dadamachines - TBD-16

The TBD-16 is a sixteen-track groovebox from dadamachines, and the size is the first thing that gets you. It's about as wide as a beer mat and not much thicker than a paperback, yet inside you'll find drum synthesis, tonal synths, a sampler, two effect tracks and a properly deep step sequencer. Power comes over USB-C, so any USB power bank will run it, and there's a mount on the underside to hold one. Pick whatever capacity suits the trip, or leave the battery off when it has to go in checked luggage. Switch it on, plug in headphones and start a pattern — no computer, no companion software, no setup routine.

Each track runs what dadamachines call a Machine. On the drum side you get analogue-style, digital and FM kicks, snares, hats, rimshot and clap. Tonal tracks bring a 303-style acid voice, mono and wavetable synths, a polyphonic chord pad, a modal resonator for plucked and struck sounds, and a 24-engine macro voice that can even speak. Eurorack folks will hear familiar DNA, since several engines are built on Mutable Instruments' open-source Plaits, Braids and Rings code, alongside original voices from the CTAG TBD platform. Samples, an external audio input, delay, reverb and a bus compressor round it off.

The sequencer is quick to get going and deep when you want it to be. Per-step parameter locks, probability, retrigs, velocity and note length are all there, tracks can run at different lengths for polyrhythms, and LFO and random modulation keep patterns moving. The display does a lot with very little: white pixel lettering on black, envelopes drawn as plain lines, values laid out above the four endless encoders that change them. Minimal, lovely and very readable.

It also plays well with others. The USB host port takes class-compliant MIDI controllers, and Novation's Launchpad and Launchkey get full two-way integration, with the pads mirroring what the sequencer is doing. Two TRS MIDI ins and outs cover the rest of your hardware. The second input doubles as an analogue clock/reset input for syncing to a modular system. Ableton Link runs over Wi-Fi or USB, and a browser-based interface handles samples and presets with nothing to install.

Underneath, the TBD-16 is an open platform, free for you to customise, tinker with and rebuild. The firmware is open source under GPL 3.0, and the device boots into whichever app sits on its SD card. That can be the Groovebox, MegaCommand Live for sequencing external gear, a multi-effects/synth app, or something you've written yourself for its RP2350 or ESP32-P4 — no paid SDK, no account. And to answer the classic question: "does it run Doom?" Of course it does :) The same generous spirit carries over to the excellent manual. Its Learn section lets you hear each idea in the browser (the first lessons even with a clickable virtual TBD-16) before telling you which buttons to press on the real thing.

Absolutely stellar for for beats on the move, sketches away from the studio and for anyone who likes to see what's under the hood. This is one to be excited about!

Features:

• Compact 16-track standalone groovebox
• Multiple sound engines (Machines) covering drums, synthesis, samples and external audio
• Analogue-style, digital and FM drum synthesis
• Mono, polyphonic, wavetable and 303-style bass synthesis
• Mutable Instruments-inspired Plaits, Braids and Rings engines
• 24-engine macro voice with speech synthesis
• Sample playback and stereo external audio input
• Step sequencer with up to 64 steps and six patterns per track
• Independent track lengths for polyrhythmic sequencing
• Per-step parameter locks, probability, retriggers, velocity and note length
• LFO and random modulation
• Arpeggiator and Euclidean pattern generator
• Two effects buses with delay and reverb, plus master compression
• Open-source CTAG TBD platform with firmware licensed under GPL 3.0
• Support for custom applications and DSP plugins
• Multiple applications selectable from SD card at startup
• Groovebox, MegaCommand Live and Multi Effect/Synth applications
• Access to 50+ DSP plugins through Multi Effect/Synth, with two simultaneous slots
• Browser-based WebUI over USB or Wi-Fi for sample, preset and configuration management
• Ableton Link synchronization via Wi-Fi or USB
• 2.4" monochrome OLED display (128 × 64 pixels)
• Four endless push encoders
• 30 tactile buttons with RGB feedback, including 16 step buttons
• Dedicated headphone volume control
• USB-A host for class-compliant MIDI controllers
• Two-way integration with supported Novation Launchpad and Launchkey controllers
• Multiple USB MIDI controllers supported via powered USB hub
• USB MIDI device functionality
• 2 × TRS MIDI inputs and 2 × TRS MIDI outputs (Type A)
• Analogue clock/reset input via MIDI In 2
• Stereo line input, stereo main output and separate headphone output (3.5 mm TRS)
• Two microSD card slots
• 44.1 kHz audio with 32-bit floating-point internal processing
• ESP32-P4 DSP processor, RP2350B UI/MIDI processor and ESP32-C6 Wi-Fi processor
• USB-C powered (5 V), compatible with standard USB power banks
• Power-bank mounting accessory included
• Anodised aluminium top panel and powder-coated steel base
• Interactive online manual with tutorials and browser-based Playground
• Designed and developed in Berlin
• Dimensions: 110 × 110 × 25 mm