GainMatch

These comments are all very well but frankly, given that I'm a relatively new (well, not very new) daw-user, I have of course the choice of manually handling my gain-staging or looking for an automation? I'm fully aware that most analogue-style plugins are designed to work optimally at an input of -18db but having used a few of these voodoo autos, they fail to give me enough gain. I personally think that, providing the input isn't initially and unavoidably low (rare), a simple transparent limiter will comfortably do the job.

In terms of maintaining levels the Waves vocal rider takes good care of things. It all makes me laugh: Everything is compressed to hell these days. George Martin did it all so well did he not?