Flare wrote:
This board expands the capabilities of another sound card, right?
I would say it less expands their capabilities (most cards have MPU401 and a wavetable header)...what it does is free you from bugs and idiosyncrasies present particularly in Creative cards, meaning you have freedom to select just about any card for it's FM/effects capabilities, while using this card for its bug-free, intelligent, MIDI interface.
As someone else said...this card is just an interface...you actually need a Midi music engine either an external one like an MT32/55, or a daughterboard like a DB50X. Unfortunately, while this option is the most awesome, it is also expensive, as both external midi boxes and daughterboards cost a lot. You could also route the output to a modern PC using a midi->usb converter, and run emulation software of a Midi device (e.g. Munt for mt32). However, even a good midi->usb adapter can cost a bit. You may also want to look up DreamBlasters (modern midi daughterboards that can be loaded with large soundfonts), and PhilsComputerLab on ebay that reviews a lot of this stuff.