Loss of headroom?

[KingstonRock]

Why is it that when I import a pro mix into sonar it distorts on my monitors unless i lower the track to about -4 to -6 decibels? I also find that when using the loudness maximizer in ozone that I can push it past distorting and still get a clean mix when I export. Is there a problem maybe in my routing where I am losing headroom? or is this somethign that happens to everyone?

Right now my signal chain going out it motu - mixer - speakers, but i think it digital distrotion...

Thanks
Eric

 

[TexRoadkill]

My understanding is that 0db is not the same on all software programs. That would cause some of those differences you have noticed. I'm not quite sure I understand what you are saying about Ozone.

 

[KingstonRock]

I see what you mean about not all zeros being equal. What i was saying about ozone is that there is a loudness maximizer, which i understnad to be a super limiter. By lowering the threshold you make the program raise the audio as it limits it in one control. I can lower the threshold past the point that i begin hearing digital distortion at. But when the file leaves sonar and gets played in say windows media player there is no distortion.