Keep in mind that the suggestion to shoot for -10dB on the meters is only a very general guideline. -10dB on a VU meter doesn't necessarily correspond to a 0dB peak value.
The appropriate target value on the meters for "peaking sufficiently close to 0dBFS without going over" is going to vary with content and recording position, sometimes dramatically. That's because the crest factor (the ratio of fast transient peaks to steady-state slow-varying sound levels) of the music or other recorded content can vary significantly. A droning synth pad generally has a low crest-factor (the resulting VU and Peak meter levels will be similar), while a percussion hit will produce a high crest factor (Peak meter level will be high but VU meter level low). In terms of general concert taping, recording a PA amplified concert from the soundboard enclosure will mean a significantly lower crest factor (translating to somewhat higher values on the VU meters being OK) than when recording with mics placed on stage near the sound sources, particularly if close to the drum kit where there will be much higher transient peaks that will require targeting a significantly lower point on the VU meter to avoid peak overs.
Thank you. That makes sense now. I've been doin a little more testing and feeling better about it. Got the USB to work too so I am happy about that but I still need to test out in the real world. I might have to hit this Heart concert for fun and see what happens.
