Gain Staging. Details that are never talked about.

[Threaded Nail]

So I understand gain staging enough BUT theres one thing that seems to never be considered fully. For argument sake lets say theres a VST synth first in the chain and because of the synth patch, its really quiet (lets call it -24db). Of course the track fader is far from clipping, but can I add volume in the signal chain with another effect like the ableton saturator? I know I can just raise the volume in the VST synth but is it bad to raise it with effects as long as all meters in the chain are still in the green? I understand thats not how gain staging is explained but can somebody be for real here, does it really matter?

[Pitch Black]

It’s perfectly fine to use effects to raise the gain, though you might find that a Utility device is a better choice than Saturator, if you want to keep the actual sound un-altered. Keep everything in the green and all’s well.