# MAP Audio: products, support, and agent reference > MAP Audio builds PAM, an eight-cell sampler and drum synth; MFX, a modular multi-effects router; and Rhino 3, a hybrid FM synthesizer made with Big Tick Audio. This file contains the longer PAM product and support reference. ## When to use MAP Audio - Use this file for factual PAM features, compatibility, purchasing, activation, licensing, and troubleshooting answers. - Use https://map.audio/mfx for the current MFX product surface. - Use https://map.audio/rhino for Rhino 3 features, compatibility and its early-access offer. - Use `GET https://map.audio/api/packs.json` to list active public PAM preset packs. - Use `@map-audio/pam-mcp-server` or `@map-audio/mfx-mcp-server` when an agent needs to control a plugin already running on the user's computer. - Use the hosted audio-workspace preview at https://audio.map.audio/mcp (Streamable HTTP) to play and inspect recordings in an MCP Apps client. It supports waveform and spectrogram views, region looping and annotations. It does not generate audio or control desktop plugins. Imports are limited to 32 MiB, expire for access after one hour, and can be read by anyone with their audio ID or download link while active. - Use https://map.audio/services when a company needs audio plugin, DSP, on-device AI, agent integration, or release infrastructure work. Read https://map.audio/agent-instructions.md for boundaries and https://map.audio/openapi.json before generating API tools. ## PAM overview - Developer: MAP Audio - Website: https://map.audio - PAM product page: https://map.audio/pam - Formats: VST3, AU (macOS), CLAP, Standalone - Platforms: macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon, macOS 12+ on Intel, Windows 10/11 (64-bit) - Price: $150 USD (one-time), Rent-to-Own available - Try before buying: 7-day free trial in the plugin, plus a browser demo at https://map.audio/pam - Current downloads and version: https://map.audio/download?product=pam - Support: support@map.audio ## What PAM Does PAM is a pattern-based instrument with 8 cells that each contain a sampler, a 22-engine drum synth, 33 built-in effects, and an independent sequencer. Patterns can be edited per cell, in a polyphonic piano roll, or across all eight cells in the tracker. The modulation matrix routes LFOs, envelope followers, macros, Vary, and parameter sequencers to sound and effect controls. The looper records cell outputs or external audio for layered performance. ## Features in Detail ### Cell Grid Eight independent cells, each with a sampler, built-in drum synth, 33 effects and its own sequencer. A cell can play its sampler and synth together. Use another cell's envelope follower to modulate its controls. ### Drum Synth A built-in synthesized-percussion instrument per cell — 22 engines (kick, snare, hat, clap, 808, FM, bell, pluck, and more). Plays alongside or instead of the sampler, sequenced and modulated like any cell source. ### Four Cell View See four cells at once with waveforms, sampler controls and effects. ### Cell Views Four views per cell: Sampler controls, Sample Browser, Pattern Editor and Effects chain. ### CtrlAll Global macro controls and A/B crossfader. Link parameters across all cells with per-cell exclusions. ### Slicer Slice samples into segments with automatic transient detection. Sequence slices with the dedicated slice pattern. ### Pattern Sequencer Sequence notes, pitch, slices and parameter changes. Long note patterns wrap into beat-aligned rows; click a dashed step to extend them. The full note-step view has one-beat length buttons, a doubling button and Repeat pattern on extend. Use the piano roll for chords and velocity editing. ### Tracker Program all eight cells in one vertical timeline. Enter chords, edit velocity, probability and retriggers, then fill, interpolate, randomize, rotate, reverse, or humanize a selection. ### Mixer Mix all eight cells with volume, pan, mute, and solo. Every cell has a chain of 33 built-in effects, from filters, EQ and compression to delays, resonators, pitch shifting, and character effects. ### Looper Record up to 8 tracks with overdub, external input, and drag-and-drop. Save 8 variations with bar-synced switching. ### Vary Per-parameter randomization with adjustable range and probability for eligible controls. ### LFO Modulation Six global LFO generators with custom curves, jitter and tempo sync. Assign them to modulation targets with independent depth and polarity, or retrigger a shape from a cell's notes. ### Envelope Follower Each cell has