Originally posted by noticingthemistake
The point of recording into your computer or console is getting the best sound possible. Don't even worry about how it's going to blend just yet. That would only be putting yourself through hell, and even if you get it to your liking. You'll have to change it in the post mix.

I have to disagree here, this is where the art of audio engineering comes in effect. You should always aspire to get the sound you're recording as close as possible to what you think/know will work in the final product. From instrument to tape/HD there are literally hundreds of different possible parameters(such as mic type, mic placement, console settings, acoustic panels,... etc) that'll determine what your recorded sound will sound like. Adjusting those parameters and thinking ahead like that is what makes a good engineer.
The general philosophy behind audio engineering is to keep your signal chain as short as possible, with as little processing as possible. Any kind of processing, wether it's digital or analog, will add some kind of distortion to the sound and generally will deteriorate its overall quality. This is exactly why the sound you record should be as close as possible to perfect.

Anyway, there really are no rules when it comes to recording, whatever ends up sounding the best is the best way to do it. But the above is a general guideline that is used in most cases.