Ride the fader before another compressor
A vocal or instrument that holds its place through every phrase, with one compressor and a few fader moves.
The problem
One phrase jumps out and the next drops away. The reflex is another compressor, and a second one often flattens the parts of the performance that were fine.
What to do
Decide what needs fixing: one word, one phrase or the whole track. Those are different jobs. A compressor is good at the whole track. A fader is better at a word or a phrase.
Play the section and mark where your attention leaves the part. Then ride the fader there. Draw a small move up where a phrase drops away, or down where it jumps out, with ramps that suit the singing or playing. If one word disappears in a busy bar, lift just that word. Listen to the start and end of each move, so it doesn't leave a step.
Where the move sits matters. Automation before a compressor changes how hard it works. Automation after it changes the balance it hands on. On a vocal I usually ride the clip or the input, so the compressor sees an even part.
Then let one compressor do the steady job. On Lunch Box, keep the knobs where they are and try a few of its 12 engines, then reset the amount for the one you keep. A gentle setting on an even part does more than a hard one chasing an uneven part.
When to stop
If you're drawing a move on every word, the problem is earlier: the performance, the mic or the arrangement. Stop when the part holds its place and you no longer notice the moves.
The test
Play the section with the automation on and then off, with the compressor in both times. With it on, the part should sit at one distance through every phrase. Then play the next section, because a ride that fits the verse can be too much in the chorus.
Rory