Thin/Weak DI

Hello,

I’m a fairly new owner of the Quad Cortex and admittedly don’t know as much about it as I probably should.

That being said, I’ve been experiencing a very weak DI when using my Quad Cortex as my audio interface.

The DI (Input 1) varies greatly depending on what I’m playing of course but here’s a rough breakdown of the volumes:

Chugs: around -20db

Single Notes: around -25db

Tapping and Legato: around -35db to -40db

When I apply a plug in on the DI track in my DAW (ableton), it’s barely useable and sounds thin and weak. I’m not sure what to do. I’ve tried increasing the input level in Global I/O settings but that just seems to muddy up the DI and then I start hearing crackles and hissing in my audio. I’ve checked the wires and tried numerous different guitars, all to no avail.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am at my wits end over here.

Thank you in advance.

-Nick