I often suggest this to new composers who are overwhelmed by all the sample libraries out there: focus on learning just a few libraries inside and out.
It’s great to have loads of options at your fingertips, but what really matters is knowing how to use those options to their full potential. Also, what their limitations might be. And then, of course, building your own libraries is even better. You’ve been there for every step of its creation, and now you have a toolkit you know better than anyone else.
Scoring Chief of War was a very fast-paced and intense process, so knowing exactly what to reach for at any given moment was a huge advantage in getting everything written, produced, and delivered on time.
Pro tip from James Everingham: Embrace the humanity of your musicians and their performances. The imperfections and deviations from your demo will often yield unique results.