Dynamic range and 0db settings?

[billisa]

I've seen lots of posts that say one should record all channels as close to 0db as possible (or something to that effect). How does this impact the real or perceived dynamic range of a recording?

[TexRoadkill]

Recording close to 0db gives you the highest possible dynamic range if you aren't using compression or limiting to get it there.

[Slackmaster2K]

...or normalizing! A lot of new guys tend to overuse the normalize function.

[kid klash]

As an average, most digital recorders have around 90db of headroom (the difference between absolute silence and the loudest signal the system can capture). This is your dynamic range. So, the closer you record to 0db, the greater your potential dynamic range will be; the higher your sonic resolution will be, and the lower your potential noise floor will be.