Any plans to release the gerber files for this if there’s no more bring produced? It would be a shame for all this hard work to just sit on someone’s hard drive forever.

I'm extremely annoyed there's no AIL 3 driver (DIG) for the AdLib Gold. I mean there's the mdi driver, which i dunno if it does anything different to the generic OPL3 driver but most importantly there's no DIG (digital sound) driver for the AdLib Gold. Which is a shame cause from my own experience the AIL2 digital (ALGDIG.ADV) works really well. I'm wondering if there's source code for the AIL3 drivers similar to what exists for AIL2. I've been flirting with the idea of writing a DIG driver for the Adlib Gold. I think it deserves one. Wondering now if this deserves its own thread...

Hi there. I need some help from GoldLib users.

Recently i found out that, unlike other sound libraries, my Goldlib plays PCM sound usually with one channel disabled (or sound on that channel extremely low), but that happens ONLY with HMI SOS sound library. Examples of games that use HMI are Abuse or Under a Killing Moon, Pandora Directive. There are quite a lot more, but can only remember these from the top of my head. However, i found out that using the AdlIb Gold test program, playing out the test "Get ready for sound so rich it has to be called gold", or using the command line DOS utility to play these recorded phrases "fixes" the issue with the Goldlib card.

What i need is someone with the Goldlib to test some games with HMI SOS, and check if they can reproduce the issue i talked about. Then check if the method i mentioned solves the issue for you.

I also noticed a second issue... Some games using the DIGPAK sound library have the PCM sound on my GoldLib extremely distorted and scratchy. It always happens for me on Simon the Sorcerer. So i kindly request that GoldLib users test that one out too.

Hi !
I just stumbled on the AdLib Gold developer documentation, and it shows the difference between Gold 1000, and Gold 2000 versions.
Thought it would be good to preserve this information, since most of the available info for the 2000 version of the card is/was mostly speculation.

Here :

Do you have access to the whole documentation? What about programming info? I started developing a MSS3 / AIL3 Adlib Gold (PCM) driver but i'm stuck. Detection of the card is working fine, but it is the playback routine i can't progress with.

carlostex wrote on 2025-06-20, 15:25:

Do you have access to the whole documentation? What about programming info?

I do have access as it was lent to me for the documentary. Scanning it piece by piece. Has to be around 400 pages that sometimes are printed both sides.

Beegle wrote on 2025-06-20, 16:23:

carlostex wrote on 2025-06-20, 15:25:

Do you have access to the whole documentation? What about programming info?

I do have access as it was lent to me for the documentary. Scanning it piece by piece. Has to be around 400 pages that sometimes are printed both sides.

is there anything we can do to chip in with the costs for scanning this? i'd absolutely love to see this available.

i've a pretty vivid desire to write a WDM driver for this card, if not the time. such documentation would be incredible, all i'd found so far was the internet archive version of the SDK, which is pretty amazing in and of itself.

edit: based on the code in the SDK, the card itself probably isn't speed sensitive, only the way in which games use it (pre-DX2 and all that)

cheers!
-dc

Beegle wrote on 2022-11-23, 04:17:

Back to report my findings. Hope this helps anybody who wants to make a MIDI cable for their GoldLib in the future 😀

So, to confirm and officialize research for the MIDI pinout of the Gold card : from the developer toolkit :

slartibardfast0 wrote on 2025-06-20, 19:22:

is there anything we can do to chip in with the costs for scanning this? i'd absolutely love to see this available.
i've a pretty vivid desire to write a WDM driver for this card, if not the time. such documentation would be incredible, all i'd found so far was the internet archive version of the SDK, which is pretty amazing in and of itself.

Appreciate the help offered.
It's 90% scanned, I'm just having a hard time reordering the pages in a manner that makes sense since the copy machine I used just skipped a few here and there.
I'll be back when it's done. Soon-ish!

Would still love a release of the gerbers so we can have a board made if we want.

Hi!
Sorry it took so long.

AdLib Gold Developer Toolkit v1.01, PDF uploaded on VGMPF here :
https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Fi … olkit_v1.01.pdf
it's a 18mb download (hence why I can't upload it here with the 5mb limit)

Enjoy and go make stuff for the original Gold and/or GoldLib!

it is really great to have the exact timing delays for MMA broken out in section 7.

the surround add on / YMF7128 documentation is even more exciting 😀

thanks so much Beegle!

Beegle wrote on 2025-11-02, 03:58:

Hi! Sorry it took so long. […]
Show full quote

Hi!
Sorry it took so long.

