AdLib - Definition and Overview

This page is about the company and products named AdLib. See ad lib for information on the Latin phrase.

AdLib, Inc. was a manufacturer of sound cards and other computer equipment; AdLib was also the name of its main product. It was the first de facto standard for sound cards on IBM PCs and compatibles. AdLib used the Yamaha YM3812 sound chip from Yamaha Corporation.

AdLib was quickly replaced as the standard by Sound Blaster from Creative Labs. The company went bankrupt in the early 1990s when the follow-up to the original AdLib card, the AdLib Gold, failed in the marketplace, mainly due to missing Sound Blaster compatibility.