List of shit that impacts sound

How hard you type

Plate material
Plate thickness
Pcb thickness
switches used
lube used
case material
case mounting type
case empty space
case weight
keycaps
internal shape of case
stabs
cut outs in plate
bumpons / height and material
internal dampening / foam
degree of contact of plate and case
degree of build
CASE SIZE / LAYOUT
of shit that impacts sound Sound tests:
Mic used
interface used
editing/eq
capture software
cables used
switch material switch springs desk material and thickness
how hard you type
if room is treated
deskmats
weight placement weight material(s)
keycap material and profile keycap thickness

case wall thickness

thickness of deskmat
plate and case

poor / good build (soldering)

Welcome to the
spreadsheet by keyboard sound
Blacksimon scie
& Comm
This spreadsheet is meant to show the complexity of al
This doc is NOT A BIBLE, and NO TWO keyboards are alike (there are
this sheet assumes using the same exact, simple keyboard desi

Sheet starts at MAIN tab

ound science
n & Community
mplexity of all of the factors that contribute to a keyboard's s
e alike (there are far to many factor at play)
ple keyboard design (literally a rectangle) for all comparisons
a keyboard's sound
 Master list of all keyboard sound effects
Typing Switches Keycaps Dampening
Hardness Case Sound Plate Sound Sound Sound Sound Desk Sound Pcb Sound
Material/Densi Sub PCB PCB
Soft Plate Material Switches Used Material Desk Mat(s)
ty Foam Thickness
PCB Material
Plate Sub Plate Material of
Medium Empty Space Material Thickness (FR4 vs CEM-
Thickness Foam Desk Mat of
Thickness 3)
Hard Size/Layout Cut Outs Films Straightness Misc Things Desk Mat(s) PCB Flex Cuts
Case Wall Swiss Cheese Weight/Spring Placement of
Profile Desk Mat(s)
Thickness (iso) s/Material
Desk
Weight(s) Age/Wear in
Hardness
Weight
Batch Desk Material
placement(s)
Dampening
Case Angle
Method

LINK TO GLOSSARY FOR SOME TERMS

Sound tests are dumb, and a video will be made about why, below is a real world example of the lay
(on my youtube!)
Demonstration of sound tests path from keyboard to ears
typing In mic
Keeb Room Desk Mic Cable Interface
strength processing
sound effects
Mounting Bumpons Outliers
Sound Lube Sound Stabs Sound Sound Skill/ Sound
Poor Good Sound
Case (When
Lube Viscosity Stab Material Material Build
Mounting Type matched to
Internal Shape (Soldering)
Switch Lube Stab Lube(s) Thickness
of Case of
Degree
Contact of Stab Lube(s) Stabs Clipped Placement
Plate & Case
Mounting PCB vs Plate
Misc Lube Size
Locations Mount
PCB Screw vs cone feet / flat
plate mounting
Clip in kbs
Plate mount
B&aid Mod
locations
Wire Diameter
Big thank: Perforated Binder Paper
Big thank: Unknown_h
For their contributions to this spreadsheet

world example of the layers of factors that affect a sound test IN CONJUNCTION WITH EVERYTHING IN THIS SPREADSHEET

online
interface connection pc editing dac
pc noise compressi your pc
processing to pc processing (post prod) (internal)
on
IN THIS SPREADSHEET

your
your brain, and
your amp headphone ears
cables bias
s/speakers
 Typing Hardness
Stab Soft SwitchMedium
sounds MadeHard the
imperfections mask bad stab sound reverb of bad
louder
Overall volume out
not as loud soundssound (less stabs louder
Emphasizes (sound of this
Everything is
is lower plate
Switch sounds depends on
switch sound
Overall near vs obviously
not
Still as
notcrisp
much itself
case sound
zero desk louder(distinct
desk sound Can't within
echo hear the
sound upstrokes as
easily
 Material/Density Empty Space Size/La
General General
Too much empty space leads to more General
Denser materials have a higher pitch reverb
No empty space leads to too dense
sounding of a board

