FL Studio volume output

I have samples and kits where the sounds are all normalized to -0.01, just a tid bit below 0. When I open FL Studio 10 XXL, default template, 100% volume, no FX, limiters...NOTHING.

I load a sound to the FL sequencer and they play back at -8.5.

Why in the world do I get such a massive reduction in volume? Does FL Studio have some type of built in limiter or something that causes this?

This causes my beats to be exported and opened in other programs, at a very low volume. I normalize them and they still sound very weak and and low in volume.

This has nothing to do with mixing and mastering. I have samples peaking at -0.01 in Sound Forge and as soon as they get put into FL Studio...BAM, -8.5.... right off the bat. Open that same sample in Sound Forge again, -0.01...

what in the world?

well if you are opening the sounds in a plug in... check the pattern window to see if the volume knob for the plug in by default is set low.. often the default that something is set to is 78%.

if it was dragged in to the playlist as an audio track it should already be at max volume.


check your mixer to see if you have something on the master channel... some of the templates do have a limiter on the master.... however it would make the sample sound louder, not softer.