dadamachines TBD-16: Open-Source Groovebox for €499

TL;DR: dadamachines, the mad scientists behind the automat solenoid kit, are back with the TBD-16: a €499, fully open-source groovebox that fits in a jacket pocket. It packs three processors, over 50 DSP plugins, WiFi 6 for Ableton Link, and the ability to load entirely different apps via SD card — including Doom. Preorders are live, and it’s on display at Superbooth 2026.

• Three dedicated processors: ESP32-P4 for audio DSP, RP2350 for interface/sequencing, ESP32-C6 for WiFi — all independently programmable.
• Completely open-source firmware (GPLv3) and a desktop simulator for developing DSP plugins without the hardware.
• Over 50 onboard DSP engines including a 24-voice macro synth inspired by Mutable Instruments Plaits/Braids, plus a 303-style acid line and wavetable lead.
• SD-card-based app switching: turn it into a sequencer, multi-effects unit, MIDI controller, or play Doom — no hacks required.
• €499 including VAT, preorders with no money down, shipping date TBA.

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The Return of dadamachines

Let’s be honest: when most people hear “dadamachines,” they think of the automat — that wonderfully deranged toolkit of solenoids that turns your coffee table into a percussion section. Founder Johannes Lohbihler has been quietly toiling in the shadows since then, including a stint at KORG Berlin during the phase8’s early gestation. But with the TBD-16, he’s back on home turf: a device that’s ready to play straight out of the box but stays completely open and hackable throughout.

At €499, the TBD-16 is positioning itself squarely in the “affordable but serious” zone. Preorders are live with no money down, and it’s on show at Superbooth 2026 at booth Z385. That’s the kind of confidence that makes us pay attention — or at least reach for another espresso.

Specs That Punch Above Their Weight

Let’s talk dimensions: 110 x 110 x 25 mm. That’s smaller than a paperback, and it weighs less than your average lunch. The enclosure is anodized aluminum on top with powder-coated steel on the base, so it feels like a proper instrument rather than a toy you found in a cereal box.

The control surface is refreshingly tactile: 30 RGB buttons, four endless encoders, a 2.4-inch OLED, and a dedicated volume wheel. Connectivity covers stereo in/out, headphone out, two TRS MIDI inputs and outputs (minijack, because nothing is sacred), two microSD slots, USB-C for power, and a USB host port for external controllers. There’s even a clever power bank mounting system, because wall outlets are for people who don’t have ideas at 3 AM.

Under the hood, things get interesting. Three processors run in parallel: an ESP32-P4 dual-core RISC-V chip handles real-time audio DSP, an RP2350 (Raspberry Pi silicon) drives the interface, MIDI, and sequencing, and an ESP32-C6 takes care of WiFi and Ableton Link over WiFi 6. Each layer is independently programmable, and latency comes in at under one millisecond. That’s not just technically impressive — it means you can actually play this thing without feeling like you’re swimming through molasses.

Open Source by Design, Not by Accident

Here’s where we at Noxal get genuinely excited. The TBD-16 is built on the CTAG TBD open-source platform created by Robert Manzke. The firmware is fully licensed under GPLv3, with Web UI tools under LGPL. That’s not marketing speak — it means you can read every line of code, modify it, and redistribute your changes.

Want to write custom controller apps? Work on the RP2350 using Arduino and PlatformIO. Want to build DSP plugins? Write C++ for the ESP32-P4, and test everything in a desktop simulator without needing the hardware at all. The simulator is a stroke of genius: it means developers can iterate on plugins without having to flash a device every five minutes. For a community-driven ecosystem, that’s the difference between a fun experiment and a viable platform.

The real killer feature, though, is the ability to load completely different apps via SD card. No hacks, no special modes, no voiding your warranty. You can turn the TBD-16 into an external sequencer for your Machinedrum, use it as a MIDI controller and audio interface for an iPad, run it as a standalone multi-effects processor, or — and I swear this is not a joke — play Doom on it. It’s an official app option, and it says everything about the spirit behind this project.

Sound Engines and Sequencing

Out of the box, the TBD-16 runs a complete groovebox app with step and live sequencing, per-step parameter locks, polyrhythmic patterns with independent lengths per track, a mixing system with effects sends, onboard delay, reverb, and a master compressor. Preinstalled controller support covers the Novation Launchpad Mini MK3 and Launchkey Mini MK4, so you’re not stranded if you don’t want to use the built-in buttons.

The sound engines — called Machines internally — include a synth kick, analog bass drum, FM kick, digital and analog snare, hi-hats, a 303-style acid line, a mono synth, a wavetable lead, and a 24-engine macro voice in the tradition of Mutable Instruments Plaits and Braids by Émilie Gillet, but with a new AHR envelope. A rompler and an external audio passthrough on track 16 round things out. New engines can be added at any time, and anyone familiar with the Vult DSP language will find early entry points there as well.

We’ve seen a lot of grooveboxes claim “50+ DSP plugins” and then deliver 49 variations of reverb. The TBD-16’s sound set is genuinely diverse, covering everything from analog-style drums to wavetable synthesis to physical modeling. Whether it sounds as good as it looks on paper is a question we’ll answer once we get our hands on one — but the lineage and the architecture suggest it’s not just a spec sheet filler.

Market Context and Who This Is For

The groovebox market is crowded. Elektron has the Digitakt and Digitone, Teenage Engineering has the OP-1 and OP-Z, Novation has the Circuit series, and Roland has the TR-6S and MC-101. At €499, the TBD-16 sits right in the middle of that pack — but it offers something none of those do: complete openness.

This is not a device for someone who wants a polished, turnkey experience with a curated sound library and a rigid workflow. It’s for the tinkerer, the hacker, the person who looks at a piece of gear and immediately wonders “what if I could make it do this instead?” It’s for the person who wants to write their own DSP plugins, or turn their groovebox into a dedicated sequencer for a vintage drum machine, or just play Doom on something that isn’t a laptop.

The TBD-16 is the kind of device you either get immediately or don’t. Anyone looking for an open, hackable groovebox that’s still ready to play from the moment it arrives will find something genuinely unusual here. At €499 with this hardware spec and a fully open software stack, the value proposition is hard to argue with. Expect it to generate real buzz at Superbooth 2026.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to figure out how to map Doom’s weapon selection to a Launchpad Mini. For research purposes. Obviously.