BAM File

What are BAM files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening a BAM file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your BAM files.

What is a BAM file?

BAM files have multiple uses, and Bob's AdLib Music Module is one of them. Read more about the other uses further down the page.

Bob's AdLib Music Module

Bob's AdLib Music Module stores synthetic music created for the AdLib sound card (using FM synthesis). It is used by programs or games knowing the BAM structure to sequence note, instrument and register-change commands for playback through the AdLib chip.

These files are created by a music authoring tool or game engine that generates commands for the AdLib FM synth rather than storing sampled audio. During playback, software reads the sequence of commands (notes, volume, timbre changes, etc.) and sends them to the AdLib or compatible sound system to produce the music.

Every file begins with the ASCII header CBMF at offset 0 to identify it uniquely. What follows is a stream of byte-based commands; each command starts with an operation code, possibly followed by argument bytes, intended to control up to 16 voices (though in most practical uses only 9 voices are supported).

These files start with bytes 0x43 0x42 0x4D 0x46 ("CBMF") at offset 0.

How to open BAM files

Important: Different programs may use files with the BAM file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your BAM file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

While we have not verified the apps ourselves yet, our users have suggested five different BAM openers which you will find listed below.

Last updated: August 23, 2026

All known file formats using extension .BAM

While Bob's AdLib Music Module is a popular type of BAM-file, we know of 5 different uses of the .BAM file extension. Different software may use files with the same extension for different types of data.

BOYAN Action Module

These BAM files contain the configuration for the advanced communication program for MS-DOS. Boyan was a terminal program that controlled a dial-up modem connected to the PC so that the user could access Bulletin Board Systems in the pre-internet days of the 1980s and 1990s.

Infinity Engine Animation

These BAM files contain the animated images used in Infinity Engine, a gaming engine. BAM files are used in 2D role-playing video games like Dungeons and Dragons.

Panda3D Bam container

These BAM files contain the scene graphs and subgraphs used in Panda3D; a scene graph engine used to create 3D games. Panda3D uses Python and C++ as its coding language. 3D Models get created in Blender or 3ds Max and then gets imported into Panda3D. Through Panda, you set up the virtual world.

Sequence Alignment/Map Format

Sequence Alignment/Map format is a binary format devised for storing large numbers of DNA sequence "reads" aligned to a reference genome. It is produced by bioinformatics tools (such as aligners) that map raw sequencing reads to reference sequences, then written and compressed by programs like Samtools. It enables efficient storage, fast retrieval, and random access to alignments, supporting high-throughput DNA sequencing workflows.

Files in this format represent exactly the same information as their textual equivalent (the SAM format), including read names, alignment positions, strand orientation, quality scores, and optional metadata tags. Because of its binary form, it consumes less disk space and allows rapid operations like sorting, filtering, indexing, and region-based extraction without decompressing the entire file.

Byte signatures help tools identify such a file. It begins with the ASCII characters BAM followed by a version byte (0x01) at offset 0. Another identifiable marker is the ASCII string "N:" at offset 13.

Various apps that use files with this extension

These apps are known to open certain types of BAM files. Remember, different programs may use BAM files for different purposes, so you may need to try out a few of them to be able to open your specific file.

Help us help others

File.org helps thousands of users every day, and we would love to hear from you if you have additional information about BAM file formats, example files, or compatible programs. Please use the links below or email us at submit@file.org to discuss further.