Trackpad users: how do you move/copy regions/notes? I use three-finger-drag.

I wonder how everyone drags things around in Logic when using a trackpad, for example moving or copying (option-drag) regions or notes?

 

I personally have been using Three-finger drag for years and couldn't picture a life without it. I cannot stand exerting any kind of pressure on the trackpad as it hurst my wrists, so I prefer to find solutions based around touch-only gestures.

 

Same here

three finger drag for the win

I use drag-lock. So you double tap but hold with the second tap and start dragging. With drag lock on you can take you finger off the pad and reposition it and continue dragging. You tap again to drop it. I agree that holding the trackpad down fully can end up causing pain, although you can change the pressure required to "light" now in the system preferences. Drag and drop is the hardest thing for the adults that I teach who are moving from Windows with a mouse to a MacBook without a mouse.

I use drag-lock. So you double tap but hold with the second tap and start dragging. With drag lock on you can take you finger off the pad and reposition it and continue dragging. You tap again to drop it.

I used to do drag-lock, but I now prefer three-fingers dragging. There's nothing to lock, you can take your fingers off and on as many times as you want, and for quicker release, you can tap what you're dragging when you're done.

 

I agree that holding the trackpad down fully can end up causing pain, although you can change the pressure required to "light" now in the system preferences.

Yes but even when set to "light" this ends up hurting my right wrist. I really love gestures that donc require any pressure at all, only touch motions. Like tap to click.

Yup, tap to click is awesome. My (adult) students love it when I show them. It just matches what they're used to on their phones.

 

I think I gave up on three finger drag because I couldn't get used to using four fingers for Mission Control!

I think I gave up on three finger drag because I couldn't get used to using four fingers for Mission Control!

I don't use Mission Control. I just could never.. get used to it, or feel the need for it. I use Command-Tab a lot to switch apps, Command-Option-H to hide all apps, and sometimes to drag and drop files from one app to another. I wonder if I'm missing something by not using Mission Control?

I think I gave up on three finger drag because I couldn't get used to using four fingers for Mission Control!

I don't use Mission Control. I just could never.. get used to it, or feel the need for it. I use Command-Tab a lot to switch apps, Command-Option-H to hide all apps, and sometimes to drag and drop files from one app to another. I wonder if I'm missing something by not using Mission Control?

Tell you what, I promise to try three-finger drag for a bit if you promise to try using Mission Control for a bit!

Then we can report our findings in a few days...

Tell you what, I promise to try three-finger drag for a bit if you promise to try using Mission Control for a bit!

Then we can report our findings in a few days...

DEAL! I'm off to my system preferences to set it up now.

Tell you what, I promise to try three-finger drag for a bit if you promise to try using Mission Control for a bit!

Then we can report our findings in a few days...

One week in, first reports!

 

So I've assigned Mission Control to modifier keys like this:

 

 

Honestly, I LOVE being able to simply press the fn key to see my desktop, and I use this all the time. Much easier than my previous workflow. When I'm on a browser or email window and I want to drag and drop a file from my desktop, I just press fn, click-hold the desired file and fn again to drop it into the other app. Great.

 

I haven't found any use (yet) for the two other functions, And I keep accidentally pressing the right Option key ... well I mean I press it because I want to press it for something else such as Option-click a link in a browser to open it in a new tab, but it does its Mission Control thing... so perhaps I should re-think that assignment.

 

Your turn, how do you like the three-finger-drag?

Ok, so I've really tried to use three-finger drag - but I'm so used to using three fingers for Mission Control and, more importantly for Logic, App Exposé, that I'm going to stick with the drag-lock system I was using before.

 

One thing I have learned from this, though, is that I can reduce the pressure needed on the trackpad in the trackpad settings (set "Click" to "light") and this makes dragging with the finger pressed the whole time much easier too. I have also increased by tracking speed by a large amount so I never have to lift my finger off the trackpad mid-drag.

 

So yeah, it's definitley been a useful excercise!

oh, and that key command for desktop etc is also very useful, apart from when I need the key for something else. That Fn key, for example - I use it all the time for the character viewer, for inserting special symbols and emojis, so there's no way I can re-assign it to something else. And the F3 key is set to Mission Control by default, so there's no need to re-assign that elsewhere as far as I can see.

 

Have you tried using the "spread with thumb and three fingers" gesture to reveal the desktop?

 

Oh that's cool. I've been using the magic trackpad for the past year and I wasn't aware of that feature, I'll have to start using it.

 

One weird thing I've noticed with the magic trackpad is sometimes it loses connection in the middle of a logic session. Interestingly *only* happens in Logic and I've observed specifically usually when I'm dragging a parameter inside of a plugin or VST. I've noticed more often it happens with third-party plugins. Loss of connection and then it reconnects. I thought at first it was my trackpad but it has never happened even once outside of Logic and this plugin scenario. Anyone else ever experience this? I love the trackpad all around but this can get really annoying on a deadline!