[3JDamon]

While I do agree that ears come first and last, PAZ is an exceptional tool, and is invaluable if you know how to use it right.

What you've described would indicate that the bass is peaking hard but doesn't have enough sustain. When you drive it higher you're raising the RMS levels to where they should be, but then you're peaking too high. Chances are it's a matter of compression adjustments - shorter attack time will attenuate peaks and shorter release time boosts RMS levels.

Compare the peak and rms responses of PAZ where there are no prominent instruments or lead vocals, the peak response should be relatively flat, but the RMS response should be a sloped straight line, high on bass, lower for treble. But PAZ is just a guide. Just because your mix isn't right in the meter doesn't mean it's worth making changes to achieve those results, only that it's something to consider. However, PAZ is perfect for helping gauge multiband compression attack/release times based on the peak and RMS frequency responses. If at first you trust PAZ when adjusting those parameters, you will learn their importance much faster than mixing blind. Same goes for many aspects of mixing, but those much moreso than most.