Total RMS and Peak changing after Multitrack Mixdown

[daecrist]

So I'm sure I'm missing something obvious here, but I've been searching for a solution and haven't found anything obvious.

My issue is with Multitrack Mixdown when exporting for a podcast. I have Intro Music, Intro Narration, and Podcast Audio all in separate lines in Multitrack. All of these have been adjusted so the Total RMS is around -20dB and Peak Amplitude is -03.33dB. Everything sounds nice and flows together in Multitrack view.

The issue is when I do a Multitrack Mixdown. Suddenly the Total RMS goes to -22dB and the Peak is at -0.16dB. I've included a screenshot with the Mixdown on top and the original podcast audio on the bottom for comparison.

Ideally I would like for everything to stay at the same level when doing a Multitrack Mixdown. I can adjust the resulting file, sure, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something that will prevent Audition from screwing with the loudness and peak values in the first place?

Thanks so much!

 

[SteveG_AudioMasters_]

The mixdown levels in multitrack are determined by the Pan Law settings. If you have the pan law set to -3dB center, then you'll get pretty much those results - the small differences will be taken up with crossfades, etc. You will get a mix that's 3dB hotter if you use Left/Right Cut (Loagarithmic).