The two project method Master and Virgin

Because my Master template is so large and occupies quite a bit of RAM even when disabled, and because folderizing in this template has led to a lot of extra folder tracks being visible when I don’t need them (you can’t hide a folder track yet keep a contained track visible), I have been working with a two projects method.

This idea makes a lot of sense. Briefly, you have a folderized and large ‘master’ template with all your tracks present on the hard drive but not activated. When you start a new piece you use a ‘virgin’ template with no instruments, If you want you can create a cut down version of your master project with all the tracks ripped out - leaving the group tracks and any other bits you need. Bear with me. This project I will call the virgin project.

In the virgin project it is essentially bare. If you want a track, you briefly activate your master template audition and select. If, for example all your flutes are in one folder, you can enable (only) these flutes, and drag a MIDI track between them to compare. This is better than using track presets because everything is ordered in ‘project manner’ . By using a master template, you get to access the full power of the DAW - you don’t get this opportunity in Media Bay.
Anyway, when your satisfied with an instrument, you then import it into your virgin project. If you have the same group channel set up for groups, as the master template (e.g. woods, strings, brass, etc) then the routing should be preserved, along with expression map set ups, inserts, etc. When you finish with your instrument selection, you shut the master down.
This way you get the convenience of tracks which are organised according to your libraries and instrument sections, you get the freedom to audition and change, but you don’t get any CPU or RAM overheads at all, and NO visual clutter of any kind. You only use/see that which makes your sound.

There is one small drawback and this brings me to my suggestion

When you use Import Track from Project to import your track (from the master), for some reason the track heirarchy is stripped away and you get a list. This is ok if your track count is under a hundred, but Steinberg will be aware that a professional jobbing composer would probably have at least a thousand tracks. It is difficult to identify your track this way and there is no search function

Therefore: my suggestion is to include a decent search function in Import Options.

The more I work this way the more advantages I see. One master template with all your custom tracks prepped. Pick and Mix. Much better than Media Bay . Perhaps this could be a design feature, in some modification

Z