If the background sounds drown your voice, you’ve mis‑set the mix. Start by locking the spoken track at the level you want the audience to hear, then layer the effects around it, not over it.

Use a reference track: pop a 100‑Hz to 2‑kHz spike in the vocal channel, then push the SFX channel to a low level. Run both through a VU meter; keep the SFX at –20 dBFS or lower than the vocal peak. Automate the SFX so it fades in and out with the dialogue, not a constant stream. Keep a dedicated channel for each effect so you can tweak them individually later.

EQ the effects with a gentle low‑pass cut, usually around 200 Hz, to remove sub‑bass bleed that competes with the voice. Apply a mid‑range notch around 300‑500 Hz on the SFX if it clutters the vocal’s mid‑range. If you’re using a lot of ambient ambience, side‑chain compress it to duck automatically whenever the speaker speaks—this keeps the narrative front and center without hard edits. A light 6‑band compressor on the SFX bus can tame peaks that would otherwise spike.

Finally, test the mix on at least two playback systems: a studio monitor pair and a typical headphones or laptop speaker setup. Adjust the overall balance, then re‑listen with a fresh ear. Keep the narrative track in the center and let the background elements support, not compete, for the listener’s attention.