Aluminum Area Under PCB Large boards (full s

Harder alu sounds higher pitch (ex Not enough space under the pcb can
7075
Highervsalu
6061)
temper sounds higher lead to amuch
Far too dense sounding
space underboard
the pcb
pitch
In general isT6)
(T2 vs the "default" keyboard can cause a case to sound hollow
sound (raising the pitch but also adding too
much reverb) - This is most
noticeable on larger keys such as the
Polycarb (CNC'd) spacebar
Area around (because
and abovethey
theare the
plate TKL
Generally loud This is noticeable on keyboards with
Amplifies and accentuates the switch a large amount of space around and
sounds above the plate such as the CA66
Higher pitch than alu
Wood Space between the plate and pcb Med-small (75,65)
Varies heavily depending on the When putting foam in this location, it
hardness
Bamboo for and type of sounds
example wood thin can
Can help to eliminate
be used "bad
to silence sounding"
a keyboard
(very
Wooddense)
source matters heavily, and further
Can (putting
help foam)
eliminate switch ping
the same wood can sound different So in the case of not having foam
depending on source (climate and here, switch bottom outs willisbe
other conditions) (foam as a dampener here more
Acrylic effective on harder plates) 60
With thick (3mm) stacks, the case is
very
Thin deep
stackedsounding
acrylic and does anot
kbs have
higher pitch sound (due to many
Brass Sub 60
Brass is deeper sounding than alu
Case related reverb is reduced vs alu
Steel
Sounds higher pitch than alu
Pingy (internal high pitch reverb)
Cap bottom out reverb is intensified
(upstroke as well)
FR4/CF
FR4 and CF have a higher pitch at
thinner thicknesses
FR4 in general tends(similar to acrylic)
to sound
deeper than most CF (since CF is
POM/PLA
PLA has a deeper sound than acrylic
at thesounds
PLA same thickness
slightly deeper than
POM
Overall both *should* sound deeper
than alu POM both vary greatly on
PLA and
source
etc (iron, marble, copper, titanium)
No
 Case
Size/Layout Case Walls Weights
General
Larger boards have more empty General General
space, and more room for reverb Thin case walls may increase pitch
As a result of more space + more and addcase
Thicker unwanted reverb
walls may make the
top/bottom case contact, larger case too dense sounding and
boards will sound louder increase pitch (TGR 910 effect)
Large boards (full size, 1800) Thin case walls Weight size/shape
Larger boards are louder in reverb If case walls are too thin, then sound
(sound after switch bottom out, and transfer between
Thinner case top
walls case
also and
means
upstroke) increased internal empty space,
which could add unwanted reverb

TKL Perfect sized case walls Weight location

In general, TKLs will be louder and (firstly, this is dependant on the case
deeper sounding than 60s, but not as design
The case as wall
a whole, there
should is no amagic
transmit
much as a full size or 1800 decent amount of vibration from the
plate+top case to the bottom,
Med-small (75,65) Thick case walls Weight material
75s and 65s are a slightly higher Allow for a large amount of contact
pitch than TKLs
75s sound more with the same
"dense" than 65s, between
By removing the top
too and
much bottom case,
top/plate
with less internal reverb (this
65s tend to have more internal may
reverb vibration, the case itself has near-
and sound lower pitch than most 75s zero sound, and all that can be heard
are the switches on the plate (and
this can sound higher pitched as
60 there is little to no internal reverb) Weight in place of case bo
Higher pitch than the above by
default (assuming a simple case style
of a rectangular wedge)
Sub 60 Weight Mounting
Sub 60 will have the highest pitch of
all
(at keyboards, andthere
this case size, may require
are a lotfoam
of
outliers which do not follow the above
 Weights Case assembly
General General
be less flush contact area between
Weights help reduce the pitch of the the top and bottom.
case vibrations as well as the pitch of In a seamed keyboard, there is more
the internal reverb. top+bottom case contact

