Single track in red, but master track at -3db

[Telesto]

I have been looking at this issue for a number of hours and I am starting to get a bit confused. I would appreciate some help understanding signal flow(?), though I thought I already understood it.

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EDIT: This is an update to issue in the initial post (below). I am still concerned about the other issues I stated previously as they are peculiar and I would just like to understand what is going on with them, but I have been working on one issue specifically at this point. That is, when I bring the final mix wav file into a new Ableton set for mastering, the wav file is distorted in places whereas it sounds fine in Media Player. In Ableton there are no plugins on the audio track or the master track.

I tried a couple of things:
I exported the set with a bit depth of 24 and 32.
I tried every buffer size setting in the master set.

Nothing changed as far as distortion of the wav file goes.

Then, on a whim, I dropped the wav file into Presonus and it accurately reproduced the sound I hear in Ableton and Media Player.

The basic settings for both DAWs are the same.

Does anyone know if there is something particular to Ableton that I should adjust or add or at least investigate?

I want to keep all of my mixing/mastering tasks in Ableton but, if I have to, I will perform the mastering in Presonus.

Thanks!

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On one set I am experiencing something odd.

My master track for the final mix consistently registers between -3db and -6db.

But on one content track, after placing a meter at the end of the device chain, that meter registers at +3db.

The Ableton meter for the track shows in the green, but the meter plugin shows in the red.

It has been my experience that if a content track is in the red, the master track will also be in the red unless, of course, the master track’s fader has been lowered to compensate for the hot signal.

It is almost as though the meter at the end of the chain in the content track is reading prefader or some such thing.

And, strangely, even though the master track is registering in my target range, this is causing me troubles at the mastering stage as the track in question seems to be coming in too hot and triggering the limiter when it should not.

I do not see this behavior in other sets and I cannot see anything wildly different in this set.

I just must be missing something fundamental here. I have done as much due diligence as I can figure out to do. Thanks for mulling this over.

I hope the description of the issue is clear and I look forward to being enlightened.

Edit: I am not sure if the metering differences are causing my mastering issue or not. The wav file I export for mastering sounds fine when played in Windows Media Player but is distorted in Ableton even when there are not plugins applied to it. I thought it might be the Bit Depth on the export, but 24 and 32 behave exactly the same. As I said earlier, the mix levels are consistently between -3db and -6db, so I am not sure why the export would sound distorted in Ableton. Even if I drop the level for the hot track before export, the wav file is still distorted when I bring it into a new set for mastering. So it does not look like the limiter is being hammered. Apparently something just goes south when the wav file is brought into Ableton. Are the issues with the oddly hot track and the distorted wav file import related?

[Da hand]

My master track for the final mix consistently registers between -3db and -6db.

But on one content track, after placing a meter at the end of the device chain, that meter registers at +3db.

........

It is almost as though the meter at the end of the chain in the content track is reading prefader or some such thing.

Yes, everything you place on a track is pre-fader level for that track. So whatever effect you place on that track (like a VST meter) it will read the levels pre-fader. However, Live's track meters are post-fader (except when armed for recording). So if you lower the track's fader enough, the track meter will show green levels.

What is the fader of that track in question set too?

[fishmonkey]

maybe the re-imported render is being auto-warped?

[travismc1]

If you are mastering through a specific chain (multiple effects), look at the meter to the right of each plugin. WITH the 1st plugin on the left, see if it is going into the red, if it is, double click on the wav file and look in scene view on the lower left corner. You can pull the signal down before it hits the first plugin. If the first plugin is not going into the red, keep working to the right one plug in at a time until you find the one that is boosting the signal. Once found, dial the output back a little.

[Telesto]

Thanks for the replies.

Turning off Auto Warp solved the distortion issue.

I appreciate it. Now I can get back to working in a single DAW.