Individual track level not the same on the Master Fader

[mattd]

I'm somewhat new to Pro Tools and rec/mixing in general. I've got Pro Tools 7.

I've got a mono kick drum track with a level that's peaking at around -1dbfs on the track level meter (which I assume is pre-fader). When I solo only the kick track with no effects, no compression, no EQ, fader on 0db, etc., it shows on the stereo master peaking around -4dbfs or so. The master fader is also on 0 and the master track has no compression or anything else on it.

Leaving aside the problem of the kick having been tracked too loud, where is the loss of signal from individual track to the master? What don't I understand?

If I were to guess, I'd say that L/R tracks of the master at -4dbfs, when summed to mono would add up to -1dbfs, or something like that. Is that what's happening?

Thanks for any help.

 

[miroslav]

Sound like the Pan Law at work, nothing more....which would drop a stereo mix, center-panned signal by 3 dB.
Pan the track hard to one side...does it now peak the same on the Master as on the individual track?

If you're not sure what this means...Google "Pan Law".

 

[mattd]

Sound like the Pan Law at work, nothing more....which would drop a stereo mix, center-panned signal by 3 dB.
Pan the track hard to one side...does it now peak the same on the Master as on the individual track?

If you're not sure what this means...Google "Pan Law".

Looked it up. Sounds exactly like what I wanted to know, and like what's happening.

Thanks for the reply.