REAL Typing Tests — Unaltered Topre & EC Sound Library

It's no exaggeration: nearly every typing test you've heard from a large creator has been altered to sound better than the keyboard actually does — and people make real purchase decisions off those recordings. This library is the counterweight: 29 typing tests, one strict standard, recorded to capture the true sound of each keyboard so you hear exactly what I hear — directly comparable between boards, and between the same board before and after modification.

The full library plays in order — use the player's playlist menu (top right of the video) to jump between boards.

Calibrate before you compare — the Bic Clic method Every test opens with a Bic Clic Stic pen clicked over the keyboard — same click, same hand position, same keyboard position, every video. Grab one from your desk drawer, click it the way the video does, and adjust your speakers or headphones until the video's click matches the pen in your hand. Now you're hearing the keyboard's true loudness and tone.

The recording standard

Every recording follows a strict setup and process to ensure uniformity and accuracy across every test in the library.

Microphone: Rode NT1-A

Ultra-low 5 dBA self-noise — clean, crisp audio with essentially nothing added by the mic itself.
Large diaphragm — crystal-clear capture for the most accurate sound test possible.
Tight cardioid polar pattern — picks up what's in front of and perpendicular to the capsule while rejecting sound behind it: the keyboard, not the room.

Position & mounting

Microphone angled down ~40°, placed so the straight-line distance from the center of the condenser to the home row is 11–12 inches (28–30 cm), centered on the spacebar / “B” key.
The SM6 shock mount isolates the mic from desk vibrations produced by typing.

Recording chain & room

Recorder: Tascam DR-60DmkII. Gain is set so the Bic Clic pen averages a peak around −12 dB — the same calibration target on every test, which is what makes test-to-test loudness comparisons honest.
Room: sound-treated with acoustic panels, curtains, and large studio light boxes surrounding the keyboard — minimal background noise, no echo, just the board.

Keeping it real

ZERO changes are made to the audio file, and no filters are applied when recording.

No EQ — no treble boosted for clickier sound, no bass boosted for thockier sound.
No effects — no noise reduction, no filters, nothing.

Full disclosure: tests recorded before June 2, 2025 had background noise removed with Audacity's Noise Reduction tool. That practice ended on that date — everything since is completely untouched.

Why this matters

Too often, people choose to buy or modify a keyboard based on a typing test that was altered to sound better — bass boosted, treble dropped. Altering audio isn't trivial, and some creators have made an art of it: take any keyboard, make it sound perfect. Keyboard auto-tune, if you will. That practice is widespread enough that a library of true recordings — one room, one chain, one calibration reference, zero edits — exists precisely so you have something honest to reference in your purchasing and modding decisions.

Pair the sound with the numbers: the Force Curve Analyzer tells you how a dome feels on the same measured-not-marketed principle, and the rest of the Dome Lab covers everything in between.

For Those About to Thock (We Salute You)