Yes. All outputs on 0 . I have even tried turning the gain up on all the buses (to about 75%......or 3 o'clock?), but that didn't seem to help

If you're willing, save your project (complete with all audio) to dropbox and send me the link. 
 
I'll take a look at it.

OK, I'll do that. Unfortunately it won't be today - I'm about to leave for a weekend trip away, and I won't be back until Sunday night, so I probably won't get to it until Monday - I don't think my wife would be able to do it in my absence! A (probably silly) question - I thought it wasn't good to put an email address in a public forum, so how should I send you the link? Also, it's only my third attempt at a multitrack mix, and to be honest, it's not fantastic (it's one of the free multitracks available from Cambridge Music Technology), so you might want some ear protection before listening to it!! And I don't mean protection from volume, I mean protection from bad balance and horrible sounds 

I just sent you a PM Gerry.

chiming in, I never export a master of a full mix of multiple tracks. I mix down then export at around - 12db stereo wav file
Then import to a new project, clean set the beginning and fad out the end of the song.
I then master a two track stereo mix and not a full range of tracks. I may even re-master a few time, each time increasing levels. The (H/W Outs) is the final level that determines export volume.
This is just the way I do it and I'm no pro but it works for me. I can get a blasting mp3 every time.
    
  

Yes the thread that would not die..
Should I say what I said 30 posts ago in 2013? 
 

Cactus Music
Yes the thread that would not die..
Should I say what I said 30 posts ago in 2013? 
 

Sometime people can't hear 30 posts ago. lol  ;)
 

Im currently looking at x2 as the most recent i can upgrade to on my vista pc. (currently using 8.5.3 !!)
 
If i export my 8.5.3 projects on x2a they export about 6db lower than if i export them from 8.5.3
The master meter in x2a is still showing peak level, but the exports are mysteriously 6db quieter!

No upgrade for me...
 
 

Yes the thread that would not die..
Should I say what I said 30 posts ago in 2013?

It's still going Johnny 
 
 

Im currently looking at x2 as the most recent i can upgrade to on my vista pc. (currently using 8.5.3 !!)
 
If i export my 8.5.3 projects on x2a they export about 6db lower than if i export them from 8.5.3
The master meter in x2a is still showing peak level, but the exports are mysteriously 6db quieter!

No upgrade for me...

 
I can assure you with 100% confidence that this is nothing to do with SONAR.
 
I can guarantee it's a problem with your settings/routing/levels

***SOLVED*** !!!
 
Its the version of waves L3-16 i normally use not playing nice with Sonar x2a.  If i use Fabfilter Pro-L instead the mixdowns are at the correct level.
 
It really was bizzare - in console / mains / sound card output the levels played and showed correctly (-.2db peaks after mastering) but when mixed down through L3-16 they now peaked at -3db.  I suspect that most of the people who have complained about mysteriously quiet mixdowns were using L3-16 as i was.
 
Now to record a test track on x2a and see how it goes...