Ditto... that's why they put volume knobs on amps.

If you shoot for a consistent average level, you shouldn't have to grab the volume knob.

Notice as you listen to the radio, the songs from the hard hitting rockers to the soft ballads are all fairly consistent. It's rare that you really need to turn up or down.

I simply record with the meters barely touching the red in my DAW.... from the tracks to the sub buss to the master buss.... keep them clean and green. I export to a wave and run it through a wave editor to normalize the file to around, but less than 100%. That's where all my songs are setting. I find that is generally, sufficiently loud. People can always crank the volume knob a bit more if they want. As I play the music back on my MP3 player, I do not have to adjust the volume between the softer tunes and the rockers.

So..... it must be working OK.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.