"What if I need more than 16 midi channels?"

That's where 'ports' come in. In Realband you can assign each track to one of 32 ports. Each port can have 16 MIDI channels. So you are not limited that way. The question becomes do you have the sondsources to run and a port to get the MIDI there. Softsynths eat up resouces with each instance it is run (see below).

Example - one machine I have has an SBLive and a Delta1010lt in it. Each of these has a MIDI out connection so they are usable 'ports'. I can select them in MIDI devices and use them as ports. The one at the top is Port 1, the next one down is Port 2 (in the MIDI devices list).
So you can connect different external hardware synths as long as you have the ports.

16 of the available MIDI ports are external options. You also have 16 softsynth options. So you can also load a different synth (or even a second or third instance of a synth) in these ports and free up another 16 channels. For instance you could assign another 'copy' or instance of the VSC DXi synth to port 17 (Softsynth Port 1) and then use all 16 cannels again on that synth. When using it as the default synth it loads automagically in the 16th DXi port (Port 32).

This is how you mix and match various software synths. Just know that your computer must be up to the job, as each synth eats 'X' amount of resources (Especially RAM) The Forte would eat a LOT of RAM if multiple instances are run. VSC not so much.

So there are plenty of flexible options.

I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!