54 Tapegrade
Mono-input stereo cassette warble processor with wow, flutter, hiss, crackle, and tape wear morphing.
Panel
Wet / DryMixTape DepthInstabilityMono Audio
InTape
ConditionTape Depth
ModInstability
ModDamage Burst
TrigCrackle GateStereo Out
LeftStereo Out
RightCV1
AttenuatedCV2
Attenuated
Controls
Wet / Dry Mix
Blend between dry input and processed tape signal
Tape Depth
Increases wow and pitch instability; also sets CV Out 1 attenuation
Instability
Increases flutter/transport roughness; also sets CV Out 2 attenuation
Inputs
Outputs
Mono Audio In
Primary mono source signal for tape processing
Tape Condition
Audio/CV modulation that morphs between cleaner and more degraded tape states
Tape Depth Mod
Modulates wow/pitch movement amount; also routed to CV Out 1 attenuator path
Instability Mod
Modulates flutter/transport agitation; also routed to CV Out 2 attenuator path
Damage Burst Trig
Rising edge forces brief heavy tape degradation burst
Crackle Gate
High gate forces stronger crackle generation
Stereo Out Left
Processed cassette-style left output
Stereo Out Right
Processed cassette-style right output
CV1 Attenuated
CV In 1 passthrough scaled by X knob
CV2 Attenuated
CV In 2 passthrough scaled by Y knob
LEDs
LED 1 follows modulated left delay movement.
LED 2 follows instability.
LED 3 follows modulated right delay movement.
LED 4 follows wet/dry mix.
LED 5 follows tape condition and damage state.
README
Tapegrade
Tapegrade is a cassette-style warble and degradation effect for the Workshop Computer platform.
It turns a mono input signal into a wide stereo tape texture using wow, flutter, saturation, hiss, and crackle.
Designed for everything from subtle tape movement to heavily damaged cassette sounds.
Features
- Mono input → stereo output
- Cassette wow and flutter
- Tape-style saturation
- Hiss and crackle degradation
- Continuous tape wear morphing
- CV modulation support
- Stereo tape movement
- Pulse-controlled tape damage bursts
- Rhythmic crackle injection
- CV passthrough attenuation outputs
Inputs
Audio In 1
Main mono audio input.
Tapegrade is designed for mono input only.
Audio In 2
Tape-condition modulation input.
Use audio or CV signals to continuously morph between:
- clean tape
- old tape
- damaged tape
CV1
Modulates tape depth.
Controls the amount of wow and pitch movement.
Audio rate around C3 encouraged
Also routed to CV Out 1 through the X knob attenuator.
CV2
Modulates instability.
Controls flutter speed and transport agitation.
Audio rate around C3 encouraged
Also routed to CV Out 2 through the Y knob attenuator.
Pulse In 1
Tape damage burst trigger.
Each rising edge briefly forces the tape into a heavily degraded state.
Recommend high rate triggers!
Could be useful for rhythmic tape-drop effects and transient degradation bursts.
Pulse In 2
Crackle gate input.
While high, Pulse In 2 forces strong crackle generation regardless of tape condition.
Outputs
Audio Out 1 / 2
Stereo cassette-processed output.
Stereo width is generated internally using decorrelated wow/flutter modulation.
CV Out 1
CV1 passthrough output scaled by the X knob.
Functions as a CV attenuator output.
CV Out 2
CV2 passthrough output scaled by the Y knob.
Functions as a CV attenuator output.
Controls
Main
Wet/dry mix.
X
Tape depth.
Higher settings increase cassette wobble and pitch instability.
Also controls attenuation amount for CV Out 1.
Y
Instability amount.
Higher settings create rougher and faster tape movement.
Also controls attenuation amount for CV Out 2.
Switch Modes
Up — Clean
Bright and stable cassette response.
Middle — Old
Darker tone with moderate hiss and instability.
Down — Damaged
Heavy degradation with strong hiss, crackle, and unstable tape behaviour.
Notes
- Mono input only
- Stereo image is generated internally
- Audio-rate modulation supported on Audio In 2
- Pulse inputs can be clocked or triggered rhythmically
- CV outputs operate independently from the audio path
- Optimised for Workshop Computer hardware