Ad Lib, Inc.
Canadian maker of the first widely accepted PC sound card.
Ad Lib, Inc. was a Canadian company that made sound cards and other computer hardware. It was started by Martin Prevel, who had previously been a music professor and the vice-dean of the music department at Université Laval. The company’s most famous product was the AdLib Music Synthesizer Card (ALMSC), often just called the AdLib. This card was the first add-on sound card for IBM-compatible computers to gain wide popularity, setting the first de facto standard for PC audio.
After finishing development of the AdLib Music Synthesizer Card, the company had trouble getting software developers interested in it. To solve this, Ad Lib partnered with Top Star Computer Services, Inc., a New Jersey firm that offered quality assurance services to game developers. Top Star’s president, Rich Heimlich, saw a demonstration of the product in Quebec in 1987 and was impressed enough to recommend it to his biggest clients. Sierra On-Line’s *King’s Quest IV* became the first game to support the AdLib. The game’s success brought the AdLib card into mainstream media attention. As sales increased, many developers started adding AdLib support to their programs.
The AdLib’s success soon attracted rivals. Shortly after its release, Creative Labs introduced the competing Sound Blaster card. The Sound Blaster was fully compatible with AdLib’s hardware but added two key features the AdLib lacked: a PCM audio channel and a game port. With extra features and stronger marketing, the Sound Blaster quickly surpassed AdLib as the standard for PC gaming audio. AdLib’s slow response, the AdLib Gold, did not sell well enough to keep the company afloat.
In 1992, Ad Lib filed for bankruptcy, while the Sound Blaster line continued to dominate PC gaming. That same year, Binnenalster GmbH of Germany bought Ad Lib’s assets. The company was renamed AdLib Multimedia and relaunched the AdLib Gold sound card along with other products. In 1994, Binnenalster sold AdLib Multimedia to Softworld Taiwan.
The original AdLib Music Synthesizer Card, released in 1987, used Yamaha’s YM3812 sound chip, which produced sound through FM synthesis. The card consisted of the YM3812 chip and standard off-the-shelf logic to fit into a standard PC-compatible ISA 8-bit slot. Software could generate multitimbral music and sound effects through the card, though the audio quality was clearly synthesized.
Quick Facts
- Industry
- Consumer electronics
- Fate
- Bankrupt; assets bought by Binnenalster GmbH, in 1994 resold to Softworld Taiwan
- Founded
- 1987 in Quebec City, Canada
- Founder
- Martin Prevel
- Defunct
- 1992
- Hq Location Country
- Canada
- Key People
- Martin Prevel (CEO)
- Products
- Audio, Computer-related products
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
After development work on the AdLib Music Synthesizer Card had concluded, the company struggled to engage the software development community. Ad Lib partnered with Top Star Computer Services, Inc., a New Jersey company that provided quality assurance services to game developers. Top Star's President, Rich Heimlich, was sufficiently impressed by a product demonstration in Quebec in 1987 to endorse the product to his top customers. Sierra On-Line's King's Quest IV became the first game to support AdLib, and the game's subsequent success helped launch the AdLib card into mainstream media coverage.
The AdLib card used Yamaha's YM3812 sound chip, which produces sound by FM synthesis. It consisted of a YM3812 chip with off-the-shelf external glue logic to plug into a standard PC-compatible ISA 8-bit slot. Digital audio (PCM) was not supported. Two separate revisions of the original card exist: the 1987 design provided mono output to a ¼-inch jack, while the 1990 design used a 3.5 mm miniature mono output. AdLib also released a version for IBM's MicroChannel architecture, the AdLib MCA, which used a volume wheel instead of a potentiometer.
The success of the AdLib Music Card soon attracted competition. Creative Labs introduced its competing Sound Blaster card, which was fully compatible with AdLib's hardware and also implemented a PCM audio channel and a game port. With additional features and better marketing, the Sound Blaster quickly overshadowed AdLib as the de facto standard. AdLib's slow response, the AdLib Gold, did not sell well enough to sustain the company. In 1992, Ad Lib filed for bankruptcy.
Reader's Guide
The AdLib Music Synthesizer Card established the first de facto standard for PC audio reproduction, enabling a generation of games to include synthesized music and sound effects. Its adoption by Sierra On-Line's King's Quest IV and subsequent support from many developers made it a key component in the early PC gaming ecosystem. However, the card's lack of PCM audio capability proved a critical weakness when Creative Labs introduced the Sound Blaster, which offered full AdLib compatibility plus digital audio and a game port. AdLib's attempted response, the AdLib Gold 1000, featured 12-bit stereo PCM and a newer Yamaha YMF262 (OPL3) chip, but it failed to capture the market. Evidence suggests anti-competitive behavior by Creative may have contributed: Yamaha made parts for both companies, and the chip Yamaha created for the AdLib card continually failed testing while Creative's chip passed, allowing Creative to reach market first. AdLib went bankrupt in 1992, and its assets were acquired by Binnenalster GmbH. The company was renamed AdLib Multimedia and later sold to Softworld Taiwan in 1994, but the Sound Blaster family continued to dominate the PC game industry.
Did You Know?
- The AdLib Music Synthesizer Card was the first add-on sound card for IBM compatibles to achieve widespread acceptance.
- Sierra On-Line's King's Quest IV was the first game to support the AdLib card.
- The AdLib Gold 1000 used a Yamaha YMF262 (OPL3) chip and added 12-bit digital PCM capability.
- There is evidence that Creative Labs engaged in anti-competitive behavior by obtaining working Yamaha chips before AdLib could.
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