an envelope follower with adjustable attack and release. Follow another cell's output to drive modulation. Speed slows individual Ramp assignments without changing the cell's attack and release. ### Modulation Matrix Open a modulation target's matrix to assign envelope followers, any of six LFOs, Vary or a parameter sequencer. Set the depth and polarity of each assignment. ### Piano Roll Per-cell piano roll editor with polyphonic note editing, velocity lanes, and pattern length controls. ### Randomizer Randomize with scale constraints, category filters, folder and preset pools, and per-cell targeting. ### XY Pad Two-axis performance controller. Assign eligible parameters to X and Y for live control. ### Crossfade A/B crossfader with per-cell assignment. Morph between two groups of cells with a single fader. ### Multi-Output Routing Up to 8 stereo output buses (16 channels total). Route each cell to a separate mixer channel in your DAW. ### Shared cell effects PAM and MFX each have 33 built-in effects per cell. The latest additions are Drive, Freq Shift, LPC, FM, Spectral Delay, Squeeze, Tape, Grain, Noise Gate and Codec. Codec models the sound of Blade, LAME and Opus encoding; it does not export compressed files. The shared effect reference in both manuals explains the controls, modes and latency. - PAM manual: https://map.audio/PAM_User_Manual.pdf - MFX manual: https://map.audio/MFX_User_Manual.pdf ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Buying PAM Q: Do you offer a free trial? A: Yes. PAM has a 7-day free trial. Install PAM, open it, press Start a free trial on the activation screen, and verify your email address. The trial runs on one computer. MFX works differently: you try it with the browser demo on the MFX page. Q: How do I buy a license? A: Use the Buy button or add products from the Products page, then complete the hosted checkout. After payment you will receive a receipt and license email. Older plugin builds may still open the previous hosted checkout during the migration period. Q: What happens after I complete my purchase? A: You will return to the site and receive a receipt plus any license and download details by email. New in-house purchases appear in your MAP Audio account. Purchases from the earlier store appear there once we finish moving those records across. Q: Do you offer a payment plan? A: Yes. Rent to Own splits the price into monthly payments, and what you rent is yours once the last one clears. It covers PAM, and a bundle such as PAM + MFX when the bundle lists a plan. Press Rent to Own on the PAM page, or a bundle's rent-to-own link on the Products or MFX page, then sign in with your email; the total is shown before checkout. Where a bundle credits products you already own, that credit applies to its one-payment price, not to a plan. You can cancel from your account: the licenses keep working to the end of the paid month, then the plan ends without ownership. Q: Is payment secure? A: Yes. Card details are entered in a hosted checkout. New in-house orders use Stripe; older purchase links may use the previous hosted checkout during the migration period. MAP Audio does not store full card details. ### Presets & Import Q: How do I import presets (.preset or .zip)? A: Drag and drop a .preset file or a .zip preset bundle anywhere in the plugin window or onto the Preset Browser. Zip archives are unpacked automatically and imported; you can drop multiple files at once. Imported presets will appear in the Preset Browser under your User library. ### Looper Q: Why do my looper recordings persist when I change presets? A: The Looper is global — it is not saved with presets. This is by design: looper clips are audio recordings, independent of the preset that produced them. You can build layers in the looper while browsing different presets. Q: How do I save and recall looper states? A: Use Looper Variations — 8 slots to save complete looper states. Click a variation slot to queue it (switches at next bar boundary), or double-click for immediate switch. Right-click slots to Save, Load, Copy, Paste, or Remove. Drag between slots to duplicate. Q: Can I record external audio into the looper? A: Yes! Right-click any looper track and set Source to "External Input". This allows you to record live audio from your audio interface directly into the looper. Q: What is Overdub mode? A: Overdub layers new audio on top of existing recordings. Replace overwrites the existing clip entirely. Toggle globally in the header, or per-track via right-click menu. ### Plugin