Paul, thank you for being here and angering our questions.
What I can't get past though is the idea that traditional gain setting practices don't need to be observed.
I'm an effort to answer this myself, I read through the mp6 manual.
From page 19 under BASIC MODE:
The limiters are present on each channel and the LR mix bus.
Then below that under ADVANCED MODE:
For more complex situations requiring individual channel-to-track recording,
soloing, channel linking and extended gain functionality and limiter bypass.
So the limiters are always engaged in Basic, but can be defeated in Advanced. Got it.
Does Basic use auto gain setting as well? It seems to be implied by comparing with Advanced mode.
Page 16 under ADVANCED > Channel > Gain:
Sets the sensitivity of the input. Generally, the Gain should be
set so that the loudest parts of the audio signal just touch the
red segments of the meters.
Then pg 20 in the A Little Bit About Gain section basically says that is no longer necessary because this unit has analog limiters and low-nose preamps which makes traditional level setting irrelevant. So the manual is advising users to follow good gain setting practice, then telling them that doesn't matter?
I don't get the whole "easy mode" concept. How are people supposed to learn how to do things properly or make informed choices for themselves?