[url=http://www.macprovideo.com/forum/upload/upload/server/php/savedfiles/files/313588_jimbo_small.jpg] [img]http://www.macprovideo.com/forum/upload/upload/server/php/savedfiles/thumbnails/mpv_44792_313588_jimbo_small.jpg[/img] [/url]I master in Waveburner and the only plug in I use for this final process is Izotope Ozone 5. My problem that has occurred three times now in three different projects, is that I'll import a remix of one of the tracks, after they've all been placed in Waveburner, and every track will play back at an elevated volume going into distortion. I then can't get the levels to return to normal and I have to rebuild the Waveburner project from scratch. Can anyone help or comment? Many thanks, Jimbo - Tone Ranger Studio.

Hi Tone Ranger, What are the volume levels sitting at on each track. Have you tried lowering the volume fader so that it doesn't distort. Also how hot is the audio track you are pulling into Waveburner. Is there still enough headroom in the track? If not go back to your mix and lower the overall volume so there is still some headroom for mastering. have you also tried bypassing the Ozone plugin to see if that may be causing the volume increase? If so then go through each effect in Ozone and see which one is causing the volume rise.

So while mixing, I typically start with the drums, bring in the bass, and everything else one at a time. The individual track volumes can get really loud and while the DAW shows the track is clipping, there's no audible distortion. When the mix is complete, I reduce the master volume to an appropriate level for rendering. Questions: 1) Should my master volume be set at 0 at all times, and reduce the track volumes to an appropriate level? or 2) Should my track volumes sit around 0, and reduce the master volume to appropriate levels? 3) Is there any difference in sound quality between the two above? My recordings always sound good, but I'm wondering if all of the track clipping is really having an effect on the quality. check this link

Hi - Generally recognized best studio practice in any DAW/audio application is to leave the master volume at 0 [unity gain] and adjust the track levels so the master doesn't clip. Most of the time you won't hear slight overages on the tracks [due to the extra headroom in DAWs], but many plug-ins emulate analog gear and they may not sound as intended if fed with excess level; plus it just tends to develop bad habits that won't work when using or incorporating actual analog gear.