Weight size/shape The bottom creates the angle (see seamed design KBs)
A smaller weight will have less effect Seamed designs mean that the top
on the sound
A wider weightthan
will ahave
larger weight
more effect case and bottom case sit flush,
than a less wide one increased contact area means that
As a result we can assume that more they act as a thicker case wall than
weight to case contact area helps seamless KBs. Case wall thickness
conduct vibrations more effectively rules apply
Weight location The top piece creates the angle (see
Weights placed further back (towards seamless design
The bottom KBs)
piece needs to slide into
the
Splitusb port) have
weights tend to have a effect
a similar greater
to a the top piece, this means that the
full bar weight (which implies that side must be smaller than the
having an exposed weight under opening it goes into, this means they
specific
Weight target areas (notably alphas)
material
Unexpectedly, steel vs brass weights
have little sonic
As a result difference
it seems the weight (how
much it weighs) seems
Generally, anything denser to matter
than the
case stock material can act
Brass is more effective at reducingas a
airborne sounds within the case
Weight in place of case bottom
In the case of using a full brass or
steel
there bottom, this may
are not many dampenofthe
examples this,
this would be
Weight Mounting an outlier
We know from past data that a larger
surface area helps
More screws shouldconduct
theoretically
have no benefits assuming good
 Plate
Plate Material Plate Finishing
Aluminium Raw / Anodized
Alu is the standard plate material all other Will sound the "normal way"
plates will bemoderately
Alu sounds comparedhighto pitch as a with no changes to the sound
plate, characteristics
Brassbut when well implemented, is fairly Electroplate (zinc, gold,
Brass has a deeper bottom out clack whatever)
In the case of thick enough
sound,also
Brass andhastransfers slightly less
less airborne higher
reverb hard coatings, this can effect
compared to alu when bottoming out the sound profile of the plate
by lowering the pitch, and in
the case of softer plates,
Polycarbonate (PC) transmitting far more vibrations
Polycarbonate is higher pitched than alu at
the
Thesamebenefitsthickness
of polycarbonate are more
commonly for typing feel,also
Types of polycarbonate andmatter
not sound
quite a
bit, as polycarb can be made
Polycarbonate (of a softer variety) will "glasslike"
absorb
Acrylicmore case vibrations and pass less
Acrylic at the same thickness is slightly
deeper
At 3mm+ than alu (and
acrylic deepens
deepens, and even more
gets very
deep
Carbon when approaching
Fiber (CF) 5mm
Carbon fiber is higher pitch than all of the
above,
Carbonmostly due to the
fiber transfers resin
a lot coating to
of vibrations
the
FR4case, though this does not mean that is
FR4 is roughly placed between thick acrylic
and
FR4 carbon
is deeper fiber in terms
than equallyof thick
sound profile.
acrylic up
to 3mm, at which acrylic overtakes
Fr4 transfers a decent amount of vibration the fr4
to the case, in the deeper frequencies
POM/PLA
PLA and POM depend a lot on the source
and
POMmixture
and PLA (soboth
yourbehave
may beclose
wildlyto acrylic.
POM is slightly deeper sounding than PLA
(at the thinner
At the same thickness)
end, PLA and POM sound
notably high pitch
At the thicker end (5mm), POM sounds far
more
StainlessdeepSteel
than PLA
(SS)
Stainless steel sounds higher pitch than alu
In terms of case vibrations, SS transfers a
great
etc. deal of vibrations to the case
Copper is slightly higher pitch (and stiff)
than(UHMWPE)
PE brass plates but isare
Plates in the
of asame
similargeneral
nature
PP to PC plates Sounds
(polypropylene) in terms deeper
of transfer
thanofPC
and Acrylic at 1.5mm, but higher pitch than
 Plate
Plate Thickness
Normal plate 1.5mm
1.5mm is chosen as the
standard
1.5mm is plate thickness
the standard for
sound
compared
Thin plateto (<1.5mm)
Thinner plates by default will
have a higher pitch and
transmit less vibrations to the
case as there is less material
(this results in less case
sound
Medium vibrations, and(1.5
thick plate more ->
3mm)
Medium thick plates are
almost always lower pitched
with most materials
(exceptions for super hard
materials like SS and Ti)
Thick plate (more than
3mm)
Thicker plates than 3mm are
deeper sounding
In the case of veryinhard
the case
materials (SS, Ti, Depleted
Plate type Switch Cutouts
Full plate MX
Full plate is the default Mx switch cutouts are the default
sound signature
Full plate has thefor all comparison, and have a stock switch
greatest
Half Plateeffect for plate spacing
MX ALPS
of 19.05mm as per cherry
Half Plate replaces the MX alps in the case of using MX
bottom out clack of the switches, allow for slightly more switch
alphas with a direct PCB play within the plate, this as a result
sound, this reduces the means that there is less switch contact
