"Gain stages" for setting ideal volume

[sugarplumsss]

50 years in the music biz, and I never learned the correct terminology. I believe it is called gain stages
I have trouble understanding electricity, computers,  electronics .. I have had it explained to me before .. the same way I had compression explained and it just doesn't stick.
All I want to say is... there must be half a dozen stages where we control the volume of t4. And all I am asking; would setting all the potential places to attenuate or increase volume. at a midpoint or midway setting , keep me out of undesirable forms of distortion?

Is there any where I can get information that doesn't take a tech to understand it.