Hi all,
Late in my mixing I'm reading about gain staging; it's recommended to record to around -12db (max). Alot of my recordings go up to near 0db. My question: can I "simply" turn down the Gain on my tracks to achieve same benefits?
 
Thanks

The reason for not going too close to 0dBFS when recording is to avoid clipping. If you have clipped at the AD converter, turning down the gain afterwards won't allow you to undo the damage.
 
And with 24 bit audio there is no reason to push your luck and get too close to 0dBFS.

Sure, the scaling is better if your fader is near 0 dB.  That isn't nearly as important as it was w/ analog recording, but is a good way to keep all your faders together.  Usually I just park the faders where they sound best, and only use gain if a quiet track needs a boost.  But I use a lot of automation and mix from the track view.  I can see in the mix view it would look better to have the faders align.
 
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Setting the correct levels prior to recording is essential to apply good gain staging further down the chain.
 
As drewfx1 says, if you've slipped on the way in, the damage is done and you only recourse is to re-record.
 
Once all your tracks are in  Sonar at the appropriate level (-12dB peak is what I shoot for on every track) then follow AT's guidelines about where to set your starting fader positions

Thanks to all