hello folks,

i've been recording on an analog 4-track and mixing down (through the line in) to my PC. i've noticed that while i'm working on the track (i use adobe audition) it plays at decent levels, yet when i save it as a wave file and play it back in another software player the volume is noticeably lower.

i realise there are inevitable noise issues with analog, but that's not the problem. i also know there are many variables when working digitally (compression, sampling rates, blah blah blah) and to the best of my knowledge i'm working at the best rates possible.
i have an average soundcard (AC97 - i know it's not great) but i'm curious - does this happen with all digital recording, or just my set up? will getting a better soundcard or i/o interface make things better?

thanks for your help.