Most of us here must be familiar with the click-clack sounds the IBM Model-M keyboards made whenever you typed with them. To some, the sounds are annoying but to others, the sounds are sort of nice to the ears and an indicator that one is getting work done.
If you fall into the second category then I have good news for you because I came across an app that will simulate those same sounds as you work with your PC’s keyboard.
Bucklespring is a snap app that plays back the sound of each key pressed and released on your keyboard to simulate the sounds made while using an IBM Model-M. According to the developer,
the sound of each key has carefully been sampled, and is played back while simulating the proper distance and direction for a realistic 3D sound palette of pure nostalgic bliss.
Listen to the sounds I speak of in the video below:
Bucklespring runs as a background process and you can mute its playback whenever you want to take a break from reminiscing by pressing ScrollLock twice, and twice again to unmute it (assuming you have the button, of course 😉
You are free to change the keycode for muting using the -m option, and 0 to disable the mute function completely.
Features in Bucklespring
- FOSS – free and open-source
- Cross-platform – run Bucklespring on Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Mute – temporarily disable keyboard sound playback
Install Bucklespring on Ubuntu
Bucklespring is available in the latest Debian and Ubuntu dev-releases and thus can be installed right from the terminal:
$ sudo apt-get install bucklespring
Bucklespring is also available for downloaded as a snap app and if you are using Ubuntu 17.04, for example, just click the button below to install it.
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Usage
usage: ./buckle [options] options: -d DEVICE use OpenAL audio device DEVICE -f use a fallback sound for unknown keys -g GAIN set playback gain [0..100] -m CODE use CODE as mute key (default 0x46 for scroll lock) -h show help -l list available openAL audio devices -p PATH load .wav files from directory PATH -s WIDTH set stereo width [0..100] -v increase verbosity / debugging
Some people might dislike the existence of Bucklespring but if you missed the IBM Model-M keyboard click-clack sounds then by all means, try out Bucklespring and don’t forget to share your experience with us in the comments section below.
Awesome