Spend at least a day on finding and organizing your sounds, before you start writing, no matter how rushed the project or demo deadline is. By defining your virtual band or orchestra beforehand, you'll write more coherently because you'll know who your players are. It also reduces those futile trips to the editor/librarian in the middle of your writing - we all know that never works!

As the one-man composer/engineer generation continues, you should never underestimate the value of another set of ears. Even though budgets may be tight, having another producer/engineer on your project, even if it's only at the mastering stage, is still worth it.