Mechanical Keyboard Sound Isn't That Simple
Figure 1: I couldn't think of a more literal way to represent this article if I tried... Looking back just a few years ago, there’s no doubt that the huge influx of people that joined the hobby at the peak of the COVID pandemic were drawn to keyboards by way of YouTube, TikTok, and other audio-visual content platforms. Even as the output from these content creators has waned in recent months, their collective impact and legacy on the keyboard hobby is rather firmly etched in the history books. As a result of all of their sound tests, build logs, and opinion videos, the message is clear to any new person joining the hobby: mechanical keyboards are all about the sound. Thock this, clack that. Whether it’s keyboards, keycaps, or even singular switches, seemingly everyone new to the hobby meticulously pores over each component of their keyboard not in an attempt to figure out how it will feel in hand, but how it will sound as they’re furiously grinding their way out from...
Mar 27, 2024
This is a new process for us so definitely want to hear from you. What do you think works? What do you think needs improving? This contest, and contests like it, aren’t possible without input from the community so let us know in the discussion below or shoot us a note at communitykeyboards@massdrop.com (we fixed the email. It works now.). Many of you let us know what you think already, and we’re doing our best to reply to everyone.
That being said, it is now time to vote! VOTING SETUP Going into this contest we really had no idea how many designs we were going to get. We’ve received all kinds of sets for this contest, but ultimately, only one can win. So here’s what we’re going to do…
Since we have so many designs, we want to make sure that we can surface everyone’s work and still keep the voting as fair as possible. We’re breaking up all of the designs at random into 4 groups, and then the top winner of those 4 groups will go on to the final round in which a winner will be declared.
PLACE YOUR VOTES We’ve set up some Google Forms to allow everyone to place their vote in each group. We’re making every effort to make sure that all the votes are legitimate and will not allow any fraudulent attempts to game votes. We have to be diligent while remaining fair.
· One vote per group (4 votes total)
· Enter your info accurately (First Name, Last Name, MassdropUsername, Massdrop e-mail)
· We’ll be monitoring closely to ensure a fair voting process.
Here are the links to the votes for each group! Remember to vote in each one.
· GROUP A: http://dro.ps/groupa (CLOSED)
· GROUP B: http://dro.ps/groupb (CLOSED)
· GROUP C: http://dro.ps/groupc (CLOSED)
· GROUP D: http://dro.ps/groupd (CLOSED)
GROUP A - FINALISTS 1st - “GMK Neighbor” by Chisong Oh: 16.2% 2nd - “Monokai” by Jonas Schmöle: 12.8% 3rd - “GMK Phantom” by Briano G.: 12.0% 4th - “Season of the Witch” by Lennart Niemelä: 11.8% 5th - “Master Yoda” by Chang Muni: 5.6%
GROUP B - FINALISTS 1st - “808” by Chris Castronero: 17.3% 2nd - “Extended 2048” by Louis Burgard: 11.3% 3rd - “Tropical Ocean” by Tim Martin: 10.9% 4th - “90s kids DSA” by Mschivou5: 10.7% 5th - “Bounty Hunter” by Holten Campbell: 8.3%
GROUP C - FINALISTS 1st - “2077” by Gary Lim: 15.5% 2nd - “Sanderson” by Juan Herrera: 9.8% 3rd - “GMK Gore” by Neil Ramirez: 8.5% 4th - “Bolt of Blue” by Daniel Lacatusu: 7.6% 4th - “Copper and Brass” by Micky Faas: 7.6%
