I have Sony Vegas Movie Studio 7 Platinum & Sony DVD Architect Studio 4.0, got the bundle for $90.
And I don't want to spend more than $20-$30.

It's unfortunate. I see like 3 or 4 options...

- ShuttlePro
- Shuttle Xpress
- Logitech NuLooq
- Griffin Powermate

Except the Powermate looks like only 1 click type thing. The Shuttle Xpress is ugly and I feel it might cramp my hand with its design reminiscient of the old Mac "hockey-puck" design (ugh, ouch)... and the ShuttlePro is more than I wanna pay.

The NuLooq, looks like a multifunctional volume controller that wouldn't have any spring-back mechanism in it's shuttle/wheel, and again - the price.

Are these really the only options? I can't find anything else! You would think with the price range of mice from $10 to $200 you'd find an equivalent jog wheel!

I don't think you'll find something with your requirements in the $30-$40 range. The Shuttle Pro V2 is actually pretty nice. There's other stuff out there, but it costs even more money.

Did they forget to mention that this is an expensive hobby, and an even more expensive profession? (grin)

I end up using the keyboard more than anything. Works pretty good.

-gb-

Yeah, I don't foresee any real professional applications of my media production system here. Vegas, even the MS edition is robust and I like it. For a couple years I've had an indie film in mind, but at this point I'm just doing video tutorials for a website I'm running, and some video game hobby videos for fun, and probably an interactive DVD thing in the near-future, etc.

So it's not really as big a commitment for me as say my music and music production (I've got a $1500 Roland Fantom keyboard which is pretty much my mainstay, and Logic...) Hmm, I wonder if there is primarily an audio controller/mixer that I can use with Vegas MS as well - that'd cover both bases, as I'm willing to spend more money on the music side of the things.

I use the ShuttlePro2 in my left hand, (yeah, it's more than $30, but I think it's pretty neat), mouse in my right. But, if I want to use text, then I must touch the board. Be aware that the ShuttlePro2 is configurable.

If you don't really need it, then don't shell out the $$$. While I think it's nice, you can certainly live without it. All of those products are only meant to save time. I'm pretty sure anything they do can also be done with a mouse.

I've seen some ShuttlePros on eBay for under $30. Might give it a chance.