bitflipper
First verify that all of your tracks are going to the master bus: mute it and everything should go silent.
 
Next, double-check that you're exporting from the master bus: you should be selecting "Entire Mix" in the export dialog.
 
If those check out OK - and it's likely they will - then your problem is simply a too-low average RMS. The meter readings are showing peak levels, not an average, and it's the average that determines perceived volume, not peaks. To make it louder you must raise the average level.
 
Of course, just turning everything up will push the peaks into the red and result in distortion. So the trick is to turn up the volume without letting the peaks go into the red. That's what a limiter does. You just need to insert a limiter on the master bus and learn how to work it. 

Do you have any good tutorials on stage gaining and leaving room in your mix for Mastering?

I have to disagree with you, Bit. I don't think adding a limiter into the equation is a good idea if the OP hasn't figured out how his audio is being routed, and how the export audio dialogs work in SONAR.
What is needed here, I think, is some learning and experimentation:

• Start with an empty project
• Import a WAV file with playback levels you are comfortable with in other applications
• Start increasing the routing complexity (adding buses, etc) until you understand what is happening with the levels in your original project.

I've not seen any limiter that lets you specify a target average level, although that might be a useful feature in some future product. But you don't need it.
 
Get yourself a copy of the free Voxengo SPAN and insert it into the master bus after everything else, e.g. after the limiter. Set it to Mastering mode and set the meters to K-14. Watch the meters as you adjust the threshold control on the limiter; as you lower the threshold the meters will rise. Lower the threshold until the meters are bouncing around 0, jumping up to no more than +6 during the loudest parts of the song. That'll get you into the ballpark. If it's still not loud enough for you, change the metering to K-12.
 
Different limiters have different features. Some are very complex, others are very simple. Some don't have a threshold control. In that case, they'll have an input level control instead, which does the same thing but in an opposite fashion: raising the control raises your average level. Some have intelligence built in to make the process easier, while others require you to fully understand how limiters work in order to use them.
 
One useful resource is a document from iZotope, the Ozone Mastering Guide. Although the advice is specific to iZotope's own Ozone product, it's generic enough to apply to whatever software you happen to use for mastering. I highly recommend you download and read it - several times if necessary.

I am having an issue where my tracks are reading well in the audio out put just below clipping, the master out is just a a few db in the red but when export the audio the volume is so low what am I doing wrong?

 
You need to go back and properly gain stage your entire project.
 
Your tracks should be reading somewhere in the range of -6dB to -12dB and your master out should be nowhere NEAR clipping - you need at least 3 - 6dB of headroom prior to mastering.
 
This will open up the dynamics of the entire project and at this stage you should be concerned with nothing but audio quality - leave loudening until the mixing stage is finished - which it isn't!"

Respect your gain stage and understand your signal chain. do not go into the red on your master bus, as this is clipping and clipping your master buss will only end up in digital artifact. A few db in the red, is a few dB too much. You should never go above 0dB on the master bus.
 
Routing should be:
Tracks go to the Master bus
Sends go to buses (if you use sends)
Buses go to the Master bus (If you use buses)
Master bus goes to main outs 1/2
 
CJ

Thank you for all of the information about gain staging and audio levels but what about wave files question?

IIRC, the doings of a compressor or other FX does not show in the waveform unless you bounce, freeze or apply FX.
At least that's the case in 8.5 and older. I think it hasn't changed.

Kalle Rantaaho
IIRC, the doings of a compressor or other FX does not show in the waveform unless you bounce, freeze or apply FX.
At least that's the case in 8.5 and older. I think it hasn't changed.

Is it common practice to make changes with effects and then bounce the track to see the changes? I have never done that is why I am asking?

Yes, it can be informative to bounce a track and include effects, especially compression, so you can see the effect they're having. However, you need to know what you're looking for, and even then the amount of information that can be gleaned is minimal.