YOU Make Your Keyboard Clack or Thock - Featuring Wind X65

Summary

This video explores the art of tuning a gaming keyboard's sound profile, demonstrating how the Windex 65 keyboard can be adjusted to achieve both clacky and thonky sounds. The host discusses the impact of foam, switches, keycaps, and case materials on sound, and provides a science-based explanation of how these elements influence the keyboard's acoustics.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Building a gaming keyboard with a specific sound profile involves considering multiple factors, not just the switch type.
• 🔊 Keyboard sound is influenced by a combination of the keyboard case, keycaps, switches, plate, and foam inside.
• 📐 The Windex 65 is a gasket-mounted keyboard, which naturally dampens sound and feel.
• 🔩 To experiment with sound tuning, the creator used milmax sockets to convert a solderable PCB into a hot swap PCB.
• 📉 For a clacky sound, thicker foam is used, as it reduces higher frequency sounds, creating a higher pitched sound.
• 📏 Thinner foam is used to reduce lower frequency sounds, resulting in a deeper, thockier sound.
• 🔨 The sound profile of a keyboard can be tuned by adjusting the amount and type of foam, keycaps, and switches.
• 🎵 The Windex 65 can be tuned to be either clacky or thonky, demonstrating the flexibility in sound tuning.
• 🔧 The creator used Aqua Jelly Whites for a clacky build and Ink Black V2s for a thonky build, highlighting the role of switch choice in sound profile.
• 📚 Understanding the science behind sound, specifically the frequency of sound waves, helps in tuning the keyboard sound to desired pitches.
• 🎨 The final keyboard build can be as unique as the user desires, with sound tuning allowing for a personalized experience.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The main focus of the video script is to demonstrate how the sound profile of a gaming keyboard, specifically the Windex 65, can be tuned to be either clacky or thonky by adjusting various components such as switches, keycaps, foam, and the keyboard case.

What factors contribute to the sound of a keyboard?

The sound of a keyboard is influenced by a combination of factors including the keyboard case materials and design, the plate design and material, the switches, the keycaps and their profile and materials, and any foam or other fillers inside the keyboard.

What is the Windex 65 keyboard?

The Windex 65 is the second rendition of the original Windex keyboard from Wind Studios. It is a gasket-mounted keyboard known for its bright orange color, sharp angular lines, and brass weight. It comes with a variety of components including palm plates, a PCB, foam, and the keyboard itself.

Why is the Windex 65 considered a gasket-mounted keyboard?

The Windex 65 is considered a gasket-mounted keyboard because it uses a gasket to mount the keyboard, which should provide a naturally dampened sound and feel.

What issue did the creator face with the solderable PCB of the Windex 65?

The creator faced the issue of not being able to easily swap out switches with a solderable PCB, as it would require soldering and desoldering, which is not easily done.

How did the creator solve the issue of not being able to swap switches on the solderable PCB?

The creator solved the issue by using Milmax sockets. These sockets were soldered into the solder PCB, converting it into a hot swap PCB, which works similarly to the KO hot swap socket.

What switches were used for the clacky setup in the video?

For the clacky setup, the creator used Aqua Jelly Whites. These switches were chosen because they are known for their clacky and higher-pitched sound.

What is the difference between clack and thock sounds in keyboard switches?

Clack is a high-pitched sound created by high-frequency waves, which are fast and have low penetration. Thock is a low-pitched sound created by low-frequency waves, which are slow and have high penetration.

How does foam affect the sound of a keyboard?

Foam acts as an energy converting device, converting the mechanical energy from sound waves into heat through friction. Thicker foam reduces low-frequency sounds (thock), while thinner foam reduces high-frequency sounds (clack).

What keycaps were used for the ultimate thonky build in the video?

