The first standalone desktop audio DSP platform based on CTAG TBD, with standard MIDI connectivity — designed to bring open-source audio processing beyond Eurorack.
TBD-16 combines 50+ high-quality generators and effects in a modular, extensible architecture. It is built for musicians, educators, and audio researchers who want hands-on DSP without proprietary lock-in.
dadamachines.github.io/ctag-tbd
This repository is a fork of ctag-fh-kiel/ctag-tbd (branch p4_main), adapted for the dadamachines TBD-16 hardware. Our focus:
- UI/UX — Redesigned web interface with musician-friendly interaction patterns
- Documentation — Clear guides, example workflows, and UX guidelines for plugin developers
- Desktop Hardware — Standalone form factor with standard MIDI, no Eurorack required
The DSP engine, plugin system, and core firmware are developed upstream by Robert Manzke / CTAG.
See the documentation for setup guides, plugin reference, and flashing instructions.
The firmware supports four hardware configurations for different board variants — from a minimal flash-only build to the full TBD-16 with SD card and RP2350 sequencer bridge. See HARDWARE_CONFIGURATIONS.md for the feature matrix, build instructions, and Kconfig flag reference.
components/ DSP plugins and sound processors
docs/ Sphinx documentation source
main/ Firmware entry point and system management
sdcard_image/ Web UI and configuration data
simulator/ Desktop simulator for plugin development
sample_rom/ Stock audio samples
generators/ Plugin scaffolding templates
To build and preview the documentation (including the blog) on your local machine:
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Install requirements:
pip install -r docs/requirements.txt
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Build HTML:
sphinx-build -b html -c docs/config docs build/docs
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View: Open
build/docs/index.htmlin your browser.
- dadamachines Forum -- Ask questions, share patches, and connect with other TBD users and developers.
- GitHub Issues -- Bug reports and feature requests.
Contributions are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md for the full guide covering the branch model, CI pipelines, build instructions, and artifact naming conventions.
CTAG TBD was created by Robert Manzke at the Creative Technologies Arbeitsgruppe, Kiel University of Applied Sciences.
The TBD-16 adaptation is led by dadamachines.
UX and instrument design contributions by Benjamin Weiss / instrument-design.
This project is partially funded through the NGI0 Commons Fund, established by NLnet with financial support from the European Commission's Next Generation Internet programme, under grant agreement No 101135429.
Not all work on TBD / TBD-16 is covered by NLnet funding.
This repository contains code under two open-source software licenses:
Core DSP Engine (upstream ctag-fh-kiel/ctag-tbd) -- GNU General Public License (GPL 3.0). The audio engine, sound processors, and platform core. Modifications must be released under the same terms.
dadamachines Additions (web UI, browser-based flasher, plugins, documentation, tools) -- GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL 3.0). Individual developers can freely use and contribute without copyleft affecting their own unrelated code. Companies must share modifications back or obtain a commercial license.
TBD-Core & TBD-16 Hardware -- The dadamachines TBD-16 (desktop instrument) and TBD-Core (core DSP board for custom products) hardware designs are proprietary.
Planned Open-Hardware Core Design -- An open-hardware core design based on the same ESP32-P4 + RP2350 platform is planned for future publication in KiCad as an open-source reference.
Original CTAG Hardware (V1/V2) -- Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Copyright (c) 2020-2026 Robert Manzke. All rights reserved. (CTAG TBD core)
Copyright (c) 2014-2026 Johannes Elias Lohbihler for dadamachines. (TBD-16 adaptation, UI/UX, and Documentation)
See LICENSE for full details including trademark and commercial use terms.