it's so much nicer to use (BTW, I am a lefty, mouse in left hand and still use the left/right buttons like a righty). The problem is when you want to mark an area to write moves into or for offest purposes...things get confusing. But! it looks like I can program my basic Logitech mouse to use a separate button altogether to do drag-lock. Just make sure you remove any existing drag-lock functions you may have imposed on your mouse before installing the Logitech mouseware. Now I need to unistall it, deactivate the wondows based drag-lock, and reinstall mouseware because it takes over the windows mouse control panel. Zoinks. In further mouse news, my cat caught two this week.

Hey, thanks for this post. I hadn't thought to programany of my Logitech mouse buttons to lock on like that. I may give it a whirl.

In Tucson mouse news, our cat caught the same one twice yesterday. Poor little guy. :(

[AudioAstronomer]

Answer is very simple here, buy a mighty mouse.

The whole mouse is the button, and it works much better than you think. It's also a 4 button mouse.;)

If you want to make a fader move, put the cursor over the fader, press the whole hand down slightly and move. Or just press down one finger to simulate using a fader if you want :D