Free Keyboard Sounds and Keyboard Clicking Sound Effects

Get this pack of royalty-free sound effects of keyboards clicking and other office-like work sounds, in high-quality WAV format for use in your projects

One of the most common noises we’ve all been exposed to in modern, day-to-day life is the clicking and clacking of computer keyboards. That’s why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to load you up with some free keyboard sounds as a handy addition to your SFX library.

As you’re certainly aware, using a computer is a huge part of being alive today, and so when inevitably there’s a scene with a computer being used in a movie, a game or anything else, you’ll need some appropriate sounds to match. One option is to record them yourself, while a quicker way is to download this small collection of keyboard clicking sounds from us and try them on.

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These high-quality WAV sounds were created for use in professional audio post production work, and contain a variety of keyboard clicking sound effects – from keyboard old and new. You’ll also find individual spacebar sounds, plus a typewriter wildcard. These sounds are in 24-bit, 48kHz quality, perfect for high-resolution audio work.

But wait! You can craft your own custom keyboard sounds instantly with Krotos Studio

Krotos Studio is a powerful sound design tool for filmmakers and sound designers. You can think of it as a Foley studio in your computer. It enables you to design and perform original sound effects that match your source footage without the need for expensive microphones, or a recording studio. The sounds in the pack above were all made using Krotos Studio, and they could have been longer, shorter or different in quality if we’d simply changed a setting or recorded for a different time.

Creating an office environment through sound

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tKpjMh_OUw

The first sound environment that probably comes to mind when thinking of keyboard sound effects, is that of a busy office. In the hustle and bustle of daily work in a packed office block, there are plenty of sounds present aside from those pesky keyboard noises.

Typical sounds that are commonplace in an office environment would be as follows: telephone ringing, air-con units, desk fans, pencil/pen scribbling and writing, page turning/paper scrunching, or even the sound of distant traffic seeping in from an opened window.

You can combine keyboard sounds with Krotos Studio’s Office preset in the Ambiences category to create a fully immersive, hardworking office soundscape. Perhaps, adding some inaudible background chatter might also add to the in-office calamity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VS9IO7DDPU

Krotos Studio is a handy sound design companion to help designers like yourself create high-quality, effective, and immersive sound environments on the fly. Krotos Studio offers a trial version, containing 14 different free presets, each with a combination of audio FX, and the full version comes jam-packed with 200+ presets.

Where else might we hear a keyboard clicking sound?

Of course, a busy office isn’t the only environment where keyboard sounds would naturally be present. What about a modern day library? Or a University lecture hall? You could even simulate a seminar or corporate meeting with the help of clicking keyboard noises.

If you’re designing any sound space that might contain keyboard chattering noise, it’s important to diversify your keyboard sounds to make the environment more realistic and immersive. You can achieve this by adding multiple different keyboard sound files, and spacing out their frequency and duration of use.

You can also achieve diversity in your sound design by laying your keyboard sound effects with numerous other sounds that will compliment your environment. For instance, phone ringing and paper scrunching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWG2-cRBX50&list=PLLnwGpmc9_V_1k7K_qcxLGwwUACM-TquC&index=3

Krotos Studio aims to provide us sound designers with base presets for a wide range of commonplace sound environments so that we have a strong starting point that we can build upon. Check out Krotos Studio’s Apartment preset above for an example.

One of the key benefits of using Krotos Studio is that you can record an SFX file live using the template presets, and alter the mix between each preset’s sound elements whilst recording. This is a unique feature and ensures total originality of your audio asset over anyone else’s. It also means that you can adjust your sound elements in time to match any visual media changes that might occur in your on-screen accompanying media during the editing phase.

What sounds are similar to a laptop keyboard sound effect?

There are all sorts of sound assets that are similar in sonic characteristics to keyboard sounds. The most obvious that comes to mind is that of old-school typewriters and traditional phone dials. Obviously, a typewriter makes sense because the keyboard of a typewriter is the predecessor of modern computer keyboards.

Check out the below video for a very quick breakdown on sound characteristics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MgCNOOG_7I

Sounds that are similar, but perhaps not directly linked to keyboard noises, would be as follows: clock ticking, pen and paper scribbling, jittering teeth, paper scrunching, fingernails scratching, cutlery clashing, chinaware clunking, dice rolling, and many, many more! Can you think of any extra additions to this list?

Krotos Studio is a great audio tool for sound designers looking for digital assets similar to the signature keyboard clicking sound. Try out the free trial version today, to gain instant access to 14 distinct presets to assist you in your sound design journey.

Or, check out one of our other articles containing even more free sound effect files for you to add to your collection!

FAQs

What is the keyboard noise called?

The keyboard noise is often referred to as keyboard chatter. Keyboard chatter itself is made up from two distinct keyboard sounds: the click, and the clack of a keyboard being pressed and released.

The click of the keyboard refers to the sound of a key being pressed in, and the clack refers to the noise caused by the key springing back into place once released.

Do keyboard keys have different sounds?

Of course, each keyboard is designed using different mechanical parts, so the clicking and clacking of each keyboard sounds slightly different. A classic typewriter can sound much louder than most computer keyboards of today, and some modern flat keyboards don’t produce much sound whatsoever.

Maybe you can become so well versed in your keyboard sounds that you’ll be able to distinguish between keyboard types and laptop models from the mere noise alone… A pretty useless talent, but an impressive one nonetheless!

What is keyboard chatter?

Keyboard chatter refers to the clicking and clacking of a computer, or typewriter keyboard when a user types.

To some, the sound of keyboard chattering can be a relatively relaxing noise and help to invoke a flow-state of increased productivity. Perhaps this is due to the keyboard noises being associated with work, and primarily being found in a work environment.

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