KeyslamLinear · sound test
Cherry MX Red sound test
A Corsair K95 with Cherry MX Red switches, recorded raw at 24-bit, 96 kHz by handygaber and released as CC0. Press a band to hear the bottom-out in four strength bands.
Updated
Short answer: Cherry MX Red is a linear switch, so there is no click and no bump. You hear a smooth, light press, a low clack when the keycap bottoms out, and a quick tap as it springs back. This pack is cut from a CC0 recording of a Corsair K95 gaming keyboard with Red switches.
Cherry MX Red sound test
Each button plays real strikes from one strength band of this recording. Natural mix lets every key vary, like normal typing. Headphones help.
Press a band to hear “red linear” typed on MX Red strikes from that band, then type below.
About this recording
- Keyboard
- Corsair K95
- Switches
- Cherry MX Red, linear
- Keycaps
- Not stated
- Recorded by
- handygaber on Freesound
- Uploaded
- December 23, 2019
- Original file
- WAV, 24-bit, 96 kHz, mono, 1:51
- Microphone
- Not stated
- License
- CC0 1.0 (public domain)
- In Keyslam
- 46 takes, 6 of them key-up
“Typing on a mechanical keyboard with Cherry Red switches. Corsair K95 High Quality RAW recording 24bit 96KHz” — handygaber, on the Freesound page (checked November 2, 2026)
Why a Red sounds the way it does
A Red has a straight-sided stem and a light spring, around 45 g, and it registers about 2 mm down. With no bump and no click jacket, almost all of its sound is the stem hitting the bottom of the housing and the top on the way back, plus whatever the case and plate add.
That's why linear switches are often described by their bottom-out: a clack on a hard plate, a duller thud on a softer one. Gamers like Reds because the press is light and feels the same all the way down.
Measured from the app's pack files
What the Cherry MX Red pack contains, band by band. Peak is the median take's loudest sample; audible length is how long it stays within 30 dB of that peak. Soft to slam spans 12.7 dB. How the bands are made.
| Band | Percentile of strikes | Regular-key takes | Space, Return, Delete | Median peak | Audible length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soft | 8th–30th | 6 | 4 | −15.2 dBFS | 66 ms |
| Medium | 38th–62nd | 6 | 4 | −10.4 dBFS | 78 ms |
| Hard | 70th–88th | 6 | 4 | −8.3 dBFS | 82 ms |
| Slam | 92nd–100th | 6 | 4 | −2.5 dBFS | 47 ms |
A gaming board, recorded in mono
The Corsair K95 is a full-size gaming keyboard. handygaber recorded it raw at 24-bit, 96 kHz, the highest sample rate of any source recording behind Keyslam's packs (the app's takes are all 48 kHz). The recording is mono, so all the left-to-right spread you hear in the app comes from Keyslam placing each key by its position on the keyboard (you can switch that off with Stereo by key position).
The session runs 1 minute 51 seconds. It gave six takes per band for regular keys, 4 per band for Space, Return and Delete, and 6 key-up takes, the full set the slicer aims for.
MX Red vs Gateron Yellow and Topre
Two other smooth-feeling switches with very different sounds.
- Vintage Technics: another linear, with lubed, black-bottom Gateron Yellows in a vintage case. Its medium takes fall 30 dB below their peak in 49 ms, against 78 ms here.
- Topre: a rubber dome over a spring. The bump is soft and the bottom-out is cushioned, so it sounds lower and rounder.
| Pack | Type | Recorded by | Soft to slam | Audible length (medium) | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MX Red | Linear | handygaber | 12.7 dB | 78 ms | |
| Vintage Technics | Linear, modded | zrrion | 13.2 dB | 49 ms | |
| Topre | Electro-capacitive | grcekh | 9.4 dB | 63 ms |
Who it suits
Pick MX Red if you type fast, game, or want a mechanical sound without a click or a scratchy bump.
Pick something else if you like feeling each key register (MX Brown) or want something warmer and more damped (Gateron Yellow).
Cherry MX Red: questions
Is this recording from a gaming keyboard?
Yes, a Corsair K95 with Cherry MX Red switches, per the uploader. The original is a 24-bit, 96 kHz mono WAV, 1 minute 51 seconds long.
Why does MX Red sound stereo in Keyslam if the recording is mono?
Keyslam places each key left or right by where it sits on the keyboard, so Q sounds a little left and P a little right. Turn off Stereo by key position in the menu to hear it centered.
How does a red switch sound next to a Gateron Yellow?
Both are linear. The Yellows in our Vintage Technics pack are lubed and sit in an old case, and their takes decay faster: at medium strength they fall 30 dB below their peak in 49 ms, against 78 ms for this Red.
Keep exploring
Hear Cherry MX Red on every keystroke.
$3.99 once after a 7-day free trial. On MacBooks with the motion sensor it follows how hard you type; on other Macs you pick the strength.