Vocal jumping around in volume? Compress it 4:1, 3 to 6 dB

A vocal that jumps around in volume, with some words loud and others lost in the beat, needs compression. A compressor turns down the loudest words so the quiet ones can sit at the same level. Start with a ratio of 4:1 and lower the threshold until the loudest words get 3 to 6 dB of gain reduction. More than that and the vocal starts to sound squashed.

How to do it

1. Put a compressor on the vocal, after any EQ cuts.
2. Set the ratio to 4:1.
3. Lower the threshold until the loudest words show 3 to 6 dB of gain reduction.
4. Attack around 5 to 15 ms, release around 50 to 100 ms, so words keep their start and the voice breathes.
5. Turn up the output (makeup gain) to match the volume, and compare with bypass at the same loudness.

Why it works

Singers get louder and softer all the time, but a beat stays steady. Turning down only the peaks shrinks the gap between loud and quiet words, so every word can sit on top of the beat without riding the fader.