Export and burn CD

When you're looking at the waveform and the meters, you're seeing peak values. Peaks convey short term (transient) sounds such as drum hits. However, our perception of volume is based on average RMS levels, not peaks. To bring your CD up to typical levels you're accustomed to hearing on CDs, you need to raise the average RMS level.

This is accomplished with a limiter, which limits peak values while raising non-peak values, so that the average level is increased. So what you need to do is add a limiter to your master bus as the last effect in the chain.

You don't say which version of SONAR you're running. Prior to X1, SONAR did not have a quality limiter and third-party plugins were necessary. Starting with X1, you have the option of using the Concrete Limiter. Of course, with any version of SONAR you always have the option of using one of many third-party limiter plugins.

If you're at 8.5 or earlier, it comes down to how much money you have to spend. iZotope Ozone, FabFilter Pro-L, IK Multimedia TRacks, Voxengo Elephant and Waves L2 are popular ones. If money's tight, TB Barricade is an inexpensive alternative. There are also free limiters that work well, such as Meldaproduction's MLimiter. Search on "limiter" here or on kvraudio.com or gearslutz.com and you'll get lots of suggestions.