Pixel, a plain square blip
Updated
A plain square blip.
Press any key, or tap the keys below, to hear Pixel. These are the same samples the app plays.
- Category
- Arcade
- Brightness (centroid)
- 1,723 Hz
- Key press length
- 50 ms
What it imitates
Pixel plays a square-wave blip, the basic tone of early game consoles, for every key. It is short and plain on purpose: a pixel of sound.
Teclo’s sounds are synthesized, not recorded. Its sound engine builds each pack from a model of the parts that make the sound, then plays the same files in the app that you hear on this page.
How it measures
Every pack is measured when it is rendered. The table puts Pixel next to Bubble and Terminal, the packs closest to it in feel.
| Pack | Category | Brightness (Hz) | Press (ms) | 90% of energy in (ms) | Low/high (dB) | 1–3 kHz share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixel | Arcade | 1,723 | 50 | 6.6 | +5.5 | 13% |
| Bubble | Arcade | 576 | 60 | 8.7 | +14.5 | 3% |
| Terminal | Retro | 1,786 | 45 | 5.1 | -13.2 | 85% |
Brightness is the energy-weighted mean frequency of a key press, so a higher number sounds brighter. Low/high is the energy below 1 kHz against the energy above it: the higher, the deeper. Nobody has tuned these packs by ear yet; the figures are what the files measure.
Who it suits
Game players and anyone who wants typing to feel like a game’s text box (a suggestion).
Use it in Teclo
- Click the keycap icon in the menu bar to open Teclo’s window.
- Pick Pixel in the list of packs, under Arcade.
- Type anywhere. Teclo plays a different sound for a key going down and coming up, and separate sounds for Space, Return and Delete.
Every pack also has its own pair of mouse click sounds, made from the same model. Try the other packs on the sound packs page.
Questions
Does Teclo have game sounds?
Yes. The Arcade category has Pixel, a square blip, and Bubble, a rising pop. Laser, in Scifi, is a falling zap.