202 ScaryLingo
ScaryLingo is a ring modulator for the Workshop Computer. Audio In 1 is the programme input; Audio In 2 replaces the internal carrier when patched. Middle provides carrier frequency, dry/wet mix, and drive. Up provides a 0.1-25 Hz LFO with calibrated three-octave pitch depth and a sine-to-square waveform morph. Down selects the internal carrier type.
Panel
Carrier FrequencyDry / Ring MixDriveProgramme InputExternal CarrierCarrier Pitch CVMix CVLFO ResetTremolo GateMain OutputRing OnlyLFO CVCarrier MonitorLFO PulseInput PresenceControls
Carrier Frequency
Soft-pickup internal-carrier control. Lower half is 0.6-80 Hz; upper half is 80 Hz-4 kHz.
Dry / Ring Mix
Soft-pickup dry/wet crossfade. CV In 2 offsets this value.
Drive
Soft-pickup input and ring-stage drive.
LFO: Main controls LFO rate, X LFO pitch depth, and Y LFO waveform. Returning to Middle removes LFO pitch modulation from the audio path.
Performance: Main controls carrier frequency, X dry/wet mix, and Y drive.
Carrier Type: Press Down to cycle Extermin8, Cyber, and Blend internal carrier types. The mode names suggest classic British TV monsters.
Inputs & Outputs
Inputs
Outputs
Inputs
Programme Input
Audio sent through the ring modulator.
External Carrier
Replaces the internal carrier when patched.
Carrier Pitch CV
Bipolar offset for the internal carrier frequency.
Mix CV
Bipolar offset for the dry/wet mix.
LFO Reset
Rising edge resets the internal LFO phase.
Tremolo Gate
High gate applies LFO-shaped tremolo to the wet mix.
Outputs
Main Output
Dry-to-ring-modulated programme signal.
Ring Only
Fully wet ring-modulated output.
LFO CV
Bipolar internal LFO waveform.
Carrier Monitor
Half-level internal or external carrier monitor.
LFO Pulse
High for the positive LFO half-cycle.
Input Presence
High while conditioned programme input is active.
LEDs
Input Level
Conditioned programme-input level.
Ring Level
Ring-output level.
Carrier Frequency
Stored carrier-frequency setting.
Mix
Active dry/wet mix after CV modulation.
LFO
Internal LFO waveform and rate.
Status
Drive in Middle, LFO waveform in Up, and carrier-type or LFO-reset status flashes.
README
ScaryLingo
Card 202 for the Music Thing Modular Workshop Computer.
ScaryLingo is a hardware-tested ring modulator with an internal carrier, an external-carrier input, a voltage-controlled LFO, and a dry/wet crossfade. It is designed for voice processing, metallic sidebands, slow tremolo, and patchable modulation.
Flashing
Copy UF2/ScaryLingo.uf2 to a Workshop Computer Program Card in BOOTSEL mode, then insert the card and reset the Computer.
Patch
| Jack | Function |
|---|---|
| Audio In 1 | Programme audio to ring-modulate. |
| Audio In 2 | External carrier. Patching it replaces the internal carrier. |
| CV In 1 | Bipolar carrier-frequency offset. |
| CV In 2 | Bipolar dry/wet mix offset. |
| Pulse In 1 | Resets the LFO phase on each rising edge. |
| Pulse In 2 | While high, applies LFO-shaped tremolo to the wet mix. |
| Audio Out 1 | Dry/wet main output. |
| Audio Out 2 | Ring-only output for parallel patching. |
| CV Out 1 | Internal LFO waveform. |
| CV Out 2 | Half-level carrier monitor. |
| Pulse Out 1 | Positive half-cycle of the LFO. |
| Pulse Out 2 | High when the programme input is active. |
Unpatched audio inputs are muted. With no programme input, both audio outputs are silent.
Controls
All knob pages use soft pickup: when you enter Middle or Up, a knob begins changing its stored value only after its physical position crosses that value.
Middle: Performance
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Main | Internal carrier frequency. The lower half spans 0.6-80 Hz; the upper half spans 80 Hz-4 kHz. |
| X | Dry/ring mix. Fully CCW is dry programme audio; fully CW is ring-only. |
| Y | Input and ring-stage drive. |
Up: LFO
| Control | Function |
|---|---|
| Main | LFO rate, 0.1-25 Hz. |
| X | LFO amount applied to internal-carrier pitch. Fully CCW is off; fully CW gives a three-octave peak-to-peak sweep. |
| Y | LFO waveform morph from sine-like to square. |
LFO pitch modulation is active while the switch is Up. Returning to Middle restores the stable performance sound. The LFO remains available at CV Out 1 and Pulse Out 1.
Down: Carrier Type
Press the spring-loaded switch down to select the internal carrier waveform:
| LED 6 flash | Type | Carrier waveform |
|---|---|---|
| Dim | Extermin8 | Sine-like |
| Medium | Cyber | Square |
| Bright | Blend | Halfway sine/square |
The mode names suggest classic British TV monsters.
LEDs
| LED | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Programme input level |
| 2 | Ring-output level |
| 3 | Stored carrier-frequency setting |
| 4 | Active dry/wet mix |
| 5 | LFO waveform and rate |
| 6 | Drive in Middle, LFO waveform in Up, carrier-type and LFO-reset status flashes |
Build
cd releases/202_ScaryLingo
PICO_SDK_PATH=/path/to/pico-sdk cmake -S . -B build
cmake --build build
The build produces build/scarylingo.uf2.
Credits and License
ScaryLingo firmware and documentation are Copyright 2026 Adrian Vos and released under the MIT License. The card uses the included ComputerCard.h framework by Chris Johnson, MIT licensed; see ATTRIBUTION.md for the complete attribution record.