MASK1 Polyphonic Bitmask Keyboard Synthesizer

Kodamo MASK1

Kodamo has been crushing it with their beloved Essence FM desktop synth and they have finally entered the keyboard game with the MASK1: a Bitmask synth that uses blocked sine waves to create unique timbres. First off, let’s talk about bit-masking: it’s an older type of digital synthesis that starts with sine wave and then these sine wave are split into different “bits”—in the case of MASK 1, up to 256 sections—where each of those bits can be silenced, inverted, flipped, or mangled in different ways. MASK 1 uses 2 of these oscillators across 10 voices to create marvelously warm digital sounds which are enhanced by subtractive synthesis.

The interface is simple and to the point letting you easily tweak and adjust a preset or build your own voice from scratch. Using the Param buttons and Value encoder, which are conveniently right next to each other, you can adjust anything with very little movement. Tap the OSC1 button and adjust your settings; move to the Filter button and adjust your cutoff, resonance, or type. Smooth, flexible and intuitive, the MASK 1 offers a built-in sequencer where you just play what you want to hear, independent of the preset letting you find the perfect sound for your melody. If you’re into microtonality, then you will appreciate the option to move from Equal Temperament, to Just Intonation for major or minor scales, to Quarter-comma meantone, to Pythagorean and Arabic temperaments. Two LFOS can be routed to almost any destination and two effects slots give you access to bitcrushing, distortion, reverb, delay, and other effects.

Kodamo’s MASK 1 is a luscious-sounding, luxurious-feeling 61-note keyboard synth that throws you back to a retrofuture that never was, with technology inconceivable.

MASK1 Features

• 2 Oscillator Bitmask synth
• 10 Voice polyphony
• Multimode Filter: low, band, notch, high pass options
• Simple, menu-dive-free, interface
• Fatar keybed
• 4 Part multi timbrality
• 2 LFOs per part and 4 loopable ADSR envelopes per voice
• 3 Delta-decy envelope for Osc 1 mask, Osc 2 mask, and Pitch
• 1 Noise oscillator per voice
• uBuilt-in Looper that can hold 10,000 events with an unlimited duration
• Sequencer
• Arpeggiator
• 2 Stereo effect slots
• Up to 16 modulation destinations per modulation source