Kodamo MASK1EX: Exciting Bitmasking Synthesis Now in Affordable Desktop Package
4,8 / 5,0 | 
Kodamo MASK1EX brings you 10 voices of the powerful bitmasking sound engine for only €299! But it’s a limited edition, so you’ll have to move fast.
Kodamo MASK1EX
Back in 2023, our Rob wrote a review of the Kodamo MASK1, a digital polyphonic synth that uses a new form of synthesis called bitmasking, which, as Rob explained, “splits a waveform into many parts and then decides which parts will be flipped, repeated, scaled, or silenced. By doing this, a huge range of waveforms can be created from an oscillator emitting a simple sine wave.” This can give you classic analog-style waveforms like saws and squares, but also unique ones rich in harmonics.
When coupled with the clever polyphonic note slurring, it offered something quite unique and different to what was already on the market. Unfortunately, the high price put many people off, and so Kodamo has decided to release this new and limited edition desktop version, Kodamo MASK1EX.
Same Engine, Smaller Form Factor
The new MASK1EX is significantly smaller than its full keyboard big brother. Kodamo has also graced it with a significantly lower price tag of only €299. To get it to this size and price, it’s had to make some concessions. Rather than the 12 voices of polyphony you get with the full version, the MASK1EX has 10. Multitimbrality has also been reduced to two channels, with one MIDI channel plus a layer or split. You now get 200 user memory slots instead of 600, and oversampling has been knocked down to 8x from 16x.
However, the rest of the engine is the same. Each voice gives you two bitmask oscillators, two multimode digital filters, four envelopes, a noise source, and two LFOs. It also features onboard stereo effects and a built-in looper, as well as those polyphonic legato slurs, which Kodamo explains is a “unique feature to MASK1/MASK1EX that allows you to dynamically change articulation between notes depending on how you play, making the sound more lively than on any other synthesizer.”
In terms of MIDI, it offers both DIN and USB MIDI ports.
Limited and Gold
Kodamo is selling MASK1EX in a strictly limited run. The company doesn’t say how many units, but that it will be a one-off production batch. Additionally, the EX sports black and gold screen printing to differentiate from the keyboard version.
I asked Rob what he thought of the MASK1EX, seeing as he wrote the review of the original, and it turns out he’s already bought the new one! Here’s what he said: “The MASK1 EX delivers the experience of the bitmasking engine and performance features for a fraction of the price, and, quite frankly, I’m staggered at the price! So much so that I bought one straight away, and I already own the keyboard!”
Kodamo MASK1EX is available at the manufacturer’s website (link below) for €299.
The original MASK1 is available at Thomann*.
More Information
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