Mike Senior’s vocal balance workflow

• Use clip gain in broad-brush swoops to raise volume of quieter phrases.
• Use a limiter with a fast attack and release to bring down the loudest peaks (Mike uses a 10:1 ratio, I’ve seen others use an opto or tube-style compressor).
• Follow that with a lower ratio compressor with slower attack and release. A setting like this allows the compressor to do even 6dB of reduction.
• Automate the volume of the vocal track.
• Finish off with any other musical processing.¹