Thanks guys. I had the Main Output at about -20 dB and it was still bad. Had it much louder with 1/4" and it was perfect -- plug and play The XLR cables are brand new and I tested them on some near-fields, so that can't be the issue. One thing I don't think I've played with is the volume knob at the bottom right of the toaster, next to the EQ knobs. If that doesn't work I'm sticking to 1/4.
My Steinberg manual says this about the jacks that take the 1/4" and XLR cables:
"For connection to a microphone or digital instrument. This jack can be connected to both XLR-type and phone-type (balanced/unbalanced) plugs. When connected to an XLR type plug, this jack automatically switches to microphone input sensitivity, and when connected to a phone-type plug, it switches to line input sensitivity."
I honestly don't know what this means but maybe it has the answer to my issue.