Tesla introduces in-car music recording studio

The Tesla infotainment system has gained a new experimental feature with its latest update: a music editor that enables you to sketch up simple soundtracks using the touchscreen display.

The 2019.40.50 update contains a piece of software called TRAX v0.1, which lets you pick musical instruments (MIDI-style), set the desired tempo and other parameters, and then play back the result.

This is not the first time Tesla adds seemingly-useless-but-kinda-fun features to its cars. The first one would be the addition of a touch-friendly sketchpad.

The latest software also introduces the capability to read aloud the latest incoming texts on your smartphone using a control wheel on the steering wheel. You can even reply using voice recognition, which is said to have been substantially improved from the previous version.

The Autopilot mode should now be able to read the traffic lights and stop signs, and warn the driver in advance whenever it detects one of these. Finally, a brand-new Camping Mode enables the use of such handy in-car features as climate control and lighting even when the car is parked with the engine(s) off.

One of the more recent updates taught Tesla cars to play back a variety of sounds while moving, including hoof beats, bleating and other customizable options.