amount of vibrations that on average when bottoming out
get dispersed into the
Integrated switches, this then means that switch
MX SWITCHTOP
Integrated plates are Same as above, less switch contact
stiffer and higher pitch means more switch related bad
than non integrated, this sounds, and less plate sounds
is due to the mounting
itself and not the plate
material or thickness, Switch Spacing
Although hypothetical, more spacing
means more
^ in reality platespacing
switch sound effect.
doesn'tThe
matter for sound when it comes to the
 Flex/acoustic Cut Outs
Flex Cuts
Flex cuts (that go across
entire
There rows or columns)
is a slight raising of
pitch when
Acoustic cutsremoving material
Acoustic cuts (cuts that
sandwich a particular switch
of stab cutout) are meant to
help diffuse the vibrations
caused by a heavy bottom
out of a switch or stabilizer.
Stylistic
Stylistic cuts (also known as
meme cuts) have no benefit
to sound of feel, and in most
cases deteriorate the typing
sound and feel
 Switches type Material (bottom housing)
General Notes General Notes
All Stems are POM, except for the Ultra-
MX Style high-molecular-weight
Nylon (And other polyethylene
Polyamides)
MX Style will be used a default Nylon is the standard switch housing
sound used MX
The default for all comparisons
switch will be a as material that will
Nylon housing be compared
sound to more
thicker and
nylon housing with
Boxa POM stem bassy POM
Box switches in comparison to MX POM housing is generally higher pitched
switches will have a slightly less and tends to not transfer as much vibration
deep sound dude to their more to the plate. This means the high pitch of
Alps Polycarbonate
Alps sound profile are varying and polycarbonate housing is of a even higher
they results inalps
Realistically, vastly
willdifferent
sound close pitch than POM assuming no blend.
to mx style Though these benefit more greatly from
ML/Low Profile are
as the housings PC/Nylon mix
ML Low profile switches, although The only PC/Nylon mix were pandas, this
being the they
Although samehave
material,
reducedas both sits
The at a highamount
largest than expected sonic
of vibration is point.
travel, the bottom out forces are conducted into the plate and therefore the
UHMWPE
PE as of today is limited to stems only, and
the stems absorb
PE stems sound lower
a fair pitched
amount than
of POM
vibrations when bottoming out, transferring
 Switches
Films Weight/Springs/Material
General Notes General Notes
Switch films are used to solve a
misalignment of switch
Paper top and bottom Stainless Steel
Compared to a plastic based switch film, a SS is the standard spring being
paper/sticker switch
As a result, this helpsfilm is slightly
reduce the softer used for comparison
SS when properly lubed should
conduction of sound from switch top and
Plastic NOT contribute
Stainless at with
Steel all to Plating
the
Plastic switch films are used for a similar SS with plating should not be
effect to the ifpaper
As a result, switch films,
well employed, willbut due to
have used long don't
Basically, term,buy
as the
goldcoating
plated
benefit of paper
Rubber film with
(deskeys less effort.films)
& ""gasket"" spring because you think they
At this point, there are two types of rubber
films thatthe
Overall, have beenfilms
rubber publicly announced.
can be seen as
an optimal middle ground as they function
 Age/Wear in Batch
General Notes General Notes
A well worn in switch will be batches are a gamble and you are
more consistent Break-In
Substantial in its sonic never guaranteed
Smooth a "Good
Batch Batch"
Substantial break in will help In the case of a good quality batch,
a switch
This get to in
is evident its vintage
most (this
keepdoes notthat
in mind mean every
most switchwill
switches is
blackModerate
switches Break-In be smooth Mediocre
batch in their first rounds,
Batch
In the case of breaking in a In the case of a mediocre batch, you
switch
Moderatemoderately
break in (using
is a must cherry pick and test each
especially evident
No Break-In in New) individual switch
(Brand
to ensure they are
Poor Batch
Without break in, there will In the case of a poor batch, you will
be a large variance in sound have varying acoustic results from
profile and smoothness of each switch, resulting in a mismatched
 Dampening Method
General Notes
Dampening should only be used for the
express purposeO-rings
of reducing the
O-rings are used to dampen the overall
effect
Puttingofo'ring
your downstroke, reducing
on a switch will reducethe
the travel
Stem and may "SIlent
SIlencing make you switches
Switches"
Silent stems such as MX Silents, Zeal
Silent, Gateron
The effect Silents,
is much less Silent Alpacas,
pronounced
than using
Clip o'rings,
ins (Ex.but offer
Zeal a less
& QMX)
Reduces the downstroke and makes it
mushy
These areaf. These are alsotovery
near identical O rings but
slightly more consistent and should be
 Material
General Notes

