Best Music Laptop

Best Trackball Mouse For Music Production

Best Trackball Mouse For Music Production

If you’ve decided you want to get a trackball mouse for your music production setup to speed up your workflow, save a bit of space, and even avoid getting pain in your arm, wrist, hand, or shoulder, you’re in the right place.

Best Trackball Mouse For Music Production

Because in this article, I’m going to take a look at some of the best trackball mice for music production and help you decide which one will be the best option for you.

While most reviews out there of trackball mice mainly talk about the benefits and drawbacks of using a trackball mouse.

I’m actually going to assume you’ve already decided that you do want to use a trackball mouse and help you decide which trackball mouse will be the best one for you.

So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Best Trackball Mice For Music Production

Image Name Connectivity Customizable Buttons Price Range Buy On Amazon

Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball Mouse
Bluetooth Or Wireless Dongle
4
$$$
Kensington Expert Trackball Mouse
Wired
4
$$$

Logitech Trackman Marble Trackball Mouse
Wired
4
$
Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball Mouse
Wireless Dongle
2
$$
Logitech MX Ergo Wireless Trackball Mouse
Bluetooth Or Wireless Dongle
2
$$$
Kensington SlimBlade Trackball Mouse
Wired
4
$$$

Table of Contents

Pros
Cons

First on our list is the Kensington Expert Wireless, it’s on the high end of the pricing scale as far as trackball mice go, but it’s a really nice option with some really good features.

It’s wireless which is not as important in a trackball mouse as it would be in a regular mouse, but it’s still nice if you’re not a fan of having wires cluttering up your workspace.

And if you want, you can connect it to one computer via the included USB dongle, and another computer via Bluetooth at the same time and easily switch between the two using the switch on the bottom.

Unlike some trackball mice which are the shape of a regular mouse with a trackball on the side, this one is a square shape with the trackball in the center, and four different click buttons in each corner.

This design can be a bit more difficult to get used to if you’re coming from a regular mouse, but once you get used to it, it’s really handy because you get an extra two click buttons that you can customize to perform various different functions in your DAW.

Another benefit of this design is that it’s also fully ambidextrous so you’ll be able to use it to its full potential even if you’re left-handed.

It has a very big trackball which allows you to move the cursor across the screen a bit quicker than with some of the other mice on this list that have smaller trackballs.

And it comes with a detachable wrist pad that can sit in front of the mouse and provide extra comfort for your wrist.

So overall, while it is one of the more expensive options out there, if you’re looking for a high quality wireless trackball mouse, this one won’t disappoint.

Pros
Cons

The Kensington Expert is very similar to the Kensington Expert Wireless I mentioned above, with the only big difference being that this one is not wireless.

This can be both a plus and a minus depending on how you look at it.

On one hand, being wired is a bit inconvenient as you need to have a cable running from the mouse to your computer which can kind of clutter up your workspace.

But on the other hand, if you don’t mind the cable, it means you’ll never have to worry about replacing the batteries, and as it’s a trackball mouse which you don’t need to move around your desk, having a wire isn’t really a big drawback.

Apart from it being wired instead of wireless, the colors are different as you can probably tell from the pictures. But apart from the connectivity and the colors, they are basically the same mouse.

So if you liked the sound of the Kensington Expert Wireless, but you’d prefer a wired mouse, this is the one for you.

Pros
Cons

The Logitech Trackman Marble Isn’t exactly the best trackball mouse available, but it’s still very good and it’s available on Amazon for a much more affordable price than other trackball mice.

It’s a wired mouse which means you’ll never have to worry about charging it or changing the batteries, but you will have to put up with a cable running across your desk.

And it has a very comfortable ambidextrous design that allows you to use it to its full potential regardless of whether you’re left or right handed.

So overall it’s a very good trackball mouse, but it does have one fairly big problem. This mouse doesn’t have a scroll wheel.

While all the other mice on this list have either a regular scroll wheel or a scroll ring around the trackball, the Trackman Marble has no scroll wheel of any kind.

If you use a Windows computer for music production, there is a software from Logitech you can install called SetPoint which will allow you to configure one of the spare buttons so that you can hold down a button and scroll by moving the trackball.

