problem
A safe channel meter does not guarantee every downstream path has headroom.
Post-fader sends, group buses, master inserts, and export settings can all receive more level after the channel meter appears safe.
Automation can make this worse when a fader lift pushes the channel into a bus or effect return that was already near its limit.
Meter the destination of the post-fader path, not only the source channel. Check sends, returns, buses, and the master during the loudest automated section.
If lowering the destination output fixes the meter but the distortion remains, the overload is probably earlier in that path.
Lower the send, bus input, plugin input, or source clip gain before the clipping point. Keep output faders for balance, not emergency internal gain staging.
Meter Core helps identify whether the problem is source level, bus summing, or final output.