This thread has me scratching my head… If the signal sounds good coming in, just leave the input gain alone and boost volume later in the DAW? A simple linear gain operation in a DAW is much more “neutral” than most analog circuits.
Also, with 24bit recording, you will have a massive dynamic range, there’s absolutely no need to record hot. Have you checked which bits are used in a typical electronic music recording? 
this “record as hot as possible” advice should be finally buried as it only applied during the 90s
As for using balanced vs unbalanced connections or using line level at unity vs. DI’ng and using a mic pre - there are theoretical “best practices” of course, but in the end what sounds good is good. Many people prefer using unbalanced outs with a Manley Massive passive for example, they somehow prefer the “technically inferior” sound. Also, some people like to use HP outs instead of balanced main outs because they sound different. So keep your mind open and experiment for best results… When in doubt, level-matched A/B testing of signalpaths will reveal all.
