+T for the advice!
i tried to err on the side of caution with this...the gain on the nady was not even 1/4 way up for each channel, and the gain on the jb3 was set at the lowest setting (-12), ran line in.
im listening to the opener right now (amy lavere), and although its a bit bass heavy, it is nothing like the NMAS set. its an open, boomy room to begin with (southgate house, newport, ky), but ive taped here once before and didnt have this problem.
the peak lights didnt come on once (i checked them reguarly).
oh well...i still have to post this, but im not happy with the results. live and learn.