Max your software (usually this is 80% to prevent clipping and distortion), then attenuate speakers to 50% (analog boost is much worse than digital as it raises the noise floor).
I came in to say the same thing (having been in bands and recorded quite a bit and working with sound engineers).
On a similar note, I learned and practised all this in another country and I always thought it strange why when I, for example, flipped to American channels, the volume would increase dramatically. I think a similar phenomenon occurs in radio (Loudness Wars) and in malls, etc. Now I wonder if it occurs in American software.
Max your software (usually this is 80% to prevent clipping and distortion), then attenuate speakers to 50% (analog boost is much worse than digital as it raises the noise floor).
Source: Mixing at studios for last 10 years