Jekyll2026-04-06T13:19:00+00:00https://dadamachines.com//feed.xmldadamachinesdadamachines — a studio for multisensory experiences & open-source music technology.
Announcing the TBD DSP Toolkit2025-12-02T10:00:00+00:002025-12-02T10:00:00+00:00https://dadamachines.com//2025/12/02/tbd-dsp-toolkit-announcementWe are happy to share that dadamachines and Musical Instrument Designs will begin work on the TBD DSP Toolkit project, supported by the NLnet NGI0 Commons Fund.
TBD is an open‑source platform for audio DSP that supports experimentation, learning and instrument design. We look forward to making the platform easier to use for musicians, students and developers.
What is the TBD DSP Toolkit?
TBD DSP Toolkit is an open-source platform for audio DSP for experimentation, learning, and audio research. It combines more than 50 high-quality generators and effects within a modular, easily extensible architecture. TBD has a flexible approach to embedded audio processing, and tries to deliver an accessible, musician-friendly environment, both in software and hardware.
A key new component is a standalone desktop version of the hardware, including standard MIDI connectivity, designed to welcome users beyond the Eurorack community and make the platform easier to adopt for education, prototyping, and instrument design. This includes a redesigned, intuitive web user interface and UX guidelines to help developers build playable, musician-centered DSP modules, clear documentation and example use-cases and reference workflows.
By uniting developer flexibility with musician usability, TBD aims to offer a resilient, open-source alternative in a landscape dominated by proprietary platforms. All software is released under GPL 3.0, and updated open hardware designs will be published in KiCad.
This project was funded through the NGI0 Commons Fund, a fund established by
NLnet with financial support from the European Commission's Next Generation Internet
programme, under the aegis of DG Communications Networks, Content and Technology under grant agreement No 101135429.
Additional funding is made available by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
If you’re an educator, musician, or developer interested in open DSP tools, we’d love your feedback as we shape the next steps. Stay tuned — we’ll share updates and ways to contribute soon.
Discover the TBD DSP Toolkit
An open platform for musicians, students and developers.
Learn more]]>Johannes Elias Lohbihlerclipping. – Tiny Desk Concert; Robots, Rubbish & Rap2025-10-31T11:00:00+00:002025-10-31T11:00:00+00:00https://dadamachines.com//2025/10/31/clipping-tiny-desk-concertThe pot lid didn’t sound the way we wanted. “What about our Webby?” I suggested. The award statue’s metallic spring had just the right amount of wobble — a ride cymbal with a drip like Dalí. What you’re about to see has never been attempted at the Tiny Desk before: small, MIDI-triggered robots strike and vibrate glass bottles, coffee mugs, plastic wrap and a pizza box to make futuristic music out of the present’s refuse and rubbish. What band besides clipping. could pull this off?
Credit: Photo: Maansi Srivastava
For more than 15 years, clipping. has made its name from the deconstruction and celebration of hip-hop. This concert takes that philosophy literally: Producers Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson spent months digging through thrift stores to find the right clinks, clangs and clongs that could reshape their hypnotic melodies and serrating beats. A sturdy cardboard box becomes the kick drum. A chain bouncing off aluminum foil, the hi-hat. A panoply of glasses, bottles and mugs, the synths. Harmonium, piano and fretless bass fill out the edges. Kid Koala, a turntablist whose unique style no doubt has had an influence on clipping., guests on “Night of Heaven” and “Work Work.”
This set, featuring songs that span 2014’s CLPPNG to 2025’s Dead Channel Sky, exemplifies the idea that something thrilling and beautiful can be created from the noise and debris of everyday life. Daveed Diggs, eternally game to exquisitely rap over whatever creative chaos bursts from his cohorts, sums up the process perfectly: “Thank y’all for this opportunity to do needlessly complicated s***.”
SET LIST
“Nothing is Safe”
“True Believer”
“Code”
“Dodger”
“Night of Heaven”
“Work Work”
MUSICIANS
Daveed Diggs: vocals
Jonathan Snipes: electronics, harmonium, melodica, table of nonsense
William Hutson: percussion, loon call, table of nonsense
Sharon Udoh: vocals, piano
David Rothbaum: bass
Kid Koala: turntables
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Lars Gotrich
Director/Editor: Joshua Bryant
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Joshua Bryant, Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai
Production Assistant: Dhanika Pineda
Copy Editor: Daoud Tyler-Ameen
Photographer: Maansi Srivastava
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton
Try the dadamachines automat toolkit and start composing with everyday objects.
Learn more]]>Johannes Elias LohbihlerBionica and the Wires2024-10-25T11:30:11+00:002024-10-25T11:30:11+00:00https://dadamachines.com//2024/10/25/bionica-and-the-wiresWhat if creativity wasn’t just a human trait? What if mushrooms and plants could compose music and create visual art? For Manchester-based band Bionica and the Wires, this isn’t science fiction—it’s their daily reality, powered in part by the dadamachines automat toolkit.
