Kodamo has officially announced the discontinuation of Mask1, an original polyphonic synthesizer that uses Bitmask synthesis.
Synthesizers come and go. Today we have both. This morning, it was announced that Frap Tools Magnolia, unveiled at Superbooth 2025, is now shipping to retailers.
Today, it was also announced that the French company Kodamo will discontinue the Mask1 Synthesizer after almost three years on the market.
As a reminder
The MASK1 was released in 2022 and was different from the others. Kodamo developed a new engine for the MASK1 that uses bitmask synthesis, a sound-generation method no developer had attempted before.
It’s a 5-part multitimbral 12-voice polyphonic Synthesizer with two-bitmask oscillators, noise, filters, envelopes, LFOs, effects, looper, arpeggiator, and more. As a keyboard, it uses a Fatar TP9 weighted keyboard with velocity and aftertouch.
The MASK1 stood out for two things: its engine and its user interface. The bitmask synthesis is versatile and sounds very original to me, with a touch of retro charm.
Especially in the last year, numerous videos have been released showing how beautiful this engine sounds. I’ve linked some of them below. Also special was the user interface and its programming concept.
Stéphane, the one-man show behind Kondamo, took a completely unique approach here, foregoing a touchscreen, numerous knobs, and so on. Buttons were his focus. Although I was initially very skeptical about its usability, I tested it several times at SynthFest and was surprised by how fluid it was.
Kodamo MASK1 Discontinuation
That’s it. Kodamo has announced the discontinuation of MASK1. Once the last MASK1s have left HQ and the shops, no more MASK1s will be available for purchase. No more will be produced. The developer cites financial reasons:
Despite its adoption by some well-known artists like St.Vincent, it did not sell well enough to maintain production. It combines an innovative synthesis method (Bitmasks), with an innovative way of articulating sounds (Play Modes with automatic note slurring), and a simple interface that’s easy to use but scared some people.In today’s standards, a huge feature set is often what sells best, but other important characteristics like keyboard feeling, sound quality and expressivity are often omitted, just because they don’t translate well on paper.That’s exactly what the Mask1 excels at! Fatar TP9S is the keyboard used in the Mask1, same as some high end synthesizers from other brands.
Kodamo Mask1 is available now for a special price of 1599€ instead of 1699€ + VAT from the official website. Alternatively, you can get it from retailers like Thomann.
More information here: Kodamo
Available from my partner
it’s a shame. I always liked the sound demos and thought it sounded amazing in the hands of keyboard players.
Sadly the interface is somewhat daunting so I understand why people avoid it.
It’s currently in the top of my list for my next hardware synth… if I can afford it I’ll make sure to get it ASAP before stock runs out.
I’m sad to hear that it is being discontinued, but very glad that I have one! It is a really unique synth with a lovely sound engine. Perhaps my favorite digital synth.
will the Kodamo MASK1EX get pruced again?
in a MK2 version yes
To answer my own question, yes as a MK2 version, which is great news
“Heureusement, le MASK1EX semble avoir été mieux accueilli et la société travaille actuellement sur une version dérivée appelée Mask1EX Mk2, qui prolongera l’approche Bitmask avec un stock potentiellement plus important.” Source: Audiofanzine.fr