How to Level Voices Between Speakers

The short version

Level each speaker on their own track first, before mixing them together.
Aim for the same perceived loudness, not the same peak level.
Check the balance on headphones and on a phone speaker.
Automatic levelling helps, but a manual pass usually sounds more natural.

Why voices differ

Distance, mic type and how loudly someone speaks all change the level. A quiet, careful speaker and a loud, animated one can sit 10 dB apart in the same room. A listener hears that as one person being far away.

Level each voice first

Work on each speaker separately. Set the level of each voice so the words are clear and the volume matches the others. Do this before you mix, because a voice that is right on its own can still sound too loud next to another.

Use loudness, not peaks

Peaks tell you about the loudest word, not how loud a speaker sounds. Use the average loudness of each speaker’s part (the LUFS value) to compare them. The LUFS explanation covers the idea.

Check the balance

Listen on headphones, then on a phone speaker, because phones make quiet voices vanish. If you have to turn up the volume to hear one speaker, that speaker needs raising.

Be gentle with automatic levelling

Automatic levellers can pump the quiet parts up along with the room noise. Use them as a finishing touch and keep the dynamics a speaker naturally has.