Making vocals sit warm, not loud
A short, opinionated guide to high-pass filters, gentle saturation, and the parallel bus that flatters everyone.
Loudness is a confidence trick. Warmth is the actual currency.
Start with a high-pass at 80–120 Hz. Tame the 3 kHz harshness with a gentle wide cut. Then add saturation before compression, not after — you want the harmonics in the program material the compressor is reacting to.
A parallel bus with heavy compression and a touch of tape brings the vocal forward without raising its actual level. That's the whole trick.