Recording issue. Out of ideas.

[jademan]

The waveform looks completely normal. Audacity seems to be picking up the correct levels. However, when I play back the track with the panning controls in the center, playback is really quiet. If I pan to the right or left, the audio plays at the correct level.

Seems to me I recall a similar issue with a bad ground wire on a pair of headphones.

Have a look/see: Confusing mono levels [CLOSED] - #3 by ksa