But then came the https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravis_UltraSound 1992
I remember coveting a friend’s MT-32 setup, but when the GUS came out it was gold. It could do amazing wave-table synthesis in an affordable card. The first time I played Doom with the GUS-rendered soundtrack I was blown away at how great it sounded. I long since parted with my own GUS that I had in the 1990s, and I often wish I held on to it. They seem to be much sought after collector’s items now.
Problem with a GUS (or any 30 year old PC part) is it's more likely to break which means you'd have to invest time and/or money in keeping it running. I sold off mine when I didn't have a working machine with ISA slots anymore.
There’s Pi Pico GUS project now