A bigger chorus starts at the faders
A song's chorus that lifts above the verse, from fader moves first and one small widening move after.
The problem
The chorus of the song should lift, and instead it feels the same size as the verse, or smaller. The first instinct is a plug-in on the lead vocal or the mix bus. Most of the time it's a balance problem.
What to do
Loop the last bar of the verse into the first four bars of the chorus. That transition is where the lift has to happen, so judge everything there, not in the middle of the section.
Start with the lead. Set it where the words are clear, then bring each supporting part up under it, one at a time. Mute a part briefly to find out whether it's covering something, then unmute it and find a level that keeps its job.
Then look at the verse. A chorus often feels small because the verse is already too full. Pulling a guitar or a pad down a couple of decibels in the verse can do more than pushing anything up in the chorus. Automate that move, so each section gets its own balance.
Once the balance works, one small widening move can help. BIG works from the difference between left and right, so put it on a group that already has some, such as the backing vocals or a stereo keys part. Raise BIGNESS a little for the chorus only. BIG matches the loudness as it widens, so the lift you hear is width, not level.
When to stop
If the chorus only gets bigger by getting louder, the next section has nowhere to go. Stop when the jump into the chorus feels like a lift at the same overall level. If you're automating every part in every bar, go back to the arrangement instead.
The test
Play the verse into the chorus in mono, then in stereo. The lead should stay in front both ways, and the chorus should still feel bigger in mono, even if a little less wide. Then play the whole song once and check the second verse still sounds like a verse.
Rory