ABS
ABS will be used as the standard
keycap sound
the higher pitchreference
switch return
sound
PBT

PBT, at the same thickness as

ABS tends to sound deeper, both
in bottom compared
sounding out and keytoreturn
ABS, this
results in a quieter overall sound

POM
noticable high end) than ABS as it
is a denser
much material
deeper to our ears at the
same thickness as ABS
PPS
PPS sounds very high pitch, near
glassy compared to most materials

Rubber
underlying(coated)
material plays a large
role into the
and upstroke, sound
as a profile
result, the caps
sound deeper
you are going for a pure silent
ninja build)

Resin
than ABS, and slightly lower pitch
than POM
of resin in the center or near the
stem
Alu
deeper(and most
than ABSother
and metals)
all other
plastic caps.
means they will also sound
deeper, as there is more volume)
Wood
difficult to find a general "wood"
sound
 Keycaps Sound
Thickness Manufacturing Defects
General Notes General Notes

1.2 to 1.5mm
compared to, and most OG and moder straight capssound as expected from the data
these should
keycaps sit in this range in the rest of the sheet

1 to 1.2mm Warped Spacebar:

At this thickness, pitch is raised and the A convex warped spacebar will not bottom out
keycap sound more clacky and absorbs in the stab region and will put all weight on the
less sound, which means it has more spacebar switch, which will result in a very
airborne vibration (and other vibrations pronounced switch sound and a large rattle of
that go through the keyboard) the stabs
switch when
(if at pressed
all) which willhard
lead to a more
plastic-y and higher pitch bottom
general should be avoided (ex: use outan
sound
ABS
spacebar on a PBT set)
1mm andmaterials,
sounding below 1mm is absolutely Warped
This can Alphas
lead to a higher pitch with some keys,
fine and a lower pitch with others

1.5mm
resulting in a lower pitch and lower Warped Mods
spacebars (following the same rules) but may
volume.
not be as pronounced, though, you should
 Profile
General Notes

Cherry
Cherry is the standard profile for
all soundsuch
different comparisons
as: epbt, crp, most
chinese sets, and
Cherry "like" (epbt,potentially
chineseJTK)
sets)
Cherry "like" sets tend to have a
higher pitch than cherry profile
caps at the same thickness. This
pseudo cherry layout tends to
skimp on wall thickness, material
density, or total material in the
final design

OEM
therefore should be measured
before
absorbsany comparisons
a good deal of vibrations,
making for a very thocky switch
Cherry
cherry at/ OEM Hybrid
the same (leopold)
thickness and
material

SA
surface area. This translates to a
holly, thocky sound

KAT/KAM
SA without the downside of SA
typing feel

MT3
and does not have enough
specific
for ABS comparisons
MT3, see MT3 yet to judge.
Susuwatari
DCS
ABS for key return, but about the
same
or havewhen
lessbottom
materialout a switch
than cherry,
which gives this effect

DSA
noticeably louder across the
board
keyboard for this info, it was
painful for him
Low profile (g20, xda, grid, cock
that they will expel more sound
into the air, and may sound of a
 D
Sub PCB Foam
General notes
reverb brought on by too high pitch or too loud
plate or switch sounds. (PC plates and clear

