Mac/Logic users : In an attempt to answer my own question, I have found a youtube link that addresses gain staging , pre-fader level monitoring and Gain utility plug-ins, within Logic Pro X.
Maybe not as precise as adjusting gain within the Series III console, but it is a way to not overdrive the console when feeding Logic Pro X through the DAW mode interface. Will be experimenting some more with this to see how it works for me in a session setting, just passing it along in advance in case others find it helpful. If you have a different method, would love to see it posted as well.