SynthFest France 2026: Kodamo MASK1EX MK2 is the successor of its desktop bitmask Synthesizer, now in new clothes and more.
The new Kodamo MASK1EX MK2 is available now. Here is a first look from SynthFest France 2026.
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Article from April 10, 2025
In September 2025, the French developer Kodamo released the MASK1EX, a compact, affordable version of the original MASK1 bitmask Synthesizer. The MASK1EX was a huge success for the one-man operation and sold out almost after a few days.
A second batch of the MASK1EX wasn’t planned, but it raised hopes for an MK2 version. Now it’s a reality. Kodamo has released the MASK1EX MK2, a new Jade Vine limited-edition desktop synth, ahead of SynthFest France 2026.
Kodamo MASK1EX MK2
MASK1EX is back, now in MK2 with several new features and again as a limited edition. The most significant change is the design.
It now comes with an all-new, multi-colored case and layout made out of powder-coated steel. With only 632g, it’s a super lightweight and compact Synthesizer. New on the MK2 is also a dedicated cutoff filter knob.
Kodamo MASK1EX MK2 is a digital 14-voice bi-timbral desktop Synthesizer based on the original Bitmask synthesis technology introduced in the now-discontinued MASK1. It has four more voices than the MASK1EX Mk1 and two more than the keyboard MASK1.
According to the developer, he optimized the startup time. It now starts in 0,5 seconds. Press ON and play! And it remembers the last sounds you used.
Like the MASK1, each voice of the MASK1EX features two bitmask oscillators with 512 different waveforms, a colorful noise generator, two multimode digital filters (12dB/oct and 24dB), four loopable envelopes, and two 7-waveform LFOs.
Alongside these, you have mappable velocity (6 destinations), modwheel (16), and aftertouch (16). You can easily map the modulators to various destinations using the unique, button-only interface.
Colorful Playability
Then, it also features the same high-quality onboard effects, with two stereo effects in series. The first gives you phaser, distortion, bitcrusher, tremolo, and ring mod with 64 types. The second has delays, comb filters, reverbs, room simulations, and distortions (48 types).
The bi-timbral function lets you split a single- or dual-layered voice into two parts. Plus, you can use various voice modes, including slurred, poly-mono, and hybrid modes, changing how the sound behaves as you play legato, staccato, neighbor notes, or wider intervals.
This gives you very unique expressive ways to play the synth parts. Kodamo MASK1EX MK2 also ships with a looper and an advanced arpeggiator featuring 26 patterns with adaptive or fixed chords, latchable, retriggerable, and pitch-change modes.
Sounds can be saved in the internal EEPROM-based memory. 377 ready-to-use factory presets are available there, along with 200 more slots for custom sounds. Yes, you can back them up from your computer and share them with others.
On the connection side, it features a power ON/OFF switch, a DC input, 5-pin MIDI IN/OUT, USB, two balanced 1/4″ TRS jacks, and a 1/4″ headphone jack. USB supports class-compliant Audio and MIDI.
The MASK1EX MK2 also offers full MIDI support, including MIDI CC mapping for all synthesis parameters.
First Impression
I’m very happy to hear that Kodamo has released a new desktop version. The MASK1 was a very original and unique-sounding Synthesizer.
It would have been sad if it had disappeared from the market completely. Now it’s available for a small price and can be taken with you. It’s a bit more expensive than the MK1, but it now has an aluminum case and improved usability.
Kodamo MASK1EX MK2 is available now for $699 in the US or 382€ + 20% VAT (458€) + shipping in the EU.
More information here: Kodamo
I wonder if they know that they’re missing a golden opportunity here by not making a standard run of these. Limited edition is great but there is more demand than there is product available so… why not make a standard edition that stays in stock? Guessing its production costs that are causing them to go with limited runs, they’re a small company and that would be much more affordable. Eh whatever, I hope they sell out and realize the potential here. There’s a reason Mask1 didn’t sell well, very pricey and minimal despite sounding phenomenal. Making an affordable alternative with the same Bitmask synthesis is a fantastic move, I only hope this leads towards more affordable offerings from Kodamo. A little FM module like this would be neat, or say… a Bitmask drum machine. Or even a Rompler, something they are said to be working on, though I believe that is a rackmount unit.
That sounds great and it’s amazing value.
I’m in.
glad to see it came back. I managed to grab one of the last MASK-1 from Kodamo when it was announced as discontinued and I have come to love the sounds you get out of it. sounds like the EX2 has more power with more polyphony, perhaps not having a keyboard to scan freed up resources?
At such a low price, to me it’s a no brainier and in my opinion it’s way better sounding than the Waldorf Protein which I think hits a similar spot.
Anyone looking for a smaller desktop synth should grab one ASAP!
The MASK1EX MK2 is 95% the same as your MASK1 with the difference that the EX MK2 now has 2 more voices (the EX MK1 had 10) and the engine is lower oversampled than the keyboard. The MK2 also has an extra cutoff knob.
Hello,
Is it the color “Jade Vine limited” which is a limited edition of the Mask1EX MK2, and there will be an Mask1EX MK2 of another color which will be the non-limited version, or is it the Mask1EX MK2 itself which is a limited edition (like the MK1) ?
Thank you,
no info but I will ask the developer at SynthFest next week
Thank you. I also asked (on his Facebook group), but he didn’t reply. He must be too busy with the SFF.
I asked: 2 MIDI channels and on each MIDI channel two parts
I find the “2X2” description of its multitimbrality confusing. Does it have 2 or 4 parts? Or to put it differently, can I assign 4 separate voices to 4 different midi channels? I am pretty sure that was the case with the keyboard version.
the features for voice spliting etc are the same as on the keyboard so you can have 2 parts (bi-timbral) with either dual layer or split per part
i wish its just 4 parts multi.
It’s now 100 euros more. The frames it a bit differently than befoe