Export vs Bounce Gain Levels
 

I do very straightforward voiceover recording in Pro Tools. Almost always single tracks, less than 3 minutes, all voice, and no plugins (no music).

I've found when creating mp3's I will sometimes get a file whose mp3 sounds louder when I bounce it, than when I export it as a region.
And sometimes when I'm adjusting the gain levels on a region, every time I export it, it sounds the same, but when I bounce it, it now sounds louder on playback.

Any idea what I'm overlooking or doing incorrectly that would make this happen? Thanks!

Re: Export vs Bounce Gain Levels
 

Export does not include any volume automation, you are just exporting the file "as is", exactly as if you copied the file from the Audio Folder. Bouncing out includes any volume automation.

Re: Export vs Bounce Gain Levels
 

Export also does not keep any plugin processing. It simply exports the raw audio file that is on the track. Another option would be to commit the track(which will render all the plugin processing) and export the resulting audio.