 |
| Phonomenal! |
1987 - The real sound...
AdLib
AdLib in the version of 1990
So it also happened that some suppliers offered plug-in cards to expand the sound possibilities. While some were practically unsuccessful with it (for example SSI 2001 with SID 6581, which came from the C64 (!), or Covox with their Sound Master) a company had of the success clearly more: AdLib. By the way, the company name "Ad Lib" was derived from the latin, and is an abbreviation for "ad libitum" - "at will".
Since other systems sounded more or less like the multiplicity of interconnected PC-Speakers, AdLib used the Yamaha YM3812, today commonly known as OPL2. This chip, originally used in low-end-keyboards, does in different modes 6 voices (+5 hit instruments) as well as 9 voices. Above all however, the user could influence the sound of his instrument through a multiplicity of possibilities himself. While this actually was intended to reproduce real instruments, they created a quite individual sound, that really could sometimes convince - depending on creativity of the user - as autonomous.
The reverse of the medal on the other hand was that it cost also some expenditure to let instruments sound really well on this card - the mass of the games nevertheless used the abilities of this card only very superficial, so the sound often came across very "cheesy".
Without question, however, AdLib started a mass market with this card, and also practically all newer DOS-based games still supported it. However unfortunately, AdLib thought much too late about the possibility playing back digital samples, and not little later, that should happened to be their fate...
Samples
| Monkey Island 1 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | One of the better AdLib tunes | | Space Quest 3 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Rather average | | Silpheed | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Pretty good usage | | Easy AdLib Track 1 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Here the AdLib presents its very own style | | Tempest 2000 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Techno on AdLib, rather seldom style | | Descent | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Descent I intro - badly done for AdLib |
|
Technical
Based on the OPL2 the card could, by using frequency modulation (FM), either play 9 sound channels or 6 sound channels and 5 hit instruments (bass Drum, Hihat, Tom Tom, Snare Drum, Top Cymbal) simultaneously. Task of this chip was to reproduce real instruments. However, on the basis of only 2 frequency generators this was quite impossible.
Additionaly, one could put the gotten frequency into a quite simple cover in order to imitate the dynamics of a real instrument (Attack/Sustain/Decay/Release).
It is also interesting to know that later some software (specifically tools for the MOD-Wiedergabe) but also some games, applied quite similar tricks like with the PC Speaker, and so actually originated a qualitative relatively appealing sample playback.
|
IBM Music Feature Card
IBM Music Feature Card - thx to Jim Leonard
It was essentially a Yamaha FB-01 on a card (much how the Roland LAPC-1 is an MT-32 module on a card) and inherited all of the FB-01's properties: 8 FM voices, stereo-pannable, and each voice was controlled by four operators instead of Adlib's two. It had an extensive built-in library of over 300 high-quality synthesized instruments ("classic Yamaha" as many have called it). You could put two of them in a single machine and get 16 voices. Because of the stereo and 4-operator FM synthesis, you would be tempted to call it an Adlib on steroids, but it was more a MIDI module than a PC-based sound card. But even in that area it was advanced: One thing that seperated it from other MIDI-based instruments at the time was that you could detune each note in very fine increments, so at one point it gained a small devoted following of atonal composers.
Sierra was easily the company that supported it the most. This is not surprising, because Sierra's entire existence was saved by IBM back in 1983 when they contracted Sierra to make the first "next generation" game for the upcoming "home" personal computer, the PCjr. In addition to 16-color graphics, the PCjr supported 3 voices plus a noise channel instead of the typical single-voice beeper. Sierra had always been dedicated to IBM after the success of King's Quest, so they likewise were one of the first to support the IMFC and also more than 4 colors on MCGA machines (PS/2 model 25 and 30, which could display 256 colors but were NOT VGA compatible and could not run EGA games).
So why didn't the IBM Music Feature Card take off? It retailed for $600, which didn't help. It was geared toward professional musicians much more than gamers (Sierra and Microprose are two of the only three companies I've seen support it). And because it didn't have built-in
reverb like the MT-32, many people thought it sounded "worse" than an MT-32 (of course, if you apply the same reverb-like effect to some of these IMFC samples like "minuet" you can clearly hear it was a strong match for the MT-32).
(Information and samples kindly provided by Jim Leonard)
Samples
| Silpheed | | [OGG] [MP3] | | One of the better Tunes by Sierra | | Space Quest 3 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Example how bad a support can be | | Colonel's Bequest | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Show how well the card performed | | Minuet | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Also a very good example for that card | | Larry 3 | | [OGG] [MP3] | | Intro tune; pretty good done |
|
|
 | Index |
| |
|
