If I were to set my levels correctly on one audio track and then added another below it, the added track pushes my overall master level beyond 0db. When I isolate the tracks they're not clipping and without distortion. Just wanted to see how other people work around this and if the master audio level is only a gauge of individual clips. Thanks for any response!

Hello from Portland!

Yes, this is normal and expected behavior. The tracks are summed to the master, which is similar to what all mixers and NLEs do.

You do have a couple of choices here - individual tracks can be lowered, either with the volume slider in the track header, or a volume envelope on the track.

You can display the audio master bus, and draw an envelope there.

Perhaps easiest, and a good simple fix if you have a mix you like, is to lower the master slider.

There really isn't a "correct" track volume. What counts is the mix, and the volume and dynamics of the mix.

If you go to the Track Header (the one with the sliders and icon for adding track level FX) and right click on the lower slder there is a menu of sorts that allows various levels to be set. The top one is 0db - add channels, meaning the levels are all added together. there is 0db (not added) -3db, -6db (not added). then of course you can set each track to go to a seperate bus where you can also add FX AND there is a slider there which has the same adjustments as the Track Header slider. so in effect you can set the Track Header to -6 and the bus to -6 so you have effectively set the track to -12. Add in and envelope to the track and you can get the audio to pretty much any level you want. you COULD also run the Non-Real Time FX "Volume" and set that to adjust as well. I prefer to use the track header and bus with an envelope for most work.
Gotta love all the different ways to accomplish the same thing in Vegas.

Thanks guys!