Keyboard sound isn't really about the switches...

[robo]

I was thinking about this today - a lot of pleasure derived from mechanical keyboards is about the sound that they make, and most people's focus is on the type of switches.

But it seems to me that a lot of the sound is related to the resonant qualities of the keyboard case/frame. Maybe this is more obvious to me as a musician who plays a stringed instrument - the vibrating strings of my cello produce almost no sound - what you hear is the wooden body of the instrument resonating.

I think the same applies to keyboards. The same switch can make a dull, tinny click or a satisfying sound, and the key (heh) is how the keyboard case/plate/board etc resonate.

Has anyone tried designing a case 'tuned' to produce a satisfying sound from the keys? I'm thinking like a deliberately placed hollow area around the plate, or something like that... It would make a big difference in sound.

Topre switches, for example, are known for their 'thock' sound, but I think this is really a result of the cases used, especially in the HHKB. Otherwise, there isn't much reason for them to sound any different from other pluger based rubber domes. Just as an example...

[Hypersphere]

Indeed. It is worth looking at keyboard cases from a different perspective. Image typing on your keyboard inside this room:

insideviolin1.jpg (82.17 KiB) Viewed 9608 times

Rich resonant wood, sunlight streaming through skylights. Then imagine that this room was in fact the keyboard case. Of course, it is actually an interior view of a violin. As you know, the "soul" of the violin can be tuned by moving the sound post to different positions, which has the effect of altering standing wave patterns on the top of the violin when different notes are played on the strings.

Although keyboard cases were not designed with resonant frequencies in mind, different cases do in fact produce different qualities of sound when the keyboard is being used.

The "case effect" is evident to me when I compare the sound of my HHKB Pro 2 and its case-mounted Topre swtiches with my RF 87ub 45g, which has plate-mounted switches. Presumably, the switches are the same, but their different mounting modes along with different sizes and materials from one keyboard to the other produce different timbres and other qualities of sound.

It seems logical that a keyboard case could be designed with something like a violin's sound post that could be used to tune the sound of the keyboard.

[0100010]

The next advancement in keyboard audible feedback :

[davkol]

Dunno, I tend to eliminate most sounds. My keyboards is half naked on a cloth mousepad; I don't bottom out and linear switches aren't supposed to make any kind of sound, only when they hit the bottom (they don't) or top (I have yet to damped that). On the other hand, I'd install a buzzer in an instant, if I weren't too lazy to order one.

[Muirium]

Linear MX is plenty loud. My MX red Shine 3 was still way louder than any rubberdome keyboard I've tried. The sound's entirely from bottoming out and topping out (clack), and is indeed reverberated nicely through the plate and case. The caps also make some difference, with extra chunky SA profile tall SPH doubleshots giving it a lower tone. It had an almost woody sound whenever I used those!

Meanwhile, in the realm of Topre, the NovaTouch is a loud board because of its loose sliders. They rattle over the top of the thock.

For anyone trying to get as quiet a mechanical keyboard as possible, you've got to damp the bottoming out and especially topping out sounds of the switches. That means internal damping. Damped Alps, including Matias quiet switches, are pretty good at that. So are silenced Type-S Topre. But MX is nowhere in sight, as there's nowhere to put a damper for the upstroke inside.

Meanwhile, for those of us who enjoy all the sound… engage the solenoid! The keyboard's timpani.

[davkol]

Bottoming out is optional. The release is worse, but the latex-milk mod is out there…

[Hypersphere]

For me, bottoming out is not optional. Gotta complete that stroke! Not bottoming out would be like trying to walk across a room without allowing my feet to touch the floor. Usually, I enjoy the bottoming out sound. The sound I most often wish to dampen is the return stroke.

However, the OP was asking about designing a case that could be tuned to adjust the sounds of a keyboard rather than focusing on the switches. Has anyone done this?

[davkol]

WASD with their WASDv2/Code… or Filco Majestouch2 is tuned for some fine ping.

[fohat]

I love my Model Fs because they sound and feel so "alive" is the only word I can come up with.

Model Ms never come within miles of this.

I firmly that it is because of the tension and compression stresses in the internal plates and the metal bottom pan. The pressure and tightness of the assembly causes a lot of heartache when you try to re-assemble one, but I believe that this is what causes it to sing like the sounding board of a piano.

And I don't think that I am completely alone in this whimsical opinion.

[Hypersphere]

WASD with their WASDv2/Code… or Filco Majestouch2 is tuned for some fine ping.

Reminds me of one of Ella Fitzgerald's signature songs [with apologies for the amended lyrics in square brackets]:

"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that [ping],
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)!"

[Muirium]

Hear hear, Fohat! Model F and beam spring sound just as good as they feel. Plenty of choice out there for the noisy ones among us!

Bottoming out is optional. The release is worse, but the latex-milk mod is out there…

Is that some kind of scientifically controlled drink spill? Some gunk might work those switches wonders!

[mr_a500]

There's a difference in sound between my AT Model F and my 5155 Model F. The 5155 has a different plastic that's denser, almost like wood. It seems to absorb the "ping" sound better. The AT Model F has much more echo. I definitely prefer the 5155 sound.

[deadsea]

Hear hear, Fohat! Model F and beam spring sound just as good as they feel. Plenty of choice out there for the noisy ones among us!

Bottoming out is optional. The release is worse, but the latex-milk mod is out there…

Is that some kind of scientifically controlled drink spill? Some gunk might work those switches wonders!

I'm guessing you apply latex to the surfaces that the sliders hit on the upstroke. Or the sliders themselves. Or both. Depends very much on patience levels.

Though i would think silicon grouting might fare better in the long run, just unsure on how well it would stick to the switch housing.

[davkol]

Top part of the housing, as shown by Oobly at GH.

[Jmneuv]

Ahh i'm gonna try this liquid latex sometime.. it's a nice idea. Upstroke dampening has been the missing link with MX.

[amospalla]

Im my quest for the perfect keyboard I got a very very good MX red keyboard. It is an old Chikony whose Enter and Space keys have a very quiet sound, best Enter/Space I've ever seen. I did put red stems on it and o-rings. Was perfect except for that damned topping out sound. Nothing I could do in that regard.

After this I only had two logical moves, and that is Matias Quiet or Topre silenced. Went with the Matias (because of its price) and it is a big difference. I've learnt that Cherry can not be silent by desing, it has no internal damping. In a year or two I'll get one Topre silenced, I've got the feeling it is still more quiet than Matias Quiet (but just the impression, never tried it).

[Muirium]

Those two are probably quite similar in sound level. Topre Type-S is significantly more expensive because it's Topre, and enough people pay extra for its feel.