I recently installed the latest big update to Sonar Platinum.  Since then the master volume is reducing by itself.  I opened a project that was created before the update, that I had no issues with, and now when I play it back the master volume reduces to around -15 where it was at zero.  I put the volume to zero during playback and within around 7 or 8 seconds it puts itself back to -15.  I have not changed any settings in Sonar or the project.  any ideas on how to fix this?
 
A little more information.  I closed Sonar, re-opened and set up a new project.  I selected addictive drums 2 to add as a soft synth, selected a random kit and beat, and played the beat through the AD2 control panel - I didn't add a midi pattern into the track.  I set the volume to zero and it once again reduced it down to around -15.  So, this seems to be some sort of default setting within Sonar to set the volume.  I don't know where to find that setting.
 
OK, I'm trying to work logically through this.  I turned off the master bus auto-read and the volume no longer turns itself down (correction - it did just turn itself down to  -15 with the green (dotted) line in the automation lane lined up with zero).  I'm missing something.
 
I've added a couple of extra tracks and noticed that moving the volume slider on track 2 also moves the slider on the master bus.  I've switched track 2 around from an audio track to the AD2 track, and I also tried rapture pro as track 2 and each time it moves the master bus volume slider.   With 4 tracks in the project only moving the track 2 volume affects the master bus slider position

The Master  bus volume? Very strange.
 
Try this:
 
Make a Master2 bus, then transfer each track individually to Master2, hitting play each time.
When the fault transfers to the second Master, you will have found the track causing the effect.

Seems to be track 2 causing the problem.  Playing track 2 through the new Master 2 bus is fine.  Playing it through the standard master bus the problem is still there.  

It sounds like you may have inadvertently added an automation node to the master bus.

As for track two controlling the master bus, is it possible that you have grouped them?

On phone at moment, so can't check and hate typing. I will subscribe to thread and look in later when I return from casting pearls before the swine..

It was a shot in the dark but I copied over my backups of the project templates and that seems to have fixed the issue on new projects - the master no longer moves with the track 2 slider  Not sure why that would be the cause though.  I had thought about them being grouped somehow but it's affected projects created prior to the latest update that were ok before.  I don't tend to use automation on the master bus.  Good thoughts though.
 
Using the sliders on my keyboard via the ACT function to control the master slider in the software seems to have at least stopped the Master bus volume jumping around.  For the time being that will do.  Not very scientific and I still don't know what caused the problem, but I seem to have a work around for the moment.

paulshwk
I had thought about them being grouped somehow but it's affected projects created prior to the latest update that were ok before.  I don't tend to use automation on the master bus.

Are you sure about that? Have you actually checked for grouping on the Master bus volume? It could be you have it built into a template that you used for more than one project.
 
I just checked, and grouping volume controls using the dark gray color that's at the bottom of the list is almost completely invisible. And that color choice is conveniently aligned with the context menu expansion when you right-click the volume control on a bus that's below the center of the screen in the Track View, causing the list to open upwards. Seems suspiciously coincidental.

Haven't checked for grouping with the master bus, but I will take a look.  This happening after I installed the update may be a coincidence and I guess it's possible I did something to cause this problem, but if I did I have no idea what 🤔.   Anyway, at the moment it's working so I will see what happens!

I used to regularly have issues with Native Instruments components, like Kontakt, FM8, Guitar Rig, and others, where it would override levels every time I would stop and then resume playback.
 
Turns out a LOT of the Native Instruments have settings set per instrument, that tie the instrument volume to midi CC 7 and 11 messages.  SO I would end up having to go into each loaded instrument in an instance of Kontakt in Sonar, and go into the settings change - think it is a wrench, and then to Instrument Options, and then remove the check from the box for reacting to CC 7 and 11 changes.
 
I don't know if other synths have anything like the above, and it has been a long while since I have dealt with the issue, because I would save/overwrite each instrument immediately after making the changes to basically ignore midi messages to change instrument volume.
 
If anyone else has awareness that is a bit more coherent and recent and not typed while whizzing through the day on serious pain meds (like I am), please feel free to add to and correct/expand/explain.
 
I WILL try to look for notes on how I fixed the issues for ME, and will post those if I can find them.
 
Best of it all to you, and I hope you get past this quickly, 
 
Bob Bone
 

I had a similar problem once and it was related to my soundcard settings moved from their default position

Thanks for all the suggestions.  Seems to be OK for the moment.