Build huge templates?

That sounds like a good idea for smaller projects, for larger projects there are to many vst & audio out tracks that need to be routed and named to keep track of stems’/splits for post house mixing so I find it better to keep large templates and break them down into categories and color code each category in advance to make it easier to navigate as the hours get long. Also the automation lines will show the same color designated for track which is helpful when you scroll across 100’s of tracks quickly. Then you can use folders and track view presets to keep it all somewhat manageable.

So, I have master folders named in these categories with a midi section, and audio track section, instruments in blue, rhythmic in green, sound design in orange. Only instruments has one other color, orchestra in red. Orchestra is a sub folder of instruments, violins is a sub folder of orchestra, etc.

So imagine your working away and have 15 drum, percussion , loops etc , tracks and maybe guitars and a string section, you can then scroll around and instantly know what section your in by viewing the color of the track and automation , then set your track visibility by section with key commands and you can jump to rhythmic , instruments, sound design midi, and the same for audio only, so that’s 6. Presets, 7 is all midi, 8, is all audio…