How to deal with ridiculous size of 16" trackpad?

[TheRdungeon]

I'm coming from a 2012 Unibody 15" so maybe I'm just a caveman stepping into the light, but I'm finding the trackpad on my new M1 Pro 16" absolutely absurd, it's miles too large and impossible to do anything without brushing it with another finger or palm and making a secondary click or have the trackpad ignore the input. I know the correct usage is to have your palms resting above the keyboard but when it's on my legs on the couch I just want to use the palm rest and move the cursor around. It's particularly bad in Ableton/Logic when i want to have confidence in what I'm doing to change a parameter etc.

For those that made this transition a while ago, did you also hate it at first and did you get used to it or is this just how it is now?

 

[Sanpete]

Wasn't too bad. I learned quickly to rest my palms to the sides of the pad. I only use the upper right area of the pad normally, but it's nice to have the full pad available for some things.

 

[ken ledger]

I rest my hands each side of the trackpad. It is big but you will get used to it and find it easier to use.

 

[IJBrekke]

I got used to the 2017 15” trackpad - didn’t remember that it was an adjustment until seeing your post. I don’t often use Logic without a mouse and external monitor, but in the times I have needed to work mobile it hasn’t been an issue.

All of the modern trackpads are larger than your 2012, so it will be an adjustment regardless. Not sure there is an alternative solution available to you, unfortunately. Give it some time.

 

[neo_cs193p]

I just successfully ignore it completely while typing. I rest both hands right on the trackpad, and the OS does a great job of not treating it as input. I have yet to have a single issue where I inadvertently click or even move the cursor a tiny bit.

My advice would be: the less you think about it (the more you ignore it), the better the OS helps you.

However if you want to click or move the cursor around as you say while also resting your hand on the trackpad, it could be a completely different story. I never do this. I don't see any advantage to it, and find it very uncomfortable if I force myself to try.

 

[TheRdungeon]

I just successfully ignore it completely while typing. I rest both hands right on the trackpad, and the OS does a great job of not treating it as input. I have yet to have a single issue where I inadvertently click or even move the cursor a tiny bit.

My advice would be: the less you think about it (the more you ignore it), the better the OS helps you.

However if you want to click or move the cursor around as you say while also resting your hand on the trackpad, it could be a completely different story. I never do this. I don't see any advantage to it, and find it very uncomfortable if I force myself to try.

cheers, yeah I have tried to ignore it and that's what's created the issue! Think it may be a thing of muscle memory, but there is still that case of say holding down a key on the MIDI keyboard inside Logic/Ableton and then adjusting a parameter with the trackpad. Certainly an edge case I suppose but it's nigh on impossible like this

 

[TheRdungeon]

I got used to the 2017 15” trackpad - didn’t remember that it was an adjustment until seeing your post. I don’t often use Logic without a mouse and external monitor, but in the times I have needed to work mobile it hasn’t been an issue.

All of the modern trackpads are larger than your 2012, so it will be an adjustment regardless. Not sure there is an alternative solution available to you, unfortunately. Give it some time.

Cheers, i did see there's a way to exclude certain areas in Karabiner but that would be a last resort. Gonna give it a couple of weeks and see if there's something in muscle memory that changes