For the ultimate thonky build, the creator used MT3 keycaps. These keycaps, due to their added mass and volume, emphasize the base notes in a keyboard build, contributing to a deeper sound.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 Building the Ultimate Gaming Keyboard

The speaker begins by expressing their desire to create a highly tactile and audibly distinct gaming keyboard. They emphasize that the sound of a keyboard is influenced by a combination of factors including the keyboard itself, keycaps, switches, the plate, and even foam inside the keyboard. The speaker introduces the Windex 65, a gasket-mounted keyboard from Wind Studios, which is known for its bright orange color and sharp angular design. They discuss the various components included with the keyboard, such as palm plates, a PCB, foam, and the keyboard itself. The speaker also mentions the challenge of swapping switches on a solderable PCB and their creative solution using milmax sockets to convert it into a hot swap PCB. The goal is to demonstrate how the Windex 65 can be tuned to produce either a clacky or thonky sound, starting with a clacky setup using high-frequency components.

05:13

🔊 Understanding Keyboard Sound Dynamics

The speaker delves into the science behind the sound of keyboards, explaining that sound is a form of energy, specifically a mechanical wave. They differentiate between high-pitched 'clack' sounds, which are created by high-frequency waves, and low-pitched 'thock' sounds, which are created by low-frequency waves. The speaker uses their aerospace engineering background to explain how foam acts as an energy converter, reducing the mechanical energy of sound waves through friction, thus affecting the pitch and volume of the sound. They discuss the noise reduction coefficient (NRC) of foams and how thicker foams are more effective at reducing low-frequency sounds, leading to a 'thock' sound, while thinner foams reduce high-frequency sounds, leading to a 'clack' sound. The speaker then demonstrates how reducing the amount of foam in the keyboard case can decrease the clack and increase the thock, showcasing the impact of foam thickness on keyboard sound.

10:16

🎵 Crafting the Ultimate Thocky Build

The speaker concludes by demonstrating how to create an ultimate 'thocky' build with the Windex 65 keyboard. They remove the under-PCB foam and use only the thin case foam provided, along with IXPE sheets, which act as sound modifiers rather than acoustic foam, emphasizing lower tones and creating a warm, marbly sound. Masking tape is also used behind the PCB to further emphasize lower tones. The speaker chooses the Ink Black V2 switches for their deep, low sound, which is ideal for a thocky build. For keycaps, they use the MT3 profile, which is known for emphasizing the bass notes in a keyboard build. The speaker appreciates the unique look and feel of the Windex 65, especially with the skidata-themed keycap set, and concludes by listening to the final result of the thocky build, which is described as deep, heavy, and low.

Keywords

💡Gaming Keyboard

A gaming keyboard is a type of computer keyboard designed specifically for gaming. It often features mechanical switches, customizable keys, and sometimes additional gaming-specific functions. In the video, the creator is building a 'baddest, most thuckiest gaming keyboard ever,' indicating a focus on sound and tactile feedback, which are crucial for gamers.

💡Switches

Switches in the context of keyboards refer to the individual components that register key presses. They are a major factor in the feel and sound of typing. The video discusses how different types of switches can affect the sound profile of a keyboard, with the creator experimenting with 'aqua jelly whites' for a clacky sound and 'ink black v2s' for a thoky sound.

💡Keycaps

Keycaps are the plastic covers on the keys of a keyboard. They can be made from various materials and have different profiles, affecting the sound and feel of the keyboard. The video mentions 'epbt double shot abs' keycaps, which are noted for their tendency to produce a higher pitch sound, contributing to the clacky build.

💡Plate

In mechanical keyboards, the plate is a metal or plastic structure that sits underneath the switches and provides stability. The plate can influence the sound of the keyboard by affecting how vibrations travel. The video discusses how the plate design and material can shape the sound of the keyboard.

💡Foam

Foam in the context of keyboards is used for sound dampening and to create a certain type of sound profile. The video explains that thicker foam reduces low-frequency sounds (thock), while thinner foam reduces high-frequency sounds (clack). The creator uses different amounts of foam to tune the sound of the keyboard.

