Keyslam release notes

November 2, 2026 · Released

Keyslam 1.0.1

Five new sound packs, 15 in all: Unicomp, Model F, Gateron Red, MX Black and Rainy 75, each cut from a CC0 recording on Freesound.

New sound packs

• Unicomp (buckling spring): a Unicomp buckling-spring keyboard. From “Typing on a keyboard” by SamsterBirdies on Freesound.
• Model F (buckling spring): an early-1980s IBM Model F XT. From “IBM Model F keyboard typing” by Fractal_ on Freesound.
• Gateron Red (linear): Gateron Red switches on a GMMK TKL. From “Typing on a mechanical keyboard” by IRF1010N on Freesound.
• MX Black (linear): Cherry MX Black switches on a Leopold FC980M PD. From “leopold fc980m pd cherry mx black.flac” by ujonathan on Freesound.
• Rainy 75 (mechanical): a Rainy 75 keyboard; the uploader doesn't name its switches. From “Typing on a rainy 75” by Techrul on Freesound.
• Like the other keyboard packs, each new pack is cut from one real typing recording released as CC0, with separate takes for Space, Return and Delete, key-up sounds, and real strikes sorted by natural loudness into soft, medium, hard and slam bands. Every pack plays at the same loudness, -28 LUFS.

Changes

• The Sound grid in the menu now fits all 15 boards, one line per board, with the selected board's kind and description underneath.
• Each pack's credits name every source recording once.

Updating from 1.0.0

• There is no built-in updater. Download 1.0.1 from the website's download page, quit Keyslam from its menu, and replace the copy in Applications.
• Your license still works: 1.0.1 is a free update with nothing more to pay. The trial date, license and settings stay where they were.

Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

November 2, 2026 · Released

Keyslam 1.0.0

First public release: adds an on/off shortcut and Quiet during calls. Universal (Apple silicon and Intel), Developer ID-signed and notarized by Apple.

New

• Turn sounds on and off from any app with a global shortcut, ⌃⌥⌘K by default. In the menu you can switch it off or pick ⌃⌥⌘S, ⌃⌥⌘M or ⌃⌥⌘T instead; if another app already uses the shortcut, the menu says so. No extra permission.
• Quiet during calls, on by default: sounds pause while any app is using the microphone and come back when it's free. Keyslam doesn't record or open the microphone and asks for no microphone permission; it only checks whether the input device is in use.

Release

• One universal app for Apple silicon and Intel, Developer ID-signed (Venture Deals, Co.), notarized and stapled by Apple.

Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

Not in this version

• No built-in updater; new versions come from the website's download page.

November 2, 2026 · Pre-release

Keyslam 0.1.0

The first build: 10 real keyboard and typewriter packs, force sensing on MacBooks with the motion sensor, and an offline license. It was never made public.

Sounds

• 10 packs, each cut from one real CC0 recording on Freesound: MX Blue, MX Brown, MX Red, Topre, Leopold, WhiteFox, Vintage Technics, Laptop, Selectric, Olivetti.
• The keyboard packs have separate takes for regular keys and for Space, Return and Delete, plus key-up sounds. The two typewriters have no key-up sounds and ring a bell on Return.
• Real strikes sorted by natural loudness into four strength bands: soft, medium, hard and slam (the hardest ~8%). Each band is leveled toward its own target.
• Every pack leveled to the same loudness, -28 LUFS, so switching boards keeps the volume about the same.
• Each key keeps its own take and pitch, and stereo placement follows the key's position.

Force sensing

• On MacBook Pro with M1 Pro or M1 Max and later, and MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with M2 and later, the app reads the motion sensor about 800 times a second and blends the two nearest bands for each keystroke.
• A Sensitivity slider and a four-segment meter that shows how hard the last key landed.
• On Macs without the sensor, or with force sensing switched off, a Soft / Medium / Hard / Slam picker sets a fixed strength.

The app

• Native Swift menu-bar app with a C real-time audio core and an audio buffer of about 5 ms. About 12 MB installed with every pack included.
• Audio and the motion sensor switch off after 3 idle minutes; the next key wakes them.
• Options: key release sounds, stereo by key position, open at login, and a Preview button.
• Custom packs: WAV, AIFF or FLAC files with a pack.json, dropped into the Packs folder.
• If Input Monitoring is missing, the menu shows Open Settings, and Relaunch Keyslam when macOS needs a restart of the app.

Buying and privacy

• 7-day free trial with everything unlocked, no account and no card. The trial date is kept in the Keychain.
• $3.99 once through Stripe Checkout. The Ed25519-signed key is verified offline; the Activate button on the purchase page opens the app and activates the key.
• Remove License From This Mac deletes the key locally. Nothing counts activations.
• No network connections and no analytics.

Requirements

• macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel.

Not in this version

• No system-wide shortcut to switch sounds on and off; use the switch in the menu bar.
• Sounds don't pause on their own during calls.
• No built-in updater; new versions will come from the website's download page.