As someone who (lamentably) eschewed computer music for a long time, I’m really not used to worrying about RSI, but the more I scroll up and down the “rack” on VCV as well as Reason, Ableton… The more my index finger hurts.
I thought I would get used to it, like callouses when I started playing double bass, but apparently it’s a repetitive stress injury that will only get worse.
Any suggestions from my favorite community??
Thanks for taking the time, J
Maybe if you feel discomfort with your mouse, the solution might not be another mouse, but another mousepad 
. Are you familiar with theses padded mousepads people have in offices ? To avoid wrist injuries ? I think they also give a more comfortable position. I’m also pretty sure they are less costly than a new mouse, so it might be something to try !
Also, althought i’m not familiar with it, vertical mice are a thing, and some people really like them, that could also be something to try
Thanks for the pic ! That’s exactly what i was referring to 
. My mom has one but it stayed at her office so i didn’t have one to show.
Yeah, I used to use those a lot. Haven’t felt the need for the last decade. But I have switched to using the MS “natural” (wavy) keyboard exclusively. don’t know if that’s why no wrist pain or just a coinincidence.
Also - a lot of people who don’t get on with mice like trackballs.
I’ve used Logitech MX Master mice for a decade or more and love them - both for day job designing and having fun with audio.
Logitech MX Master here as well. Slightly angled, very good battery life even after >5 years of daily usage, very ergonomic positioning of buttons and the possibility to pair it with different PCs and switch between them via a button on the underside.
I haven’t had a mouse for about 15 years and the RSI I began to develop has completely disappeared. Trackpads.
Hi, I’m using this Logitech MX currently
And before that i use to have a Logitech Marble trackball also with palm rest.
I am very happy with it, but also used to it.
First off, you have to take RSI really seriously, because it becomes chronic and you can risk agonizing pain, or even worse, as one of my friends, not being able to use e.g. one of your arms anymore.
When I started in the IT industry as a pro back in '97 I had a two year project with intense mouse usage. The result was a chronic injury in my right shoulder that will never go away. Since then I simply (unfortunately) cannot use a regular mouse any more. Even using one for just an hour and I will feel it for the next week. So since '99 I have used a Contour Rollermouse, it’s really the only thing I can use and I recommend it. It’s not cheap but it works well. If you have no issues in your arms or shoulders, the second best option would probably be something like the Apple “magic” trackpad.
Now, things like that are not “the best mouse for VCV”, that would be a regular mouse, but you can’t use that anymore, seriously! But it works fine for everything, you just have to get used to slightly less efficiency.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there it is. You cannot cheat this one, trust me here!
I’ve never seen such a device before ! Looks good.
I’ve mentioned this a couple of times before but this really is a great device to use with Rack. I use it at a diagonal angle with its (adjustable) range set to where I can easily do the full range of a knob. It’s a very natural hand position. It is expensive but is aesthetically and ergonomically very satisfying. You need to register and a pre-order for a new batch comes up every couple of months (which sells out in an hour usually).
Review here:
Thank you all so much for your suggestions. This is one of any reasons I love VCV community. I ended up getting a vertical mouse and a pad; the combination has shown to have all but cured my pain and discomfort, and whatever residual effects I may have are disappearing rapidly.
Thanks again,
J
i make 3d drawings on the pc since 2002 (wow it looks like i’m around 30k hours on it, only on my job…), and I can say that nothing works better than good posture and some exercises 
correct height of the chair/desk for the arm and shoulder relaxed as much as possible…and that’s it!
i can’t stand trackpads or vertical mice, i would go for a gaming or cad mouse because they are more ergonomic. gaming ones last longer. cheap or expensive? imho it doesn’t matter that much for home usage 
That’s really good to hear - thanks for reporting back!
A trackpad indeed! And if you are righthanded, put it left of your keyboard. No RSI whatsoever!
Works for me and my partner would tell you I am on the computer 16 hours a day My hand moves not my arm. I have tried putting it on the other side and training my left hand instead but I lack the dexterity.
I’m also at the computer for at least 12 hours a day and have been for over 25 years. Never had any problems with RSI thankfully. I’ve always had a curved corner desk though which I think helps a lot - the elbow and forearm of my mouse hand is always fully supported by the desk so only my hand needs to move.
Maybe the conclusion here is that there are many different solutions, and different ones work for different people. But if you are getting wrist/hand pain, you must do something to fix it!
Mouse strain from VCV is also a thing for me. Like the OP, I initially thought I could help make prolonged use of VCV more feasible for me with better mouse ergonomics. But I’m starting to suspect the main ergonomic culprit (for me) is on the software side. For instance, I wonder how important knob behavior is to VCV mouse strain. There’s the fact that out of the box, knobs can’t be controlled with scroll wheel gestures. But also small things like the fact that knob movement stops when the cursor reaches screen edges (at least on my device): on my screen size (13 inch laptop), at the zoom level I like to use, that means that I can’t control a knob’s full range with a single drag gesture — I need to do multiple ‘grab and drag’ gestures to go through a knob’s full range. To me those small things add up to more mouse strain from VCV than from my other DAW environments.
I’d be curious to hear other people’s take on software side aspects of the mouse strain problem, and what they have found helpful with that.
E.g. I have really benefited from leaning into the Stoermelder pack one tools to help with VCV ergonomics for tasks like panning around the rack (GOTO), and knob behavior (SAIL). I suspect I could get more mileage out of throwing STROKE into the mix for some amount of keyboard control over knobs.
Well, my dear friend, you either have a very understanding partner, or one that is in a similar line of work (Hopefully not a subordinate, an intern, or siri).
Thanks again for the advice, J
