Individual components of the spectrum are usually much quieter than the summary energy, so getting readings across the spectrum lower than the overall output level is a norm. Also take a note of the "Slope" mode setting which applies a constant slope over the spectrum making lower frequencies appear quieter.
The resolution in the low-end part of the spectrum can be increased by increasing the FFT Block Size setting. At the same time, a lower Avg Time and an increased Overlap setting can be both recommended so that the spectrum is updated more frequently thus giving a more "fluid" looks. These recommendations are especially relevant if project's sample rate is 96000 or higher. Competing analyzers may offer pre-selected FFT analysis settings. On the other hand, Voxengo spectrum analyzers give you more choices for FFT analysis customization. Note that plug-in's FPS setting and host application's audio block size also affect visual refresh rate.
