Definitely go with the single Kontakt instance with routing. It improves project loading time, CPU, etc. Orchestral needs all the CPU you can get because theres a lot of sample loading and processing going on.
Other tips:
- You can use a MIDI chord splitter to split piano input and send each channel (one per note) to different instruments, then create different versions of this track like for e.g. All bass instruments in octaves, Strings with violin doubled at octave, all clarients, bassoons, flutes, etc you get the idea. Great for quick but massive sounding note entry.
- Plugins like ToneSpace can generate those chords for you (free
)
- Use ReaControlMIDI and create automation items that automate CCs so you can create nice curves and easily copy paste expression data all over the place, great when your music uses an abundance of string swells for example. Copy paste it everywhere, stretch to fit, tweak, all much easier in automation than in the small and cumbersome CC lane.
- ^ Same applies to switching articulations, depending on how the plugin handles this you can assign either a CC to modulate a dropdown list of articulations, or create MIDI items with the keyswitches in them (I recommend creating every keyswitch in one item as takes
) and then you create a child track to the MIDI track where you can place these keyswitch items. I find this much more manageable than putting it in the individual MIDI items.