Editing Ad Lib, Inc. (section)

==Products==
===AdLib Music Synthesizer Card (1987)===
AdLib used [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]]'s [[Yamaha YM3812|YM3812]] [[sound chip]], which produces sound by [[Frequency modulation synthesis|FM synthesis]]. The AdLib card consisted of a YM3812 chip with off-the-shelf external [[glue logic]] to plug into a standard PC-compatible ISA 8-bit slot.

PC software-generated [[multitimbral]] music and sound effects through the AdLib card, although the acoustic quality was distinctly synthesized. Digital audio ([[Pulse-code modulation|PCM]]) was not supported; this would become a key missing feature when the competitor Creative Labs implemented it in their [[Sound Blaster]] cards. It was still possible, however, to output PCM sound with software by modulating the playback volume at an audio rate, as was done, for example, in the [[MicroProse]] game ''[[F-15 Strike Eagle II]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.homeoftheunderdogs.net/game.php?id=2228 |title=F-15 Strike Eagle II : DOS - 1989 |publisher=[[Home of the Underdogs]] |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> and the multi-channel music editor Sound Club for MS-DOS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bluemoon.ee/history/scdos/index.html |title=Sound Club is a good example of what can happen to a product when the developer is under no pressure |publisher=Bluemoon.ee |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref>

There are two separate revisions of the original AdLib sound card. The original design from 1987 provided mono output to a [[Phone connector (audio)|¼-inch jack]] aimed for composers and musicians, while the second design from 1990 used a 3.5&nbsp;mm miniature mono output, which was quickly becoming the new standard in the computer and game industry.

<gallery>
AdLib_Music_Synthesizer_Card.jpg|Original 1987 AdLib Music Synthesizer Card model
Adlib_sound_card_version_1.5.jpg|AdLib Music Synthesizer Card from 1990
</gallery>

AdLib also released a version of the AdLib sound card for IBM's [[Micro Channel architecture|MicroChannel architecture]], the AdLib&nbsp;MCA, which used an MCA&nbsp;P82C611 interface IC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ps-2.kev009.com/ohlandl/sound/adlib_mca.html |title=AdLib MCA |publisher=Ps-2.kev009.com |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> Notable updates for this MCA version was the use of a volume wheel, as the original [[potentiometer]] made the card too thick for the MCA standard.

===AdLib Gold 1000 (1992)===

Ad Lib planned a new proprietary standard before releasing the 12-bit [[stereo]] sound card called the AdLib Gold. The Gold&nbsp;1000 used a later-generation [[Yamaha YMF262]] (OPL3) and 12-bit digital PCM capability while retaining backward compatibility with OPL2 through the OPL3 chip. The onboard Yamaha YMZ263-F also performs 2× oversampling, which would affect the OPL3 output slightly.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/87670/YAMAHA/YMZ263B-F.html |title=YMZ263B-F Datasheet(PDF) – YAMAHA CORPORATION |publisher=Alldatashett.com |access-date=1 January 2015}}</ref> A surround-sound module was developed as an optional attachment that allowed a chorus surround effect to be enabled for OPL3 outputs; however, few programs supported it. One unique aspect is that it could be initialized for certain sounds and did not affect the entire output by default. Other optional attachments such as [[SCSI]] support and [[modem]] support were in development as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.cs.uu.nl/pub/MIDI/DOC/Adlib-Gold |title=Specs of the Ad Lib Gold 1000 |publisher=Archive.cs.uu.nl |access-date=1 January 2015 |archive-date=2 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102214607/http://archive.cs.uu.nl/pub/MIDI/DOC/Adlib-Gold |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<gallery>
Adlib Gold 1000.jpg|AdLib Gold 1000
AdLib Gold sound card and three piggyback modules.png|AdLib Gold sound card in the background, and the SCSI module, CD-ROM module and Surround module in the foreground
Ad_Lib_Gold_with_surround_module.jpg|AdLib Gold 1000 with surround module
AdLibGold_surroundmodule.jpg|AdLib Gold 1000 surround module
AdLib Gold 1000 OPL3 section.jpg|The YMF and YMZ Yamaha chips
Gold 1000 Control Chip.jpg|The main control chip
</gallery>

There is evidence of anti-competitive behavior by Creative in the failure of this card.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/author-of-sound-blaster-the-official-book-talks-about-the-early-days-of-pc-audio/|title=Author of Sound Blaster: The Official Book talks about the early days of PC audio|last=Porter|first=Matt|date=3 November 2015|publisher=[[PCGamer]]|accessdate=5 February 2021}}</ref> Yamaha made parts for both Creative and AdLib, with Creative being Yamaha's biggest customer at the time. The chip that Yamaha created for the AdLib card continually failed to pass testing, while Creative's Yamaha chip passed. This enabled Creative to come to market first, shortly after which AdLib's chip passed testing, but it was too late for it to sustain itself.

Despite AdLib's efforts, the Gold 1000 failed to capture the market, and the company eventually went bankrupt due to cheaper alternatives such as the Creative Labs Sound Blaster&nbsp;16. AdLib designed the Gold&nbsp;1000 mainly in-house, as such, the Gold&nbsp;1000's layout has a lot of discrete circuitry and many surface-mount components in a grid array. Creative Labs was able to integrate their sound cards more tightly to reduce cost.

AdLib had planned a secondary release of the Gold&nbsp;1000, the Gold&nbsp;MC2000, which would have supported the MicroChannel bus. However, AdLib went bankrupt before the card could be produced.