The proper way is the one which works for you. Your method #1 makes it possible to easily and seamlessly use the Patch Persist option of GP and you won’t have to think of stuck notes. If you need something like Patch Persist through the variations, you will need to take care of what you are doing to avoid stuck notes or go for this: [Gig] Plugin Persist 2.0 . I think solution #1 is easier.
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