Mixdown audio level lower than source part in editor

Cubase
1

This might sound like a question that has been asked here before but I think it’s a bit different. I’m not asking why my mixdown isn’t as loud as the music coming from the Scion next to me at a stop light or why my bass isn’t as loud as Skrillex’s. I’m comparing the bounced track with it’s source inside Cubase. No external playing software or hardware.

I have an audio track which I have added EQ and a send effect Reverb. I bounce it and import it into a new track. I can tell just by looking at the wave that it’ll be lower, which it is. Playing the two back, it is very obvious that the new track, although it has the reverb and EQ already in it, is much lower. The two tracks are both set to -6.15 while the output volume is -22.0 on the source, and -28.7 on the bounced track.

Why is this and how can I avoid it?? Shouldn’t it be the same volume? I know I can obviously adjust the new volume higher than -6.15 on the bounced track, but that’s a crappy workaround and it sucks to have to mix a sound twice. Not a very efficient way of working.

and

2

If you take a track that was mixed down with 6 dB attenuation, und attenuate it another 6dB ( which is what you do, when you lower the channel fader of the imported track) then of course. theimported track is attenuated twice - once on mixdown and once by the channel fader of the reimported track. To have them both roughly the same, the fader of the reimported track should be set to no attenuation. And no, they eill not be exactly the same, when the reverb us used as send FX. And it will also depend on the metering point, and pan law when using mono tracks for example.

3

Just to add, the master fader will also need to be at unity for comparison, or that will also attenuate the imported track again.

4

but usually the original track also…

5

Interesting. ok, so I left the imported new track at 0 like suggested and voila! Same exact volume level as the source track: -22.0!

Hmm, so I was automatically lowering the level from 0 in an attempt to “match the levels” without auditioning them first. haha especially since I never leave any of the channels at 0 to avoid clipping. So I guess from now on, whenever I bounce a track, I’ll just leave it at 0. Thanks so much.

6