💡Sound Profile

The sound profile of a keyboard refers to the overall auditory experience when typing, which can include the pitch, volume, and type of sound produced. The video is centered around tuning the sound profile of a keyboard, demonstrating how various components can be adjusted to achieve a clacky or thoky sound.

💡Clack

Clack is a term used to describe a high-pitched, sharp sound produced by a keyboard. It is associated with high-frequency sounds. In the video, the creator aims to build a keyboard with a clacky sound by using specific switches, keycaps, and foam configurations.

💡Thock

Thock is a term used to describe a low-pitched, deep sound produced by a keyboard. It is associated with low-frequency sounds. The video discusses how to achieve a thocky sound by using different switches, keycaps, and foam configurations.

💡Windex 65

The Windex 65 is a specific model of keyboard mentioned in the video. It is used as an example to demonstrate how a single keyboard can be tuned to produce different sound profiles. The video shows how the Windex 65 can be adjusted to be either clacky or thoky.

💡Sound Tuning

Sound tuning in the context of keyboards involves adjusting various components to achieve a desired sound profile. The video focuses on sound tuning, showing how the creator uses switches, keycaps, foam, and other components to shape the sound of the Windex 65 keyboard.

Highlights

Building the 'baddest, most thuckiest gaming keyboard ever' involves a combination of keyboard, keycaps, switches, plate, and foam.

Keyboard sound profile is influenced by multiple factors, not just the switch type.

The Windex 65 keyboard is used as an example to demonstrate how sound can be tuned for different effects.

The Windex 65 comes with a variety of components, including palm plates, a PCB, foam, and the keyboard itself.

The keyboard's design, including its bright orange color and angular lines, makes it stand out.

The Windex 65 is a gasket-mounted keyboard, which naturally dampens sound and feel.

Using milmax sockets allows for easy switch swapping on a solderable PCB.

A clacky setup can be achieved by using high-frequency sound parts, such as all provided foam and Aqua Jelly White switches.

EPBT double shot ABS keycaps are noted for their tendency to produce a higher pitch sound, suitable for a clacky build.

Sound is a mechanical wave, with pitch determined by frequency; clack is high-frequency, thock is low-frequency.

Foam acts as an energy converter, reducing the amplitude of sound waves as they pass through.

Thinner foams reduce higher frequency sounds (clack), while thicker foams reduce lower frequency sounds (thock).

Reducing foam thickness can decrease clack and increase thock, as demonstrated by adjusting the Windex 65.

IXPE sheets and masking tape are used to emphasize lower tones and add more depth to the sound.

The Ink Black V2 switches are chosen for their low and deep sound, suitable for a thocky build.

MT3 keycaps, with their added mass and volume, emphasize the bass notes in a keyboard build.

The Windex 65's design includes a cutout for stabs, making it easy to tune or replace switches without desoldering.

The video concludes by emphasizing that keyboard sound tuning is flexible and can be tailored to personal preference.

Transcripts

hey

hey

hey so i'm trying to build the baddest

most thuckiest gaming keyboard ever so

what switch will make that happen

um

you do realize that keyboard sound is

like a combination of a lot of different

things right

that means no one thing will make the

keyboard thaky or clacky

uh-huh

yeah so a keyboard sound comes from a

combination of like the keyboard the

keycaps the switches the plate even like

the foam inside it so you kind of have

to look at the whole picture

yeah man i think i got it

so what switch will make that happen

hi guys welcome to the channel overall i

feel like many of us in this keyboard

hobby looks for that magic bullet

usually a switch that will shape the

entire sound of the keyboard however as

scott mentioned before a keyboard sound

profile is a combination of multiple

different things some of these keyboards

may sound higher pitched as many of us

describe as clack while others will

sound deeper or also known as by the

word thok and some are in between the

wild thing is that some keyboards will

thock with one type of switch and

another will clack with the same one

it's pretty crazy right well it's

because of the different things playing

in a chord inside the keyboard first you

have the keyboard itself the case

materials the design plays a part in

shaping the sound then you got the plate

design and the plate material yes

switches do play a big part in this as

well and keycaps and their profile and

the materials also has a big impact

finally so does foam or any other filler

that's inside the keyboard in order to

demonstrate this phenomenon and to show

that pretty much any keyboard can be

tuned to display some type of clacky or

thaky sound behavior we will be using

this

the windex 65.