AdLib Gold Developer Toolkit v1.01, PDF uploaded on VGMPF here :
https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Fi … olkit_v1.01.pdf
it's a 18mb download (hence why I can't upload it here with the 5mb limit)

Enjoy and go make stuff for the original Gold and/or GoldLib!

slartibardfast0 wrote on 2025-11-02, 09:07:

it is really great to have the exact timing delays for MMA broken out in section 7. […]
Show full quote

it is really great to have the exact timing delays for MMA broken out in section 7.

the surround add on / YMF7128 documentation is even more exciting 😀

thanks so much Beegle!

Beegle wrote on 2025-11-02, 03:58:

Hi! Sorry it took so long. […]
Show full quote

Hi!
Sorry it took so long.

AdLib Gold Developer Toolkit v1.01, PDF uploaded on VGMPF here :
https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Fi … olkit_v1.01.pdf
it's a 18mb download (hence why I can't upload it here with the 5mb limit)

Enjoy and go make stuff for the original Gold and/or GoldLib!

You're welcome.
Also added some cool finds if anybody has time to tinker with it. Maybe there's interesting stuff in there?
- AdLib Gold Beta Software Floppies (0.91b) - https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?ti ... oppies.zip
- AdLib Gold Pre-Release Evaluation Kit (v0.1) Song Disks 1 to 3 - https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Fi … _Song_Disks.zip
- Developer Toolkit v1.01 floppies - https://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?ti ... ppies).zip

super cool, would LOVE to build one of these! 😀

What computer would you say is the optimal for this card in terms of compatibility, but also supported games?

vetz wrote on 2025-11-19, 10:21:

What computer would you say is the optimal for this card in terms of compatibility, but also supported games?

I have a original card that now is still hopefully at my parents (now father's) home where the contact had been disrupted.
Looking back to the time I have been using it I remember there were no problems with the Adlib Gold in systems like 486 DX2. 66 or 80 MHz.

Fun fact:
I got it from a friend of a father of a friend of mine after I have upgraded his 486 to a Pentium class computer.
The Adlib Gold was kinda useless for him because there were no digital drivers for Windows 95 (just a lame OPL3 support). I got it after the upgrade; it was replaced by a SB16.

Disruptor wrote on 2025-11-20, 11:34:

I have a original card that now is still hopefully at my parents (now father's) home where the contact had been disrupted. Looki […]
Show full quote

vetz wrote on 2025-11-19, 10:21:

What computer would you say is the optimal for this card in terms of compatibility, but also supported games?

I have a original card that now is still hopefully at my parents (now father's) home where the contact had been disrupted.
Looking back to the time I have been using it I remember there were no problems with the Adlib Gold in systems like 486 DX2. 66 or 80 MHz.

Fun fact:
I got it from a friend of a father of a friend of mine after I have upgraded his 486 to a Pentium class computer.
The Adlib Gold was kinda useless for him because there were no digital drivers for Windows 95 (just a lame OPL3 support). I got it after the upgrade; it was replaced by a SB16.

Thank you. I have been really in doubt if to install my card into my 386 dx33 or my 486 dx2 66.

vetz wrote on 2025-11-20, 12:04:

Thank you. I have been really in doubt if to install my card into my 386 dx33 or my 486 dx2 66.

I would install it in the 386. The only game that takes advantage of the Adlib Gold is Dune, which released in 1992 during the 386 gaming era.

Beyond that, games designed for FM synthesis mostly fall in that late 80s to early 90s time period.

FWIW, I've put an Adlib Gold / Goldlib in two builds, a 386 DX-40 and my current 486 DX-33. The latter of which I built to handle late 80s to early 90s game, since it can be throttled to 286 and 386 speeds.

Shponglefan wrote on 2025-11-20, 15:11:

I would install it in the 386. The only game that takes advantage of the Adlib Gold is Dune, which released in 1992 during the […]
Show full quote

vetz wrote on 2025-11-20, 12:04:

Thank you. I have been really in doubt if to install my card into my 386 dx33 or my 486 dx2 66.

I would install it in the 386. The only game that takes advantage of the Adlib Gold is Dune, which released in 1992 during the 386 gaming era.

Beyond that, games designed for FM synthesis mostly fall in that late 80s to early 90s time period.

FWIW, I've put an Adlib Gold / Goldlib in two builds, a 386 DX-40 and my current 486 DX-33. The latter of which I built to handle late 80s to early 90s game, since it can be throttled to 286 and 386 speeds.

Thanks for your input. I am aware of Dune, but Adlib Gold is also supported (not fully like in Dune) in Simcity 2000 and some later games, which will not run that well on a 386.

Adlib Gold is known for being speed sensitive and obviously fits better in its original 386-486 era, but for what it's worth I'm running Goldlib in a Pentium 75 (as I also wanted to use it with Adlib Tracker II that has higher requirements) and I'm yet to encounter any issue. But again and as usual, YMMV with temperamental old hardware 😀