You're making a good point about VST compatibility over time. One way to at least ensure a track remains playable is to bounce your midi tracks to separate audio tracks (waveform). Clearly, you lose the flexibility that comes with manipulating the original score, but you're guaranteed to be able to playback, eq, and mix the original performance. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
True, I've done that too, but you're right it's obviously a limited way to go about it.
It's funny, I kinda feel like this is what the OP1 was trying to be, or maybe what I wanted it to be, but this actually delivers on that promise. I want one: https://polyend.com/play/
Korg Module is the best noodler out there and it’s 20 bucks. I’ve tried a few portable hardware sequencers, but module on my phone fits the bill so much better.
Just finished a verse and got halfway through a chorus on a 30 minute ferry ride and I didn’t even have to remember to bring anything but my phone.
Have you tried the Korg Kaossilator? It's 20 bucks upfront and so far I didn't want to spend that without being able to try it. The description sounds cool though.
So I think it's a funny product that has a lot of 'nerd appeal' but at its heart it's a pretty powerful devices, maybe often miss-used.
Also - having played with both 'hardware' and VST's I do prefer VSTs because of the ease of use; aka you can reload a track in seconds in Live versus spending 30+ repatching your gear, swooping out gear, etc (and then it's still not quite the same, but that's part of the magic of 'real hardware' I suppose).
But at the end of the day the music I created with VST's versus real hardware wasn't different at all sonically so I am 100% in the camp of VSTs are awesome.
That said, you need to be careful selecting a VST.They go 'stale' and become a liability, so for example if I open up projects from 5+ years back, almost none of them work now. So going forward, I'm going to be more careful, and probably buy VST's only from companies I expect to be around for the long haul.