i'm sure you have seen this board from

the original wind x or from other

reviewers that had a chance to show you

what the windex 65 is all about today

rather than going about the basics of

the keyboard i want to show you how the

windex 65 can be tuned and mounted to be

either clacky or thonky and you can

pretty much do this with any other board

as well so a little bit about this board

the windex 65 is the second rendition of

the original windex from wind studios it

comes in this nice little box and comes

with a whole slew of different stuff

like palm plates a pcb a huge package of

foam and obviously the keyboard itself i

could say that of all the recent

keyboards i have tested this is probably

one of the wildest given the bright

orange color and the sharp angular lines

it really stands out from the rest of

the minimalistic designs that and and i

really welcome this board to my

ever-growing collection as well

plus this brass weight is executed so

cleanly with just a small sliver of it

visible from the outside

the windex 65 like the wind x is a

gasket mounted keyboard so it should

have a naturally dampened sound and also

a dampened type feel as well

however since the point of this video

was to show you how i can tune this

window x65 to be either clacky or thaky

i needed to swap the parts in and out

and i ran into an issue

my kit came with a solderable pcb so how

will i swap out switches if i have to

solder and desolder it well i can't at

least not easily so i got creative and i

did this i used milmax sockets

essentially you solder in these little

sockets into the solder pcb and then it

converts it into a hotspot pcb it then

pretty much works very similarly to the

ko hot swap socket as well so now that's

done let's get started by trying to

build a clacky setup first so many of us

use the word clacky for higher pitched

sounding keyboards for that i'll be

using parts that airs on high frequency

sounds so first of all we're going to

get started by using all of the foam

provided i'm actually going to explain

the reasoning behind this more

technically coming up but a sneak

preview more or thicker foam actually

creates more clack for the plate and pcb

as well i'll be using all of the foam

provided excluding the ixpe sheets more

on that later as well for the switches

something clacky right and for that

we're going to be using the aqua jelly

whites out of many switches i have tried

i feel the new aqua jelly white and the

black are pretty clacky and higher

pitched so this will be perfect for this

clack build and finally the keycaps

we'll be using the epbt double shot abs

in the pink on black colorway of many of

the premium cherry profile keycaps i

have tried i feel that the epbt double

shot abs have a tendency to be more

clacky not really in a bad way but the

way epbt handles their double shot

process is a bit different from the

likes of gmk and does produce a more

higher pitch sound so given all that

let's see how this sounds shall we

[Music]