But as far as I can tell, if you use a Mac, your only option for scrolling will be to click on the bar on the side of the screen and drag it to scroll which is certainly not ideal.

So if you use a Mac, I probably wouldn’t recommend this mouse, but if you use a Windows computer and you’re on a budget, this cheap and simple mouse from Logitech will be the one for you.

Pros
Cons

The Logitech M570 is a bit of a different form of trackball mouse. Rather than having the trackball in the center, it’s more like the shape of a regular mouse, but with a trackball on the side to be controlled by your thumb.

Obviously, this means it will be no good if you’re left-handed, but as long as you’re right-handed, you might actually prefer this design as it will feel more familiar if you’re coming from a regular mouse.

And it’s big enough that you can wrap your entire hand around it which can feel more comfortable.

It’s wireless so you won’t have any annoying cords getting in the way, but you will have to change the AA battery about every 12 months.

It has standard left and right click buttons with a scroll wheel in the middle just like on a regular mouse which means there won’t be quite as much of a learning curve as there would be with some of the other mice.

And it also has forward and back buttons which can be customized to do whatever you want which can really speed up your workflow.

This mouse is available for a fairly affordable price, and it’s nothing too fancy, but overall it’s a really nice trackball mouse and as long as you’re right-handed, it won’t disappoint.

Want to Buy The Logitech M570?

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Pros
Cons

The Logitech MX Ergo is essentially a newer, more premium version of the M570 which I mentioned above.

Like the M570, it’s shaped like a regular mouse with the trackball on the side which means it’s no good for left-handed users.

But unlike the M570, it has a much more modern and premium look and a nice rubbery coating which is very comfortable to hold. 

Apart from the look and feel, it also has the ability to tilt 20 degrees to the right which can feel a little bit strange at first, but once you get used to it, you might find it to be more comfortable.

A small addition that’s actually really helpful for music production, is that the scroll wheel can be tilted side to side allowing you to scroll across the timeline in your DAW very easily.

It also has Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the wireless dongle so you can connect it to two different computers at once and switch between them with the button on the top.

And it also has the ability to quickly and easily move files and text between the two computers as long as the computers are on the same Wifi network which can be quite handy if you’re using a multi-computer setup.

Another small handy feature is the precision mode button which makes your cursor move much slower which can be handy for things like making small tweaks to levels in your DAW.

One more thing worth mentioning that makes it different from the M570 is that you have to plug it in and recharge it every few months rather than replacing the batteries. This doesn’t necessarily make it better or worse, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

It is fairly pricey as far as mice go so it won’t be for everyone. But if you’re right-handed and you don’t mind spending a bit more money for a premium trackball mouse experience, the Logitech MX Ergo could be the one for you.

Want to Buy The Logitech MX Ergo Trackball Mouse?

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Pros
Cons

Last but not least on our list is the Kensington SlimBlade. It’s on the high end of the pricing scale, but if you don’t mind the extra cost, it’s a very good option.

It’s fairly similar to the Kensington Expert that I mentioned at the start of this article, with the main difference being that this one is quite a bit slimmer (hence the name “SlimBlade”).

The trackball is a bit bigger than the Kensington Expert which means you’ll be able to move your cursor across a large screen more easily, and because the SlimBlade is thinner, it also means more of the trackball is exposed allowing you to move the cursor even further in a single movement.

Another difference between this and the Kensington Expert is that this one has significantly bigger click buttons which makes them easier to click without having to bend your fingers.

Unfortunately, the SlimBlade doesn’t come with a wrist rest which could be a downside if you enjoy having an elevated pad to put your wrist, but overall it’s not a big deal.

By looking at the picture, you may notice that it doesn’t have a scroll ring around the trackball like the Kensington Expert does. Instead, you can scroll by rotating the trackball left or right which may sound strange but it’s actually a really nice experience.

It is wired which could be a pain if you don’t like cables on your desk, but on the plus side, you’ll never have to worry about recharging it or changing the batteries.

So overall, if you’re after an ambidextrous trackball mouse with a nice big trackball and big click buttons and you don’t mind the high price tag, this is the one for you.

Want to Buy The Kensington SlimBlade?

(Affiliate Link)

And there you have it, hopefully, with all these different trackball mice to choose from, you’ve now found the perfect one for your music production setup.

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