Superbooth 2026: dadamachines TBD-16 is a new portable groovebox that is playful, deep, and hackable at anytime.
Berlin is a hotspot for music tech developers. It’s also home to many of the best-known companies, such as Ableton, Native Instruments, u-he, and more. Many talented minds in Berlin are involved in other projects alongside their main jobs.
Johannes Elias Lohbihler, previously at Korg Berlin and creator of the dadamachines automat toolkit, Benjamin Weiss, aka Nerk (former Maschine, modstep…), and other collaborators have teamed up for an exciting project, the TBD-16, which they will showcase at Superbooth 2026.
dadamachines TBD-16
TBD-16 is a standalone, portable groovebox packed with creative tools, including synthesis, sample player, sequencers, and more. It’s a playful, deep, but also fully hackable groove machine.
The foundation of the dadamachines TBD-16 is the open-source audio DSP engine CTAG TBD by Robert Manzke.He created the CTAG-TBD module a few years ago, which I use in my rack.
It’s a Swiss army knife-style module you can load apps/plugins into, turning them into a Mutable Instruments clone or another synth or effect processor in just a few seconds.
The developers have now transformed this open-source engine into a mighty groovebox. It has the dimensions 110. x 110 x 25 mm, a 2.4″ OLED display, 4 high-quality endless encoders, and 30 tactile buttons with RGB feedback.
At the core, the TBD-16 runs three purpose-built processors in parallel:
- ESP32-P4 (dual-core RISC-V) handles real-time audio DSP,
- RP2350 (dual-core ARM/RISC-V) drives the hardware UI, MIDI, and sequencing
- ESP32-C6 manages WiFi & Ableton Link.
CTAG TBD Engine Powered Groovebox
Dadamachine TBD-16 is a 16-track groovebox that offers all the classic features of a modern groovebox, including sequencers, sound engines, and more.
Each sequencer can be programmed live or per step with independent length and per-step parameter locks. You also have per-track controls like pitch, length, arpeggiator, and Euclidean generator.
The driving force is the CTAG TBD engine. It’s more like an open-sound environment than an engine in the classical sense. The plugins/apps are called machines here, and it ships with many of them out of the box.
You can explore the brilliant algorithms from Emilie Gillet, including Plaits, Braids, and Rings, right on the hardware. ro There are also other ports and all-new creations:
- synth kick
- analog bass drum
- FM kick/bass
- digital and analog snare
- hi-hats
- 303-style acid line
- mono synth
- wavetable lead/pad
- rompler,
- external audio passthrough (on track 16).
Okay, so you’re saying: I don’t like the kick or the snare. That’s no problem here. You can simply code a new one or import another open-source plugin. The CTAG supports various coding languages, allowing every developer to create custom machines for it.
Alongside this, you have a built-in mixer for all 16 tracks with effects sends. There are also onboard delay, reverb, and a master compressor.
Hackable Engine
At the beginning, I wrote that it’s hackable. No, the plugins/machines aren’t what’s considered hackable here. This goes way deeper. dadamchines built a feature into the TBD-16 that lets you use the hardware to launch your own creations.
You can easily switch the core firmware via the microSD card slot. And there’s also a full web UI you can run over USB or WiFi, making this process very accessible and easy to use.
This option instantly beams you to a large programming playground. Develop your own groovebox or any other instrument and run it on this hardware. You can even turn the TBD-16 into a multi-FX processor. One hardware, tons of possible options.
Connectivity
On the back, you have a USB-C port for powering the unit with a standard 5V charger, or you can use a power bank. Nice, it has a dedicated power bank mount.
Further, you have two TRS MIDI in, two TRS MIDI out on minijack type A format, a stereo line input, a stereo line output, and a headphone socket. It also has two microSD slots and a built-in WiFi module.
The TBD-16 also offers full support for the Novation Launchpad Mini MK3 and Launchkey Mini MK4. Plus, more controllers are coming, and the USB-C port also supports host functionality.
dadamachines TBD-16 First Impression
I’ve been using the CTAG TBD module in my rack for many years and love what it offers. However, it uses older hardware, which limits its capabilities. I’m very pleased to see that the project is now culminating in a product that will appeal to a much wider audience.
It’s definelty of the most versatile compact grooveboxes on the market. And the fact that it can constantly grow with new machines will only make it even more flexible. And who knows, maybe another community will do an even better groovebox for it.
I really like the almost completely clean design of the hardware. I’m looking forward to testing it at Superbooth 2026.
dadamachines TBD-16 is available now for pre-order. The price is 499€ including VAT, and you don’t have to put any money down to reserve a spot. You can check out the hardware at Superbooth 2026 (Z385) this week.
More information here: dadamachines
this looks incredible! Can’t wait!
yeah, this looks really cool.