MAP Audio’s PAM is a pattern-based sampler and drum-synth instrument for macOS and Windows, currently available with an exclusive 15% BPB discount.
Use the coupon code BPB15 at checkout to get 15% off PAM until August 15. The regular price is $150, and MAP Audio also offers a rent-to-own option and a 7-day fully functional trial.
PAM is not a simple one-shot sampler. It gives us eight independent cells, and each cell can host a sampler or one of the built-in drum synth engines. It basically combines sample playback, synthesized drum sounds, sequencing, modulation, effects, and looping in a single instrument.
Each cell has its own sampler controls, sample browser, pattern editor, and effects chain. You can sequence notes, pitch, slices, and stretch values, or switch to the piano roll when you need polyphonic note editing with velocity lanes and pattern length controls.
The built-in drum synth is one of the main highlights of the current PAM feature set. Each cell can use one of 17 synthesized percussion engines, including kick, snare, hat, clap, 808, FM, bell, and pluck-style sounds. These can run alongside or instead of samples, which makes PAM feel closer to a modular groovebox than a traditional sampler plugin.
The modulation system is where PAM gets way more interesting for sound design, though. Parameters can be moved by step sequencers, six independent LFOs, envelope followers, macros, randomization, or audio from another cell. The modulation matrix gives you a central place to view and edit those assignments, with control over strength and speed.
There is also a slicer with automatic transient detection, a tracker-style view for programming notes and retriggers across cells, and a mixer with volume, pan, mute, solo, and per-cell effects. The effects chain includes processors like EQ, filter, delay, and compression.
For performance, PAM includes a looper that can record up to eight tracks with overdub, external input, and drag-and-drop export. You can save eight looper variations and switch between them in sync with the bar, which should be handy for building layered parts while browsing presets or changing patterns.
Other useful features include an XY pad for real-time control, A/B crossfading between assigned cell groups, intelligent randomization with scale constraints and category filters, and multi-output routing with up to eight stereo output buses.
PAM is available in VST3, AU, CLAP, and standalone formats on macOS 12 or later. On Windows, it is available in VST3, CLAP, and standalone formats. The current version listed on the MAP Audio website is 1.5.7.
Download: MAP Audio PAM ($150, 15% off with code BPB15 until August 15)
Last Updated on July 14, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
