Keyslam
How Keyslam's sound reaches a recording
- It's a normal app sound. Keyslam plays through your Mac's current output device, the same path as music or a video, and follows it when you switch to headphones, AirPods or a display's speakers.
- No separate output setting. Keyslam has no device picker of its own, so routing happens in macOS or in your recording app.
- In sync with your hands. The sound starts as the key goes down, with an audio buffer of about 5 ms, so it lines up with on-screen typing. Bluetooth headphones add their own delay to what you hear.
- 48 kHz inside. The audio engine renders at 48 kHz, the same rate OBS uses by default, and macOS converts it for your device.
- The same level on every board. Every pack is leveled to −28 LUFS on a standard typing passage, so switching boards between takes doesn't jump in volume.
Record Keyslam in OBS Studio
- Use OBS Studio 30 or later. Its macOS Audio Capture source needs macOS 13 Ventura or later, the same minimum as Keyslam.
- Add the source. In Sources, click +, choose macOS Audio Capture and set it to capture desktop audio.
- Allow recording. When macOS asks, turn OBS on in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording on macOS 13 and 14).
- Type and watch the meter. The new source's meter in OBS's Audio Mixer should move with every key.
- Silence everything else. Desktop audio includes notifications and music, so turn on a Focus mode and pause other audio apps.
OBS can also capture a single app. Keyslam lives in the menu bar with no regular window, so if it isn't in OBS's app list, desktop audio is the reliable choice. On OBS 28 and 29, the macOS Screen Capture source records system audio instead (OBS's desktop audio guide).
Record Keyslam with QuickTime Player
QuickTime Player's own recordings take sound from a microphone, not from what your Mac plays. On macOS 27 or later there's a simpler route: press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar, click Options and choose Include System Audio before you record the screen (Apple's steps). On earlier versions, you have two options.
Option 1: a microphone
Play Keyslam through your speakers and record with your Mac's mic or a USB mic. You get the room and your real keys too, which some ASMR creators like. Headphones won't work for this, because the mic can't hear them.
Option 2: a loopback driver
- Install BlackHole, a free, open-source loopback driver.
- Create a Multi-Output Device in Audio MIDI Setup with your speakers or headphones plus BlackHole 2ch, so you hear what you record (Apple's steps).
- Choose it as your output in System Settings › Sound › Output.
- Pick BlackHole in QuickTime. Choose File › New Screen Recording or New Audio Recording, open Options and select BlackHole 2ch as the microphone.
- Switch your output back afterward. The volume keys usually don't work while a Multi-Output Device is selected, so set the level with Keyslam's own slider.
Paid routing apps such as Rogue Amoeba's Loopback do the same with per-app routing.
Other recorders, streams and calls
Screen recorders and streaming apps with a “system audio” or “computer audio” option on macOS 13 or later capture Keyslam like any other app. On a video call, other people hear it only if your mic picks it up from your speakers or you share your computer's sound.
Settings for clean takes
- Lock the strength. On MacBooks with the motion sensor, switch off “Feel how hard you type” and pick Soft, Medium, Hard or Slam. On other Macs the strength picker is always there. Keyslam still adds a little natural variation, and each key keeps its own take and pitch, so a long take doesn't sound like a loop.
- Or keep force sensing on for natural dynamics: light presses play soft strikes and hard ones play hard strikes.
- Stereo by key position. Leave it on for headphone ASMR, so Q sits a little left and P a little right; turn it off to keep every key centered.
- Key release sounds. On for the full up-and-down detail, off for a drier take. The typewriter packs have none either way.
- Volume. Use Keyslam's own slider to set the level against your voice or music, and watch for clipping in your recorder.
Can I use the sounds in my videos?
Every pack is cut from recordings their authors released as CC0 on Freesound. CC0 is a public-domain dedication: anyone may use the recording for any purpose, commercial included, without asking or giving credit. Each pack's source is linked on the sound packs page, so you can check the license yourself, and crediting the recordists is a kind thing to do. If a sponsor or client needs something in writing, contact us.
Need sound files for an editor instead of live typing? See keyboard typing sound effects.