hmm... not to get too deep into this... but do generate a sine test tone at like -0.5 dbFS in something like wavelab, reset all the gain pots and faders to their nominal position (0bb usually), and route it thru all your gear as you would during a mixing/mastering session, and back to your computer. fiddle with i/o gain settings until you get the same strenght signal back to the pc. that should be your "ideal" gain setting in your system.
what i dont get is this:
quote
when I play back my final mix WAV - it peaks at 0db on my Mackie faders whereas when I play back a commercial track ripped off a CD, it hits anything from +6db to +12db on my Mackie main metres
it looks to me you are mixing well bellow the maximum level, but do you normalise your mixes at the end of the process? you said you put a normalizer across the mix at the end. that should ensure your mix peaks at 0dbFS, which means when you play it back it should peak at the same level as your commercial cd's. yes? no? does it?
i'm not sure if you're getting this: the max level (0dbFS) coming from your pc should approach maximum level on your mixer, NOT 0db on the meters. dBFS (full scale) and 0dB on the mixer are NOT the same value. all of those are RELATIVE values which have nothing to do with each other!
if you dont know this yet, then read
this SOS article first, esp. the "DAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT"
chapter, because its crucial to your question.
bah... yer making me type even tho i dont want to :P
look... the process should in praxis work like this (this is the gain structure in a digital/analog studio):
you want to mix outside of the pc, right? set all your logic output channels/busses to zero to ensure you get a good, strong signal out of the box (approcahing max level on the meters without overloading). then set the gain on the mixer input channels until you get a good, strong signal INTO the mixer (again, approaching max level w/out overloading). then when you mix, set the main out faders as high up as it will go without overloading. THEN set the input gain on your mix compressor untill it peaks at zero, or whatever its nominal setting is called. then to send it back to the pc, set its output gain until the input meters in your pc are reading almost 0dbFS (max value without overloading).
basicaly, you always want to send as strong a signal as possible from one unit to the next one, without overloading anything. you HAVE to fiddle with the knobs from song to song, or even during a mix.
anyway, read that article, learn about different dB levels and voltage, and come back to us (i know you will