Nature’s Intelligence, Expressed Through Technology
Bionic and the Wires are a genre-defying UK collective led by Jon Ross and Andy Kidd. Their performances feature bionic robot arms built from the automat toolkit’s default mallet assembly and microphone stand adapters. These assemblies were further extended with desk lamp mechanics. This setup allows living plants and fungi to control musical instruments and paintbrushes. By transforming bio-electrical signals from mushrooms and plants into artistic expressions, the band explores the intelligence and responsiveness of the natural world.
Their art challenges the traditional notion that creativity is exclusively human. Instead, they demonstrate how the rhythms and signals of non-human life can be harnessed to create abstract and intricate artworks and compositions. As Jon Ross puts it, “It’s exciting to think that with this invention we may have opened up the opportunity for a whole new genre of music. Maybe it’s called bionica!?”
The Automat Toolkit: Bridging Nature and Machines
Central to their setup is the dadamachines automat toolkit—a plug & play MIDI-controller that Jon Ross purchased second-hand on reverb.com. Jon recently shared with us that he’s very happy with the toolkit’s flexibility and reliability, which has helped bring their botanical bandmates to life on stage. The automat toolkit’s universal DC outputs and MIDI compatibility make it the perfect bridge between bio-signals and musical instruments.
How It Works: Plants Playing Instruments
The band’s invention works by capturing the electrical bio-signals generated by natural processes like photosynthesis. Sensors attached to plant leaves pick up these pulses, which are then transformed by music-making equipment into electricity to power the robotic arms. This allows plants to directly play live instruments such as steel handpan drums and violins—an innovation that’s already made waves in the music tech world.
Meet the Artists
Jon Ross is the visionary force behind Bionic and the Wires. As an artist, technologist, and environmental thinker, Jon assembled the bionic arms that let plants and fungi express themselves. His work spans sculpture, performance, and electronics, always driven by a desire to reveal the hidden intelligence of nature. Jon is also the founder and CEO of Sow the City, a Manchester-based not-for-profit environmental organisation.
Andy Kidd is the sonic sorcerer behind the band’s sound. With a background in live performance and electronic music, Andy translates the subtle rhythms of the natural world into immersive musical experiences using synthesizers, keyboards, and digital soundscapes.
A Viral Sensation
Bionic and the Wires have already captured the imagination of millions. In a recent chat, Jon Ross told us their videos have surpassed 50 million views—a testament to the fascination and inspiration their work brings to audiences worldwide.
In the Spotlight
Their project has been featured in major music and technology publications, including MusicTech, DJ Mag, and even the official MIDI.org website. The band’s debut performance with their bionic robot arm and plant-mate took place at Manchester’s Castlehead Viaduct, where audiences witnessed plants controlling instruments live on stage.
Why It Matters
By bridging the gap between technology and the natural world, Bionic and the Wires reframe art as an act that transcends human hands. Their work celebrates the inherent rhythms of non-human life forms and questions the anthropocentric view of creativity. As MIDI.org put it: “MIDI mushrooms, what will they think of next!”
The Possibilities of Bio Sonification
Bio sonification opens up a fascinating world where the invisible processes of living organisms become audible and interactive. By measuring microcurrent fluctuations in plant leaves, devices like the Biodata MIDI Interface and Playtronica Biotron transform biological signals into MIDI notes, allowing plants to play music and interact with electronic instruments. This technology not only enables artists and scientists to explore the secret life of plants, but also offers new ways to connect with nature, create generative soundscapes, and experiment with living instruments. Whether for music production, art installations, or scientific research, bio sonification bridges biology and technology, revealing the rhythms and responses of the natural world in real time.
With their innovative approach and the help of the automat toolkit, Bionic and the Wires are opening new doors for art, music, and technology. We’re excited to see what’s next—and maybe even see them enter the 2026 MIDI Innovation Awards in the art and installation category.
Try the dadamachines automat toolkit and start composing with nature.
Learn more]]>Johannes Elias Lohbihlera blog for dadamachines2024-04-03T11:11:11+00:002024-04-03T11:11:11+00:00https://dadamachines.com//2024/04/03/a-blog-for-dadamachinesHello and welcome to the dadamachines blog!
This space is dedicated to the latest happenings and creative explorations from the world of dadamachines, where we turn the real world into your instrument with our automat toolkit.
Expect to see:
dadamachines News: Quick updates on our products and the latest developments to keep you in the loop.
Community Showcase: Be inspired by the inventive uses of the automat toolkit featured in our Showcase section, where the creativity of our users shines.
Collaborations & Events: Stay informed about the exciting collaborations and events we’re involved in.
Behind the Scenes: Insights from the studio, sharing the journey of dadamachines and the stories behind our multisensory experiences and music technology.
The blog will also be a place for you to discover the incredible projects from the dadamachines community. Take a moment to explore the Showcase to see the amazing things already being done with the automat toolkit.
Thank you for joining us at the intersection of music, technology, and creativity. We can’t wait to share more with you.
