All software: Low volume peaking

Hey everyone, I've been having this problem for nearly as long as I've been composing and I've only just considered actually seeing if anyone knows how to help!

Basically, I'll be adjusting volumes/EQ of individual parts of a composition (usually in Cubase with MIDI data going through EWQL VST) and I'll find the sound starts to peak. However, once I have found the right sound I want and made the master volume low enough to avoid peaking, the music will be significantly quieter then professionally produced pieces I listen to. After a few years turning my speakers up whilst I listen to my own music and down whilst I listen to someone elses has gotten pretty annoying!

I'm still very new to the Mixing/EQ side of music, so I assume there is something I'm doing wrong here. So if you have any ideas/pointers I'd be very grateful!

Fox

This is in part due to a lack of mastering, but there are some things you can do. In part, you can use a compressor or limiter, but that will squash your waveform a bit.

You can amplify the composition with Audacity once you have exported it :)