Screaming Computer

What if your computer screamed? This is a real time scream synthesization engine designed for integration with external sources that drive scream intensity — plus a play view that turns the voice into a playable instrument.

Setup

Requires uv and Python 3.12+. Clone the repository and run uv sync.

Run

uv run main.py                   # "fake" source that loops the intensity ramp
uv run main.py --source manual   # drive the intensity via the keyboard
uv run main.py --source contour  # a scripted intensity gesture, repeating
uv run main.py --source chess    # play chess, screams are driven by the AI
uv run main.py --source panel    # hand-drive every synth parameter / play notes

Press q (or Ctrl-C) to quit any source.

Sound character

--preset <name> selects a named scream recipe from src/presets.py — roar (the original screaming-computer voice) or scream (an approximation of a reference soundgen scream). One-off tweaks layer on top with repeatable --set KEY=VALUE overrides of anything in src/config.py:

uv run main.py --preset scream --source contour --set SUB_WIDTH_HZ=250

Playing it as an instrument

--source panel opens the parameter workbench: j/k select a row, h/l adjust it (H/L coarse), digits load derive_params(n/9) wholesale, g toggles roughness regimes. Press ] to flip to the play view, where the same voice becomes a mono keyboard instrument:

   w e   t y u   o p
  a s d f g h j k l ; '
  C D E F G A B C D E F

Hold a key to sustain its note and release to let it fade; play legato to glide between pitches. z/x shift the octave, -/= ride the scream intensity (which strains held notes a couple of semitones sharp, like a real voice), ] returns to the workbench, q quits. Sculpt the scream in the workbench, then perform it. Envelope and portamento timings live in the Keyboard play mode section of src/config.py (e.g. --set GLIDE_MS=80 for a slower slide).

Chess

Screaming Computer comes with support for sourcing intensity from the Stockfish chess engine. Intensity is driven by search effort — the voice swells as the engine grinds on a hard position, not when it is winning.

brew install stockfish        # macOS
sudo apt install stockfish    # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo pacman -S stockfish      # Arch

The app will find Stockfish on your PATH, via the STOCKFISH_PATH environment variable, or by building it and moving the binary to the root of this repository.