Master higher than track level?

Ok, I am completely new to the world of recording and DAWs and only just beginning trying to do some recording. I am trying to navigate my way through this with the help of this forum, searches on Google, the Home Recording for Beginners book by Geoffrey Francis, and of course trial and error. One thing has got me stumped now (I am sure just the first of many such trials and tribulations). I am trying to record guitar using a Line6 UX1. The levels coming in from the UX1 are extremely low however, barley enough to show any movement at all in the peaks and registering no higher than around -8db in the track VU even with full 18db gain applied in Pod Farm. I decided to switch to see if using Amplitube would make a difference but it's pretty much the same there, applying the max 15db gain to the output of Amplitube still only gets me about -8db max on the track. That's when I noticed that while the track was only showing about -8db the Master was showing +15db. There is nothing else playing and no other track armed or input active so it's the single guitar input driving both track and master VUs. How is it that they can be different, and so drastically different at that? What am I missing or doing wrong here? The input is obviously hot enough, too hot in fact judging by the master but how do I get that same level on the individual track?

There is nothing else in the project besides that one track with the guitar on it?

That is correct - one track, guitar only. The first time I encountered this I had other tracks (loops) in the project but added the input for guitar and was monitoring that on its own without playing back anything else. The behavior is the same either way. I just tried again and went back into Pod Farm, cranked the output to max (+18db) and am getting +9db shown on the master when I monitor but only -13.8 on the track.

Ok, well now I am replying to myself but that goes nicely with talking to myself as I sit here sorting through this :) I think I have this figured out. As I said, I am new to Reaper so this is a learning experience. Chalk this up to the trial and error part I mentioned in the OP. I noticed in going through this again that there is another FX button enabled when I arm the track - I hadn't noticed that before. I always selected the other FX button under the Mute and Solo buttons to load my VST. So, I guess what I was doing was only applying the VST effect to the output as it was routed to the master? Hence the very hot signal there but the low reading on the track's input? I have a lot more reading to do...

Have you done anything like set up sends or do anything with track routing? Your problem doesn't really make any sense. I have been using Reaper for a few years and can't remember having this happen. Also, where are you seeing this 2nd effects button?

No, that should be the same button. Sounds more like you are getting the boost from your ampsim. (Pod Farm or Amplitube)Try this: Disable all fx on the track and the master track. Set the fader on the track and the master to 0.0 db. You should see the same value more or less on both. Make sure the guitar track is not part of a folder or sent to a buss track. If still a problem, consider posting the session here for testing.

I have not done anything with setting up sends or track routing, no. The second FX button is labeled Input FX and appears in the track label window next to the button to configure sends, receives and hardware output. The tool tip says "Show Track Input FX Window", whereas the other button just says FX and the tool tip says "Show track FX Window". It actually makes sense, one is effects on the input, one is on the sends to the master and that would explain what I was seeing with the levels being different on the track vu meter compared to the master. Pickasso - if I disable all FX then it is the same but that's what I would expect. I expected the gain from the amp sim but could not figure out why the gain was not affecting the track VU (or recording level) only the master. The above would explain this. When I use the Input FX button the track vu meter and Master vu meter match, when I use the Track FX button, they do not and the track vu meter does not change regardless of the gain applied in the VST/amp sim, which leads me to believe the effects are applied later in the chain, on the send to the master.

Well, you have me completely baffled. I don't see this 2nd fx button that you have.

It looks like it was new in v4.0 and though I haven't found much more about it on the forums, I did find this link: So at least I understand what's going on now and why but my problem isn't entirely solved as I don't know how I can boost the level on the input from the UX1 for my guitar without running an amp sim like Pod Farm or Amplitube. If I want to record a dry signal it's just way too low.