I try to keep the signal within the realm of appropriate at every point where it can be reasonably controlled. I try to keep a good S/N ratio while recording, the clip would then be automatically fine, I keep the peaks for each track and its sends below 0 dB and same with the master output except that the peaks on the final master output might be even lower if the piece is best set at a lower volume.

Some audio engines run at floating point so that the initial clip and the final fader are all that matters, but I retain my habit developed in analog days when a signal rated at 0 dB would meter at 0 dB at each section of the audio chain until there was a reason to make it otherwise.