Fran you won't get any argument from me. I don't do anything with audio, VST's etc. Not even vocals (for now.) So 90% of the doodads on the screen in Ableton, FL Studio, etc., are just an irrelevant nuisance. To me MIDI is still king, and that makes XG Works or just using the on-board sequencer a better choice.
If someone made a fairly simple MIDI sequencer GUI app for PC I could be tempted to change my tune (pun intended.) Maybe I'm a dinosaur but for my modest needs every DAW i tried was pure frustration. Open to suggestions.
A VST is no different to using an XG sound-set via XG works as they are both controlled by Midi, either by you playing the notes on the keyboard or via a sequencer.
Yes you can do audio in a DAW but you don’t have too.
If you just want to use VSTs without any extras (Like XG Works) just use a stand-alone VST Host such as
Cantabile Lite There also plenty of basic Midi sequencers out there just do a google search.
Bill