Digital Level Setting

[decay-o-caster]

I LIKE analog VU meters. I know how to set levels in analog - you want it to sound hot, get it into the red, but don't peg the needle.

I don't dig digital. I'm paranoid about digital - if it gets into the red, it's into digital clipping and becomes an abomination in the eyes and ears of the elders.

But the digital meters in apps like DP4 just don't give me the sense of control I used to have using VU meters in the good old analog days.

So what do I do? Get an analog board, figure out where unity gain into MOTU828 / DP4 is, and run everything through it? Live with under-recorded digital recordings? Or just deal with a little bit of bouncing into the red?