im not sure if im trimming correctly. and, by trimming i mean with my preamps, not cutting the tracks. im not sure if i should go by dB or if i should go as high as i can without anything clipping. what is common practice?
Normally you're trying to get your average level between half and 3 quarters of the way, but to never clip. You're trying to get as good a signal to noise ratio as possible.
If you leave your signal at very low gain, it'll be a very noisy signal. Too high and you'll clip.
By the way, I had a completely different idea of the question when I saw the title
In the day of analog and 16 bit, I'd go as high as I could without clipping but in 24 bit (which I assume you are) I'd keep my levels during tracking and mixing at -12 to -18. That'll leave ya room at the final stage, mastering by you or someone else, for the punch and clarity....and yeah...loudness.