Kodamo MASK1: "bitmasking synthesis?"

[hurricane hugo]

looks like it's a thing, people:

 

 

From Perfect Circuit's page:

 

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.

 

more video here:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m8VQnoHZ_k

 

 

 

[Radagast]

Maybe this thread should be merged with my previous thread about this.

[GovernorSilver]

Ujie-san having a play

 

 

[David Emm]

That's an excellent demo. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more enthusiasm for it. Maybe it just needs some racing flames on it to counteract the vanilla GUI.

[Jim Alfredson]

When I was talking to Martin Gore from Depeche Mode backstage he said he just purchased one. This was after he mentioned how using digital hardware seemed kind of silly since plugins can do everything hardware does and more.  In other words, he's subject to GAS just like the rest of us mere mortals. 

[Theo Verelst]

I've listened to the demos on my big monitoring system, YT set to HD sufficient bandwidth, and I concluded there wasn't a single sound I liked, clearly not for lack of playing skills.

 

T

[stoken6]

It sounds *very* digital, without quite being a DX7. Nothing there that draws me (or my wallet) in.

 

Cheers, Mike

[ProfD]

The synth resurgence is beginning to look like a cruise ship making a u-turn.😁 

 

Knobs and faders made a comeback and now they have been flattened into buttons again. 

 

I guess a membrane and data entry slider will show up soon. 🤣

 

However, I do applaud synth manufacturers for keeping the technology alive. 😎