BAM
by Imaginando · Sampler · Groovebox
Not rated yet
BAM is a groovebox from Imaginando that runs as a plugin or standalone, with 16 tracks, a clip launcher and sound engines including a sampler, a drum synth and an acid-style synth.
Each track has an effects rack, and clips can mix audio and MIDI; it costs €109 (about $124) or rent-to-own.
Best for: Drums, Keys & Synths, Sound Design. Genres: Hip-Hop & Trap, Electronic & EDM, Lo-Fi.
Keywords: sample-based, AUv3/iOS, sequencer, rent-to-own, analog, basses, creative, hybrid, lo-fi, multisampled, sound design, standalone app, subtractive, tempo-synced.
What it does
BAM is Imaginando's groovebox in a plugin: drum and synth engines, a clip launcher, step sequencing and a piano roll in one window. The developer pitches it as "one complete studio" for going from a drum loop to a finished song.
- Tracks and mixer: 16 instrument tracks, two send buses (A and B) and a master, with up to 8 effects in each track's insert chain.
- Sound engines: Oscillator (analog-style synth), Sampler (multi-sample with time-stretch), Drum Synth, Hofmann (acid-style bass), 08 Kit and Noise, plus Audio Input and MIDI Out tracks for live audio and external gear.
- Clips and sequencing: hybrid audio/MIDI clips with tempo-synced time-stretch, step sequences of up to 256 steps, independent clip lengths per track, and a clip-launcher matrix with scenes and follow actions.
- Composer piano roll: scale snapping across keyboard and clips, velocity editing, and generate and mutate functions for melodies and chords.
- Modulation: two modulator slots per track (LFO, envelope or random walk), plus per-step and per-clip parameter locks.
- Effects: 11 types: Burner saturator, multimode filter, 3-band and parametric EQ, reverb, chorus, analog delay, compressor, phaser, stereo enhancer and bit reduction.
- Sync, control and export: Ableton Link, MIDI clock in and out, 14-bit MIDI learn and native support for Akai APC, Novation Launchpad and Launch Control and Korg nanoKONTROL Studio controllers; export full songs, tracks, scenes, MIDI or an Ableton Live set.
It is sold outright or rent-to-own, with a 14-day refund guarantee. The demo never expires and has every feature, but adds a short noise burst every 60 seconds and disables saving.
Source: Imaginando product page
When to use it
BAM is the pick when you want a whole groovebox, not just a sampler: it adds drum synthesis, synth engines, a clip launcher and song arrangement on a single DAW track. Compared with Maschine 3 it is software-first and works with generic pad controllers instead of being built around one hardware line. Compared with Serato Sample or CR8 Creative Sampler it does far less sample chopping and editing, but much more sequencing and arranging. Kontakt 8 is the better host for big sampled instruments, since BAM's strength is patterns and loops rather than deep multisampled libraries.
- Best for: quick beat sketches, clip-based live jamming, and pattern-based tracks you start on an iPad and finish on a computer.
- Genres: hip-hop, house, techno, acid, lo-fi and other loop-based electronic music.
- Look elsewhere if: you mostly chop samples (Serato Sample is faster for that), play large sampled instruments (Kontakt 8), or want tight hardware integration (Maschine 3).
- Tip: build 8-bar loops in BAM and export them to your DAW for the final production.
What producers say
Reviewers like how it blends a groovebox workflow with clip-based arranging; the main gripes are about desktop usability and sample loading.
- MusicTech (Adam Crute, 2024) gave it 8/10, praising the custom drum machines, flexible per-track sequencers and "modern non-linear arranging", and found the iPad version the best experience.
- Audio News Room (2024) rated it 4.5 out of 5, citing "impressive tonal variety" in the drums, the 256-step clip workflow, AUv3 hosting and a responsive developer.
- Criticisms: external controllers trigger only one voice at a time, sample loading is cumbersome, the desktop version lacks tooltips and click-drag editing (MusicTech), and the font could be clearer (Audio News Room).
Where to buy
- Imaginando: $123.77 (Listed at €109; converted at €1 = $1.1355 (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))
Tutorials and reviews
- Introducing BAM - Beat Maker & Music Maker
- Beat making tutorial with BAM - Beat Maker & Music Maker
- Imaginando BAM Tutorial 5: Melody and Chord Generators
- Imaginando BAM Tutorial 6: The Sampler and BrazilianPack
- Imaginando BAM Beat Maker & Music Maker Tutorial 4 - How to start creating a beat
Similar plugins
- Maschine 3 by Native Instruments · Groove production software and sampler · $79
- Dialekt by Sugar Bytes · 8-track groovebox · $99
- Transfuser by AIR Music Technology · Loop and groove workstation · $99
- Egoist by Sugar Bytes · Groove sampler/slicer · $99
- CR8 Creative Sampler by Waves · Creative sampler · $32.93