Thanks! I was recording in 48 kHz, exporting to 44.1 kHz and inserting the mixdown back into the project at 44.1 kHz when everything was 48 kHz!
Is it best to record at 44.1 kHz?
Without getting into a big discussion about samplerates (please 
)
If your end samplerate is 44.1 then record at 44.1Khz unless you have a very good reason not to!
Gain staging anyone…? 
my few pence worth:
Find a few tutorials on the dark art of compression
Feel free to try it out on separate tracks in your song, drums etc, but when you’ve mixed a whole track down, reimport into cubase and experiment with a touch of EQ and eventually compression on your whole mix.
Import a pre-recorded track into cubase you think is similar in style, turn it down to a similar volume to yours and start to compare the two by soloing each one in turn, tweaking the EQ, then compression of your track as you go.
You’ll may need to go back to your original cubase song and make some tweaks – be honest with yourself and make the effort to keep doing this (i know I still do, more times than I care to mention) and eventually it will start to pay off.
You can always upload a track to Soundcloud or something if you like and the forum members here can rip it apart (I mean offer constructive criticism).
Good luck
Thanks killawattz… and everybody else! I am re-reading all the posts at least once a day. Everbody’s advice is helping me A LOT! You people ROCK! 
I decided to return to simplicity, so to speak. I ripped all my guitar tracks out and I’m working the bass and drums now. It’s amazing how much I was overdoing everything! Too many EQs, tone boosters, effects, etc… I ripped all signal processing out and now, instead of EQ’ing the s*** out of everything, I’m adjusting the bass and drums in Halion (probably where I should have done so in the first place, LOL).
I made a master with popmann’s instructions and it sounded WAY better on my other non-monitor speakers albeit a little weak, but CLEAN!
I need to take it easy on the effects processing. I assume now that if your bass or drums are too low volume, then the volume should be adjusted in Halion and NOT EQ’d up to higher levels? (I’m using the midi to make bass and drums… I haven’t had this much fun in ages, LMAO)
As always, simplicity emerges victorious! NiiiiCE! 
My recent post inquiring about workflows everyone’s using for “quick reference CDs/files” was eye opening to me…that people aren’t really comfortable with the process needed to make a full scale 16bit mix down, which would be needed for any end user system checking.
I was talking with a mastering engineer who was telling me he sees mixes coming from home studios with like -5dbfs RMS levels and clipping peaks…and I think there’s a connection. If people just bounce and check the mp3 or redbook, it will be utterly, objectively incorrect in its gain staging. Thus they think it’s super quiet…this they start compressing and limiting…
I think Steiny might be wise to implement a “make rough mix file” that goes ahead and does the normalization and dither…and spits out either redbook or mp3…
It already exists - it’s called mixdown and it’s best served at 32-bit float with nothing on the masterbus. But if people don’t believe mastering is a separate process and think ‘why spend money on a different tool for it?’ let them make such mistakes. It will separate the boys from the men, until they finally start listening to what they put out.
Mmh, seems this topic is derailing a bit… sorry chris1976.
Um…no, that what I mean. Not true.
You have no business being near full scale on a 32bit mix buss…and can’t do any kind of real Cd/mp3 that isn’t full scale. So, in making a file for end user playback, that discrepancy has to be rectified.
Not speaking of putting anything on the two…or mastering or changing the mix in any way. The steps I offer above give you your mix…at full scale 16bit. Exporting an audio mix down at 16bit does not. I’m not really sure that this is a subjective thing…which part do you disagree with?
No, you are speaking of normalizing - that’s a mastering step, if anything. Mixing means leaving headroom for the mastering engineer to play with, be it -0.5 or -6.0 dB. Which is also why I recommend 32-bit float. The part I disagree with is this: mastering should be a separate process - not slapping a normalizer and dither on a mix.
Ok, I see what you’re missing…I’m talking about making a proper “rough” to listen to somewhere else. Be that in the car, your iPod your hiFi…etc…reference mix–not the final “hand it over for mastering” file. THAT is a straight “export audio mix down”.
To the OP
My suggestion on top of some of the links - tutorials, youtube videos and readings - that have been provided is for you to find a course from a reputable institution in your community. It will really help.
Even one course that covers the following subjects will help and will pay immediate dividends in your recording knowledge and confidence.
If you can find a course ( preferably one that where you are physically present in a classroom rather than online and hands on in even a modest studio and requires hands on training and testing) that covers:
signal flow
gain structure
mic placement techniques, mic types and design overview
EQ, compression, gating ( signal processing)
FX - time based - delay, reverb
analogue and digital recording (at least discussion of their styles, techniques and technical differences)
recording techniques and recording process - multitrack tracking sessions , overdubs, mixdown
monitoring environments and monitoring systems
an introduction to pyscho accoustics and accoustics
These subjects can be covered on one introductory course and just as having a music mentor who gives you good practice habits and feedback on your progress speeds up your learning so will finding a good course that explains the fundamentals of the recording process. When I say these subjects can be covered in one course I mean you can understand the basics and that will improve your recordings, knowledge and subsequently your confidence with the equipment you are using (the tools) in order to have your music sound better. But mastering all of the above is a lifetime of experimenting and learning (which is part of the fun) and few individuals master all areas of the recording process that is why, as one user pointed out, there are tracking engineers, mixing engineers, producers and mastering engineers.
The reasons i suggest one introductory course are because you are a musician (which implies to me) that your goals are to record your musical ideas and arrangements not to become a professional recording technician and taking one good course that tackles the subjects I mentioned will give you time to focus on the basic building blocks and digest them. Once you have done that you may want to delve deeper but you can make that decision after you have completed the course and you will know whether that institution’s course has opened your mind and worth digging into more specialized courses with minimal financial outlay( ** see edit) . Also I listed areas that you want to make sure the course covers so you can address those specifically when you converse with the instituion’s administrations in your community offerring recording courses. there are lots of couses out there but many don’t always tackle the fundamentals in a thorough manner.
HTH
phi
edit ** and this will also help you really understand and get a lot more out of the tutorials that you find online as many presume you understand the basics.