[jre3132]

ok....after trying both I/Os for output, checking routing, checking the db25 connectors to make sure a wire wasn't shorting, reinstalling the older audio driver, and a few more things....I started disabling plugs on these sessions. I'm not sure if this could be it, but it appears to be a limiting plug on the master buss (I typically use a stereo Aux instead of a master fader). Waves L2 and L3 sound the worst followed by the MCDSP ML1. I'm not pegging very hard at all and have the ceiling set to -0.2, but ANY amount of attenuation sounds like absolute trash now (distortion). Any attenuation sounds like I’m completely overloading the main outputs.

Could there be something between the audio driver, final plug-in, and final output that the plugs are somehow affecting? Is that even possible?