Foam

Sorbothane

EVA

Polyfill

Thickness (density)
similar to having little to no empty space in the
keyboard
 Dampening Sound
Sub Plate Foam Misc Things
General notes General notes
This is best left as the last option in sound
tuning, as adding foam is a subtractive sound

Foam

Sorbothane

EVA

Thickness (density)
similar to having little to no empty space in the Thickness
keyboard
 Desk Mat Existence Material of Desk Mat
General Notes General Notes

Yes Neoprene
Desk mats reduce the case This is the standard material
variations passed to the desk, of most desk mats available in

more play thanNo Rubber/plastic

without a desk very often will conduct more
mat sound to the desk than wanted

they have Pure

near cloth
0 effect on the
sound

etc
Leather - TBD
 Desk
Thickness of Desk Mat(s) Placement of Desk Mat(s) Desk Hardness
General Notes General Notes General Notes
??????

3mm and lower Soft

A thinner desk mat will Softer desks will help reduce
transfer more vibrations to a the overall sound of your case,
4mm
pitch case andinto
sounds up the Medium
on the overall sound, but still
desk mat amplify the overall case

Hard
keyboard sounds, and most
notably the higher pitched

Super hard
sound, which will bounce back
to your face, usually an
 Desk Material Number of Desk Mats
General Notes General Notes
many newcomers will hear typing
tests from Taeha Types, who
Cardboard (cheap ikea and More deskmats = more desk
such) amplifies all This shouldmat
This desk material effect
be self explanatory.
sound, and depends This isolates the keyboards
Soft wood
lead to a higher pitch than
expected

Hard wood
above, but with much more
sound reflecting and near zero

Metal
basic rules of: harder
materials reflect more sound

board slightlyGlass
into a higher
frequency sound overall
 PCB Sound
PCB Thickness
General
A pcb willnotes
disperse switch bottom out sounds similarly to a plate,
however, pcbs sounds are higher pitched and transmit more
airborne reverb
1.2 and below
1.2mm pcbs are of a slightly higher pitch, though they offer a sign

1.3- 1.6
1.3 to 1.7 is the standard pcb thickness, and is the default
comparison for the rest

1.7 and
The above
sonic effect will lower the pitch slightly compared to a 1.5mm
pcb
 PCB Sound
PCB Material (FR4 vs CEM-3)
General notes

FR4
This is the standard pcb material used in most keyboard, and thus is
the default sound to be compared to

CEM-3
TBD (need help with this one)
 PCB Flex Cuts
General notes
and loudness, as the surface area is increased, and more holes
allow for more internal case reverb to leave the case from the

Standard
typing feel horizontal flex
in the alphas cutsThese follow the rules of all plate cuts
area.
and raise loudness as well as pitch
 TOP+BOTTOM Case Mounting
General notes
More case contact means that the top
case cantransfer
(this will more effectively
both goodtransfer
and badits
sounds)
Flat mount
Flat mounting increases the total
amount too
Having of surface
large ofarea
a flatfor the top
mount areato
can impact the
Alignment case sound negatively
pillars/tabs
Alignment pillars or tabs help further
increase top/bottom contact area