GROUP D - FINALISTS 1st - “White Space” by Art Delano: 14.0% 2nd - “GMK SULLY” by Cody Severtson: 10.5% 2nd - “GMK Wāpuro” by Kyle Bares: 10.5% 3rd - “Old Calculator” by Yousuke Ikeda: 9.9% 4th - “Ember” by Zach K.: 9.8%
GROUP A · “XDA Melon” by Sen Lin · “Beige Hero” by Reece Conrad · “Arcade” by 허영현 · “Lavender” by Cassidy Williams · “Monokai” by Jonas Schmöle · “Barcelona” by Ho Lan Nguyen · “Violet Butterfly” by Pentan · “Cyber Dreamin’” by Christopher Snyder · “Season of the Witch” by Lennart Niemelä · “Borderline” by David Power · “Sugarbomb” by Aleksi Cohen · “Hardarbeit” by Kunal Kumar · “Goldworms” by 김재근 · “Iron Tiger” by Lokman Leung · “SKIDATA++” by Dongsik Jeong · “GMK Neighbor” by Chisong Oh - FINALIST · “GMK Fanny Pack” by Jackie Huang · “GMK Phantom” by Briano G. · “DSA Grapevine” by Ian Shields · “Master Yoda” by Chang Muni · “Transistor” by Daniel Sheehan
GROUP B · “808” by Chris Castronero - FINALIST · “Spice” by Nate Wootton · “Zissou” by Dylan Shepard · “Cyanide” by Brian Murray · “Verde Gradient” by Travis Austin · “To the Bat Cave” by James Young · “DSA Firewatch” by Bart Vergeer · “Extended 2048” by Louis Burgard · “GMK Night” by Parhelion Heart · “90s kids DSA” by Mschivou5 · “Crimson Pilot” by David Berg · “Mystic” by Fouras · "Slasher” by John Bossley · “DSA Windbreaker” by Megan Chomskis · “Dolomite” by Astral Team · “Grey and Blue” by Andrew Boucher · “Bounty Hunter” by Holten Campbell · “GMK Fluffy Unicorn” by Desmond Tsang · “Splash of Color” by Austin Koontz · “Tropical Ocean” by Tim Martin
GROUP C · “GMK Fortune” by Darin Kishore · “Space Ranger” by Alfie Wild · “DSA Poseidon” by Lân Nguyễn · “Bolt of Blue” by Daniel Lacatusu · “SSK Industrial” by Tomas DeLuna · “Sanderson” by Juan Herrera · “DSA Dune Drifter” by Evan Tungate · “GMK Pineapple” by Jep Flores · “Prefect DSA” by Michael · “GHOSTBUSTIN” by Leon Mok · “2077” by Gary Lim - FINALIST & WINNER · “Jing Fang” by Last Brat · “GMK Print” by Jieming You · “Copper and Brass” by Micky Faas · “Dark Sky Base” by ROCAPS · “Silicon Circuits” by Scott McCoy · “Get Schwifty” by Miles Ray · “MATRIX” by Carlos Lafarga Priego · “Yosemite” by Keegan Paul Lanzillottta · “GMK Gore” by Neil Ramirez
GROUP D · “BITLUDER RC PICCOLINE INSPIRED” by Rasmus Berlin · “SLAM DUNK” by Yasin Tahir · “Mangosteen” by Ferdi Oktaviano · “Pathway to the Stars” by Jeremy Birch · “Desert Sunset” by Robert Matthews · “GMK Dip ” by Bektour Ryskeldiev · “Ember” by Zach K. · “GMK SULLY” by Cody Severtson · “Rhodia” by Craig Forrester · “Cuddly Bear ” by Nicholas Diesslin · “GMK Wāpuro” by Kyle Bares · “Cheddar Cheese” by Boi Kang · “Milky Way” by Jeje · “GMK WEIHNACHTEN” by George Lerdal · “GMK Buster” by Sandy Pirouzi · “Seasonal” by Derek Allman · “White Space” by Art Delano - FINALIST · “Old Calculator” by Yousuke Ikeda · “Royal Providence” by Avery Segaw · “Witchy” by Ian O'Dea
If we’ve gotten any of your design names or personal names wrong, please let us know and we’ll correct it immediately. It won't affect your votes if we need to make any changes. It’s important to us that we get it right, and if we find that a name or design needs to change along the way because of any copyright issues, we’ll make sure to communicate that clearly and promptly.
We will update this Talk Post when the winners of each group are declared. We will also prepare a final Google Form so people can vote on them.
Best of luck to everyone! It’s in our utmost interest to make sure this process is a success and that we can do it again. If your design doesn’t win, fear not, it won’t be the last chance you get to bring it to life.