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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:20:46

Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:20:46
I was dorking around on the site yesterday and i noticed that there was an audio clips forum... i thought it was really nice to be able to hear what some of these keyboards/switches sounded like.  I then saw a post by wellington1869 and how he was making some recordings to be played in some windows keyboard sound program.

So i was wondering if people in linux/mac/beos/et al would want to hear them as well?  I knew that i could create a simple webapp to allow everyone to hear these keyboards in just a few mins (mins turned into a couple hours) but thats beside the point. So here is the first version of the online keyboard sound emulator.  http://yetanotherdeveloper.com/keyboard/ (http://yetanotherdeveloper.com/keyboard/)

I know its not perfect and it might have a few issues, but please give me some feedback if you have any. Also if you want to add more sounds/keyboards to the list, then please add them to the post by wellington1869 here (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:4664).

(http://yetanotherdeveloper.com/keyboard/content/images/screenshot.png)
thanks and enjoy!
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: gilgam on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:52:15
doesn't work here

Ubuntu/FF3.6 flashblock enabled but clicked to open the flash file


Edit

finally works most of the time, very nice :-)
I always wanted to hear the buckling spring switxhes
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:55:27
Quote from: gilgam;289510
doesn't work here

Ubuntu/FF3.6 flashblock enabled but clicked to open the flash file


all you should need is flash 8+ and javascript enabled.
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: keyboardlover on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:58:33
Nice work!
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: bytemeavaj on Thu, 03 February 2011, 17:59:55
works great. Good job!
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: theferenc on Thu, 03 February 2011, 18:24:04
I really like this! I do have a couple of comments, offered in as constructive a manner as I can. I know how easy it is to make silly code mistakes.

I checked all the ones I have, and while the buckling spring boards all sound correct, the alps are a little...wonky. Specifically, the dampened alps are significantly clackier than the black alps, though in real life, those are definitely reversed.

Just to make sure, you did make sure you have the right files associated with the menu options, right?

Purely cosmetic, but you have "brown cheeries" for one of the entries.

Also, IE9 beta, it fails, but it works in compatibility mode.

Keep up the good work!
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Thu, 03 February 2011, 18:49:59
Thanks for the feedback!

Quote from: theferenc;289527
I checked all the ones I have, and while the buckling spring boards all sound correct, the alps are a little...wonky. Specifically, the dampened alps are significantly clackier than the black alps, though in real life, those are definitely reversed.

Thanks, i have no idea how real to life most of these sound, i pulled them all from the wiki entry that is linked in the post.  if you could help create better recordings of some of the ones already included or add to the list that would be awesome!

Quote from: theferenc;289527

Just to make sure, you did make sure you have the right files associated with the menu options, right?

yep, just double checked them.

Quote from: theferenc;289527

Purely cosmetic, but you have "brown cheeries" for one of the entries.

oops... thanks and corrected.

Quote from: theferenc;289527

Also, IE9 beta, it fails, but it works in compatibility mode.

Keep up the good work!


weird, i tested it in my ie 9 beta version 9.0.7930.16406.  what version are you using?
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: Superfluous Parentheses on Thu, 03 February 2011, 19:09:39
Doesn't seem to work for me on Debian/Firefox 4 beta 10 & adblock (neither clicking with mouse or pressing keys produces any sound).
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: Lethal Squirrel on Thu, 03 February 2011, 19:27:53
nice! pretty cool
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: theferenc on Thu, 03 February 2011, 21:55:04
Same version. And it did eventually work, it just took a long time before it started. Weird.
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: sixty on Fri, 04 February 2011, 00:24:32
Nice!

First thing for improvement should be to remove the option to repeat keys. I can just hold down a key and enjoy a machinegun. Second - It sounds way to dull with just the same sound again and again. You need to randomize samples and optionally also get samples for the spacebar and stuff separately if you are aiming for a relatively realistic experience.

Also in case you are curious, the version that developed out of the same idea from the first thread is here: http://webwit.nl/input/kbsim/
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: Oqsy on Fri, 04 February 2011, 01:42:33
I would like to reiterate the suggestion I made to welly in the thread with samples...  bottoming out sounds should be removed from the samples if possible, especially on clicky switch types.  The sound of bottoming out on a cherry brown is going to be more or less the same as the sound of bottoming out on a Logitech rubber dome.  This current method with bottoming out sounds is not at all helpful for delineating switch sound, since the sound of a rubber dome, linear, or tactile non-clicky switch bottoming out will be darn near the same on every board and is really more a difference in recording setup and clip quality.  If you need to hear the sound of one of these boards bottoming out, just hammer on any key of any keyboard that DOESN'T click, and you'll pretty much have it.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a killjoy, but this idea has never made sense to me the way it's being implemented.

Also, if you bottom out as hard as many of these recordings, you'll have to jack up your volume to hear the sound of someone else bottoming out over your own bottoming out.  

Audible feedback is a nice feature to keyboards, but many of the ones used here, and many of the most popular on this site, DO NOT have any audible feedback inherent in the switch design.  The only sound is the keycap clacking down against the switch housing when reaching the end of travel.  These designs are just as worthy as clicky switches without a doubt, but don't make much sense for a "sound test" application.  

Oh well, I hope I didn't hurt any feelings...
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: nocturn4l3030 on Fri, 04 February 2011, 02:14:15
great idea!  i agree with sixty here though that you have to randomize the sounds to get a better affect

Quote from: sixty;289626
Nice!

First thing for improvement should be to remove the option to repeat keys. I can just hold down a key and enjoy a machinegun. Second - It sounds way to dull with just the same sound again and again. You need to randomize samples and optionally also get samples for the spacebar and stuff separately if you are aiming for a relatively realistic experience.

Also in case you are curious, the version that developed out of the same idea from the first thread is here: http://webwit.nl/input/kbsim/
Title: Want to hear what these keyboards sound like?
Post by: Madidas on Fri, 04 February 2011, 02:18:54
It work pretty well for me... keys works but mouse didn`t. Using Chromium 8.0.552.237 (70801) Ubuntu 10.10 and Adblock Plus for Google Chrome (Beta,Version: 1.0.26 ) (https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb) using EasyList and (Wiltteri).