Small contact area

A small contact area means that a small
amount of vibration is able to be
Large contact area
A large contact area will move vibrations
(from the plate) to the bottom case more
 Mounting Sound
Degree of Contact of Plate & Case Mounting Screw Locations
General notes General notes
The more the plate contacts the case, More mounting allows for a stiffer
the more case vibration is transferred to top/bottom connection
No contact Many mounting locations
No contact of the plate and case means Having many mounting locations means
that the plate itself must disperse nearly that less dispersion happens between the
Minimal contact Few mounting locations
Minimal contact will behave fairly similar With a few mounting screw locations,
to no contact, but will transfer a small we allow a less tight fit between the top
Lots of contact
Having a large amount of contact will
transfer a large amount of vibrations into
Small contact points
Smaller contact points transfer a higher
frequency case vibration to the rest of
Large contact points
Larger contact points transfer a lower
frequency case vibration to the rest of
Top+bottom contact
Contacting the top and bottom (front
and back) of the case is the standard,
Side contact
Side contact is not recommended as it
negatively affects typing feel. More
 Plate Mounting Plate Mount Locations
General notes General notes
Plate mounting types greatly impact This follows the same rules as the
sound, but this is mostly based on the "degree of contact between plate and
Top Mount Many mounting locations
Top mount (the standard mounting used Having many mounting locations is
for all comparisons) is popular due to similar to having a large amount of plate
Bottom Mount Few mounting locations
Bottom mounts will transfer vibrations Less mounting locations means that
from the plate directly to the case less plate vibration is transfered to the
Tabbed Isolation Gasket Perfect amount of unicorn locations
(this is like zenith, or no2, or anything and yesamount
A good unicorns are real locations
of mounting
else
Tabbedwhere the plate
Isolation has tabs,
Gasket those
dampens the (the # depends on case size and plate
amount of vibration that travels out of material as well as mount type) means
Gummy Ring Gasket
(this is like a jane CE or a 356 mini or a
g00skt, unikorn,
O ring gasket willwhere a largeorOreduce
help soften ring
the plate vibration
Sandwich Mount movement to the top
Sandwich Mounts are notably higher
pitch than top, bottom, and gasket
Tray Mount
Tray mount is more resonant (airborne
vibrations
Due to theare more
many obviouslocations,
mounting and havethea
sound
"🍔" (as well
mount, as plate feel) are wildly
o-ring-top-mount,
grommet
Instead of mount,
covering each here, the idea
is as follows:
Grommet and Oring are meant to isolate
the plate from the case
Integrated
Integrated plates in terms of sound
profile is very similar to a sandwich
 Lube
Lube Viscosity
General Notes
the lower the viscosity the less impact on
sound
A higherand the more
viscosity lubetheinswitch
generalwillwill
lower the pitch (Krytox 103-107)
Low Viscosity
lower viscosity lube will have less impact
onlow
A sound and the
viscosity lubetheinswitch
general will sound
will not
change
Mediumthe pitch (Trobosys 3204)
Viscosity
medium viscosity lube will have slight
impact
A medium on sound andlube
viscosity the in
the switchwill
general will
lower the pitch slighty
High Viscosity (Krytox 205 G0)
high viscosity lube will have high degree
of impact on
A medium sound and
viscosity lubethe the switch
in general will
lower the pitch slighty
dummy thicc viscosity (Krytox 206
G2)
dummy thicc viscosity lube will have an
extremely high degree
A dummy thicc viscosityoflube
impact on
in general
will almost mute the switch, or will lower
 Lube Sound
Switch Lube Stab Lube(s)
General Notes General Notes
Why is this here
This borrows from lube viscosity, most of There are 2 components of stabilizer
-Omar
the logic is the same lubing: plastic
Abdulla to plastic contact, and
1 Series Krytox (103-107) cuz smol
Krytox brane 0
205 Grade
and pp
1 series is a very low viscosity lube, and 205 g2 is-John
a great lube for plastic to platic
Smith
aslow
A a result:
viscosity lube in general will not contacts and will reduce the pitch of
change
2 Seriesthe pitch (Grade 0)
Krytox Krytox 205 Grade 2
2 series (g0) is a medium viscosity lube, 205g2 can be used for plastic/plastic as
and
The as a result:
issue with using only an oil as a well as wire/plastic connections, this will
switch
2 Series Krytoxis(Grade
lubricant that the2)oil may not Super Lube 210XX and similar PTFE grease
2 series (g2) is fairly thick and should be Super lube and other PTFE greases are
avoided
A dummyforthicc
switch lube unless
viscosity lube inyou know
general only recomended for plastic to metal
will
MCG make the switch sound as deep as
Christo Dielectric Grease
MCG is easier to apply and less likely to Dielectric Grease is a last resort option,
overlube
it behavesthan with 205g0.
similarly to 3203It and
does3204
not used as a filler inside of a stab instead of
GHv4 (206G2 and
near unusable, and1506 mixed
the thin mix 10:3)
is closer
In my testing,
to a 1 series krytox mix. Krytox 202
Grade 2
r0-59 provides a
deeper sound
ro59 has little to now sound impact as it than 205 grade
is purely a dry lube (similar to other 2.
-Hunter
Henry
ok pls send
video of testing
-James
Binder
I have trouble
believing you
-James
Binder
 Misc Lube
General Notes

