Can one use a pen with a desktop and multi-touch screen?

I have been under the impression that pens were used either with separate pads (e.g. WACOM) or with a purpose-designed pad computer like Microsoft Surface.  I have a Surface 3 and pen, and use it for some apps, but this is not a comfortable environment for using SONAR for me.  I want lots of glass when I am using a DAW.  I have two very large monitors, plus a smaller monitor where I stash things I want in view but don't refer to very much.
 
I saw this quote in the eZine https://app.box.com/v/tech-plus-music

"Wacom pens work with earlier computers, various touchscreens, and so on"

I have done a bunch of searches looking for examples of people using pens with touch screens on a regular PC, not a pad computer. I haven't found anything.  Can anybody shed any light on this?  Is it possible to use a pen with SONAR on a regular desktop that has multiple monitors?

John
Yes a pen will work. 

I don't suppose you would want to be a little more informative?  What kind of pen?  Can one pen work if your system has two big multi-touch monitors?

tlw
Any simple stylus capable of working on a touch screen or tablet should work, though you'd obviously not be able to do multi-touch with one.

I have a Wacom tablet and pen, and a Surface 3 with the second generation Microsoft pen.  I tried both pens on my Dell Multi-touch screen and neither did anything.  I didn't do any software installation.  I just physically touched the pen to the screen and there was no effect.  The screen does work with the finger, of course.

I too have a multi touch tablet and I found this to work  with All capacitive touch screens devices. The Smalleye -island works with my tablet.
 
 
 
I also have a Lenovo X220 laptop/tablet that uses a Watcom stylus and win 10 drivers for it under Windows 10. 
 
You need to know what kind if touch screen you have and then you can find a stylus for it.
 

cparmerlee

John
You need to know what kind if touch screen you have and then you can find a stylus for it.

It is a Dell P2714T with 10-point multi-touch and "Projected capacitive system"
http://euro.dell.com/uk/en/corp/Peripherals/dell-p2714t/pd.aspx?refid=dell-p2714t&s=corp
 
How does one match a stylus to the monitor?

The one I posted above should work.

w.joyce
Hi john I can't see a button on that stylus for selecting notes or other mouse features?

My understanding is with a button you will need a much more expensive pen. One from Microsoft for example.  You may also need a battery in some with a button. The stylus I have with X220 came with it and it has a button. However it wont work with out the screen driver from Watcom and that wont work on just any touch screen.
 
You will need to do some research on just what are the requirements for your setup.   

I really hope they take these things into account with newer updates this year. It would make navigating and using sonar much more intuitive for everyone.
I'm not trying to complain.
I love this software I just get frustrated when I'm sat there for a while using my vsts recording stuff in then have to stop to pick up my keboard to move a clip or edit a note in the prv. I could have much worse problems lol.

Thanks brando. I'm sure there is others with the same problem too. It's a shame they stopped working on normal touch features when they first announced it i was well happy and and thought they would be going in more of touch direction. But it seems they fallen behind other daw's like fl studio in this area. My friend uses it and he can pretty much do everything with touch. But I can't get on with the program it's awful to use when you have got used to using a traditional daw.

My main system uses two monitors neither is a touch screen so I don't use touch on it. Where I do use touch is with other things such as Kindle for example on my tablet and laptop. Both my touch screen computers are good for using touch but not for Sonar and touch. A Surface Studio might be the ideal setup for Sonar and touch plus pen.  
 
As to your comment about Windows and Microsoft, I agree with you. 
 
 

John
I too have a multi touch tablet and I found this to work  with All capacitive touch screens devices. The Smalleye -island works with my tablet.
 
 

I received the SmallEye stylus today and it does work with that Dell touch monitor.  It works very well for anything on a push-button nature (mute button, e.g.).  Things that involving or a more delicate touch don't work so well.  For example, I have the Aria player on screen.  If I use the stylus to touch the simulated keyboard, the keys always show the touch, but I can only get them to sound about 1 time out of 20.  I don't do much better with my finger.  If I slide my finger or stylus along the simulated keyboard, all the notes play a gliss.  If I click with the mouse, I get sound 100% of the time.  I wonder if there is another Windows API the developer has to implement in order to make the touch as reliable as mouse clicks.
Likewise I put the Ozone equalizer on the screen.  It was possible to use the stylus to drag the parametric nodes, but it was really tedious -- not nearly as easy as with a mouse.  The pen comes with 3 tips, so I may try the other two to see if they make a difference in the above cases.
 
And of course, none of this registers pressure.
 
I have continued to search.  It seems there are supposedly some Bluetooth pens out there that work like the SmallEye stylus (passively) to register location on the monitor, but also send Bluetooth commands to register pressure detected at the pen.  Every one I have seen refers to Apple pads and books.  I haven't seen any product of this type that explicitly has Windows support.  Has anybody else found such a pen yet?  I guess there is very limited need for such a device in SONAR today -- only in the PRV where the pressure can set the controller levels.