Activation Q: How do I activate the plugin? A: On the license screen, enter the email used for your purchase and request a 6-digit code. Enter the code. If that email has a license and a free device seat, the plugin activates it automatically. You can also activate with the license key from your purchase email. If you bought before MAP Audio accounts existed, the license file already on your computer stays valid, and the license screen keeps a "Restore an earlier purchase" link that opens the older sign-in window. Q: How do email sign-in codes work? A: Enter your email on the license screen and click "Email me a code." Enter the 6-digit code from the email to sign in. If the email is new, verifying the code creates a passwordless MAP Audio account. Use the same email as your purchase so the plugin can find the license; it activates when a device seat is available. If a code expires, click "Send another code." Q: How many computers can I activate on? A: Licenses are per user and allow activation on up to 3 devices at the same time. You can view and manage activations from your account. If you need a reset or temporary additional activations for a migration, contact support. Q: Do you support offline activation? A: Yes, and the steps are the same in every plugin. On the offline computer, open the license screen or Settings > Account and choose "Activate offline." Enter your license key and create an activation request. Copy the request code to removable media; exporting a request file is optional. Keep the code private because it contains your license key and is not encrypted. On an online computer, sign in at https://map.audio/account, paste the code into the offline activation section, and download the license file. Move that file back to the offline computer and import it. An offline license keeps working without any further server contact. If you already hold a license file from an earlier purchase, import it in Settings > Account with "Import older license." Q: How do I remove my license? A: For MFX, keep the computer online, open Settings > Account, and click "Deactivate." Online and offline licenses both release this computer’s server-side device seat before the local .mb file is removed. If the computer cannot reach MAP Audio, no local state is deleted; retry later or release the device from https://map.audio/account. PAM uses "Deactivate License" in the same place. ### Technical Specs Q: Supported operating systems? A: macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon, macOS 12 or later on Intel, and Windows 10/11 (64-bit). Q: Which plugin formats do you support? A: macOS: AU, VST3, CLAP, Standalone. Windows: VST3, CLAP, Standalone. ### Multi-Output Routing Q: How do I use multi-output routing? A: PAM supports up to 8 stereo output buses (16 channels total). Use each cell's Bus Selector in the Mixer to assign its output. In your DAW, enable the additional plugin outputs you need. ### Troubleshooting Q: PAM crashes or freezes — what should I do? A: If one panel shows an error, choose Try again. If the editor error screen appears, choose Reload interface; Reveal log file opens the diagnostic log to attach to a support message. PAM keeps the audio engine and session running when the interface can recover. For a full crash or freeze, update PAM and your DAW, restart the computer, test the Standalone app and a fresh session, increase the audio buffer, and rescan the plugin. If it persists, send the log or crash report, OS version, DAW/version, and exact steps to support@map.audio. Q: Need quick help? A: Join our Discord for troubleshooting and real-time help: https://discord.gg/nWh5XDNW6c ### Support & Licensing Q: How do I transfer a license? A: Contact support to request a license transfer. We will verify eligibility and process transfers according to our policy. Q: Can't find what you need? A: Reach us at support@map.audio and we will help you. ## Links - Homepage: https://map.audio - PAM: https://map.audio/pam - MFX (modular multi-FX router): https://map.audio/mfx - All products: https://map.audio/products - About MAP Audio: https://map.audio/about - Contact MAP Audio: https://map.audio/contact - Developer resources: https://map.audio/developers - OpenAPI: https://map.audio/openapi.json - Agent instructions: https://map.audio/agent-instructions.md - Agent sign-in for customer accounts: https://map.audio/auth.md - FAQ: https://map.audio/faq - Changelog: https://map.audio/changelog - User Manual: https://map.audio/PAM_User_Manual.pdf - Discord: https://discord.gg/nWh5XDNW6c