yup as expected this is one crazy clacky

build nothing wrong with clacky

especially if that's the sound signature

you are looking for but i want you to

keep this in mind in terms of how it

sounded because well let's go into a

little bit of science behind sound and

specifically foams

so in order for us to understand what

foam does to keyboards and its sound we

need to first understand what sound is

so first of all sound is a form of

energy more specifically it's a

mechanical wave and the pitch of sound

that we hear from high or low is

described by the frequency of the sound

wave you're hearing for example the

sound that we interpret as clack is a

high pitched sound created by high

frequency waves this type of wave is

high speed and also is very low

penetration type of wave that travels

fast bounces around fast but is also low

wavelength and is not very good at going

through surfaces or other media the

second type of sound that we interpret

as thock is a low pitch sound created by

a low frequency wave this type of wave

is lower in speed and high penetration

type of wave that travels and bounces

around slow but is high of wavelength

and is good at penetrating surfaces or

media so just remember clack is a high

frequency and fast sound thought is a

low frequency and slow sound so now

going into foam

essentially foam is an energy converting

device it acts as a barrier or an

obstacle the sound wave needs to travel

through so what happens is that the loud

high amplitude sound will go through one

side of the foam and while doing so the

mechanical energy from the mechanical

wave is then converted into heat through

friction i'm not saying that if you play

sounds through foam you get crazy amount

of heat but rather it's very low

friction and very low amount of heat

generated but the energy is being

converted

at the other end of the foam as the

sound travels through it loses energy

and comes out as a more quiet sound

overall so why do i care about this at

all and how does this relate to a

keyboard you say well because of this

on a high level you just need to

remember this thinner foams work to

reduce higher frequency sounds so clack

thicker foams work to reduce low

frequency sounds so thock

the reason for that is to take a look at

this chart quickly this is a nrc or a

noise reduction coefficient table it

shows the effectiveness of foams at

different thicknesses and reducing

sounds of various different frequencies

as you can see even a thin foam pretty

much does the same thing as a thick foam

to block out high pitch or clacky sounds

on the other hand you need to get

thicker and thicker foam in order to

effectively block out low frequency or

thaki sounds so you're probably asking

who cares and what do i need to take

away from this

well it's simple if you shove lots of

thick foam or layers of foam into your

keyboard you're essentially reducing the

deeper end of sound so you get a small

thack

sorry for all this technicality but i

felt that i can use some of my aerospace

engineering background to help provide

some science behind why things behave a

certain way into this keyboarding hobby

let me know in the descriptions below if

you like this or not if you don't i'll

stop doing that

now with that said let me show you if

you keep everything the same and just

reduce the amount of foam in the case

and remove the platform also what

happens so check it out

[Music]

as you can see even if you keep

everything the same but just by reducing

the thickness of foam you can start to

decrease the clack and increase the

thock so given this i'm not going to do

this for every combination for the

windex but rather since i cover the

ultimate clack build let me try to do an

ultimate fact build to show you that

this one keyboard the windex 65 can

literally hit both ends of the spectrum

so for this stock build i'll remove the

under pcb foam and only use the thin

case foam that is provided

next i'll be using the ixpe sheets in

this build the reason for that is that

the ixpe sheets doesn't behave like an

acoustic foam rather it's more like a

sound modifier it helps to filter and

emphasize certain frequencies and

creates a warm marbly and what is

perceived as typically a deeper sound so

ixp go

next i use some masking tape behind the

pcb similar to the ixpe the masking tape

also works to emphasize the lower tones

and adds more thought overall

now for switches yes i'm using the

ubiquitous ink black v2s they are pretty

much the quintessential low and deep

switch so i felt it was pretty

appropriate for this build and finally

keycaps the big boy mt3 caps due to the

added mass and volume of these keycap

profile the mt3 cabs are great at really

emphasizing the base notes in a keyboard

build plus i always wondered when would

i ever use this skidata themed keycap

set well now on this perfectly black and

orange keyboard known as the windex 65

it actually works out perfectly

overall i think this build turned out

very unique and fantastic i just really

love how it looks and stands out from

the rest of you know my other black

keyboard builds that's a little bit more

minimal and very business-like

since this was a mainly sound shaping

video let's listen to how this that

build really sounds and what the final

result was

[Music]

and that is a crazy docky build just

deep heavy and low i like it

so i know this video was different from

the typical keyboard review not to say

that the windex 65 is a bad board or

anything like that or boring in fact it

was actually a great keyboard the design

the look and feel and also the sound was

overall fantastic one thing i would like

to point out is that for a gasket

mounted board it's not as flexible as

some of the other offerings out there

but it does have a small amount of flex

it's on the stiffer side but still

provides a dampened experience overall

in addition the windex 65 has this nice

cutout for stabs where even with

solderable pcbs you can easily access or

to tune or replace without desoldering

the entire board this is a pretty genius

idea

i hope that this video helps you with

the concept of keyboard sound tuning and

hope that it helps you shape your own

keyboard whatever it may be however you

like it whether it is a clacky or a

thaky build the final result is entirely

up to you and how you shape it

as usual please like and subscribe and

i'll keep pushing more content out in

the future

happy clacking or docking