Spring lube
In general, springs are lubed for two
reasons.
Most A thin
lubes or thickhere,
are viable lubeand
caniscoat the
up to
preference and availablity to determine
 Stab Material
General Notes
Softer materials will have a
deeper Nylon
pitch than harder
(black)
Nylon is the standaed
cherry/gmk material for the
PC (clear)
PC housings are made of a
slightly stiffer material and
therefor are slightly
etc higher
Pom (like c3 stabs) are lower
pitch than nylon
 Stabs Sound
Stab Lube(s) Stabs Clipped PCB vs Plate Mount
General Notes General Notes General Notes
There are 2 components of Clipping stabs allows for plate mounts will play more
stabilizer lubing:(1plastic
Thin lubes seriesto longer stabClipped
throw (travel) into the Plate
plate sound,
mountwhile
krytox)
Thin lube will not dampen Clipped stabs will fell more Plate mount stabilizers will:
much sound, but will consistent, but will bottom 1. pair with the plate
Medium lubes (2 Unclipped Pcb mount
series/g0)
Medium lubes can be used unclipped stabs may feel Pcb mount stabs will in
on plastic to platic contacts weird to most, but soften the general have a semi high
as well aslubes
Thicker wire to plastic
(superlube)
Superlube and other thicker
greases should be used for
wire to Suggested
plastic contacts
mix only,
binder fill this in
und
PCB Screw vs Clip in
General Notes
Assuming stabs are properly
fitted to the pcb (not
Screw in loose)
Screw in stabs are fine, clip
in stabs are also fine if you
Clip in
Clip in stabs are (wrongly)
dismissed as inferior,
Bandaid Mod/Dampening
General Notes
Dampening dampens things
Bandaids (topside)
bandaid modding serves 1
modern purpose; to reduce
Shims/ spacers (bottom
side)to
These are meant
compinsate for a thin pcb (or
Wire Diameter
General Notes
Wire diameter should have
no realWire
effectThickness
if a stabilzer is
By a small technicality, a
thicker wire should make a
 Bumpouns Sound
Material Thickness
General Notes General Notes
A harder material will A thicker bumpon will do
transfer
Poronmore
(and vibration
other softto its jobThin
better (see 1 square
bumpons
rubbers)
A soft material used as a Thin bumpons will have
bumpon/feet will transfer less effect than thicker
Harder rubber (generic Thicker bumpons
3m bumpon)
A harder material transfers Thicker bumpons will have
more case sound to the miore effect!
 Bumpouns Sound
Placement Size cone feet / flat kbs
General Notes General Notes General Notes
More surface area of See left
bumpon means
Placement onthe
corners No bumpons (flat)
Placement on corners No bumpons means that
reduces the total surface the case will have direct
Placement across bottom Cone feet
(horizontal)
Compared to a vertical Contrary to popular belief,
placement, a horizontal cone feet KBs actually
Placement across bottom
(vertical) will
Vertical placement
behave similarly to 4
 Poor / Good Build (Soldering)
General Notes
Poor switch insertion (putting
switches in crooked) will raise the
 Skill Sound
Poor lubing
General Notes General Notes
read below
Too much lube
Too much lube in either switches or
stabilizers will make loud "fisting a
not enough lube
Not enough lube in either stems or
stablizers will make thwe switch
Inconsistent lube
Inconsistent lube will result in some
switches differing massively in pitch
General Notes General Notes
 Switch Orientation (When
matched to certain keycaps)
General Notes
 Outliers Sound

General Notes General Notes

d

General Notes General Notes

Case vibrations: Vibrations that transfer through parts of the c
Airborne vibrations (reverb when inside of a case)The actual sound in the air, the bounces arou

Viscosity

Dense sounding A dense sounding keyboard will have very litt

Western Sound Western sound is lower pitch, and louder than

er through parts of the case (plate, case, weight) and then onto the desk and surrounding area
he air, the bounces around inside of a keyboard

yboard will have very little airborne vibration within the case, meaning almost all of the sound will be the case alone

er pitch, and louder than a typical korean sound, which is higher pitched but quieter (dense) overall
e the case alone