Terminal, an old speaker ticking
Updated
An old terminal's speaker ticking each key.
Press any key, or tap the keys below, to hear Terminal. These are the same samples the app plays.
- Category
- Retro
- Brightness (centroid)
- 1,786 Hz
- Key press length
- 45 ms
What it imitates
Terminal imitates an old terminal’s small speaker ticking once per key, not the keyboard itself. It is the shortest pack in Teclo, at 45 ms, and 85% of its energy sits between 1 and 3 kHz, the highest share of any pack.
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 Terminal next to Typewriter and Pixel, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal | Retro | 1,786 | 45 | 5.1 | -13.2 | 85% |
| Typewriter | Retro | 944 | 100 | 15.7 | +6.7 | 15% |
| Pixel | Arcade | 1,723 | 50 | 6.6 | +5.5 | 13% |
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
Programmers and anyone who wants a dry, retro tick instead of a full click (a suggestion).
Use it in Teclo
- Click the keycap icon in the menu bar to open Teclo’s window.
- Pick Terminal in the list of packs, under Retro.
- 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
Which Teclo pack is the shortest?
Terminal: each press lasts 45 ms and delivers 90% of its energy in 5.1 ms.