Optimal Audio Meter Level

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Many choose to peak their levels at -12 dB on the scale. This allows 12 dB of headroom before digital CLIPPING is reached.
Others prefer -18 dB as the “top” level for peaks.
Then there are those who happily let the hottest peaks approach -6 dB (or hotter).

So its up to you to make the choice… then STAY with that level throughout the project.

When using PEAK-reading meters, it is very difficult to judge relative LOUDNESS (as opposed to just the wildest peaks).

I send my edit monitor audio to a tape deck with analog VU Meters DURING my mixing so I can make more accurate “real-world” level decisions.

Every room is different. PA systems vary tremendously.
Make your audio mix as “clear” as possible (voice tracks relative to music and SFX) so your audience will be able to distinguish the dialogue if the room is a bit reverberant.

A bit of compression can certainly help if your levels vary, but be careful with that.
Its easy to “pump” the lows up too high and clamp the peaks into mush.

When in doubt, listen to the mix with the monitor speakers at a very LOW level to make sure you can discern clarity. Then, jump back to the same audio and listen with the speakers cranked up HIGH to see if you’ve got any noise you should control and to see if the mix is still clear at those levels.