Yeah its best to record anything with level peaks under-12db >>>and even better to stay around -18 >>> Digital Distortion is not pleasing to the ear ;) at least not to me lol >>> i get recordings to mix where theirs 50+ tracks and everyone of them hitting -6 on the meter >>>and
wen you have that many tracks for a production you just end up trimming 15 db off every track just to get a starter mix balance >>> and being recorded that loud from the start introduces the Digital distortion >>> so wen you have 50 tracks or better thats a hell of alot of build up in the harshness realm ;) In the old days they recorded hotter to make up for the noise floor that we dont have in 24 bit recording today...also it was analogue tape back then that was much more forgiving to any clipping from hot levels...Digital is not forgiving at all but because of modern advancements and 24 bit recording the higher bits push the noise floor so low that much lower levels are practiced in recordings today to achieve smoother pleasing recordings \m/

 

Most DAWs allow you to zoom in and out of the wave from to make it easier to find edit points. Most of the things I record rarely peak over -12dBFS but I usually zoom in individually on each track to make it easier for my old eyes to see what am dealing with.

Some people do record hot, but it's not always best to trust your eyes on this one.

 

Thanks guys ! i will keep an eye on my levels : great info :