#1. Get to know your sample library.
Having thousands of sounds and not knowing how any of them sound or work is not very useful or productive. It may take some time for you to become familiar with how your sample libraries sound and respond, but this is time well spent. Choosing a quality library is a start.
As an example, I know a few producers who are familiar with the sound of the much older Bob Clearmountain drum libraries, but they still use them as they know the sounds. A sample library can be a valuable asset that lasts your entire production (or composing and performance) career.
