BSG said most of the things I was thinking.
If you're using a compressor to control peaks (ie. as a limiter), then you're just tracking too hot.
Try to do some test recordings with no compressor, and the computer input meters in your line of sight.
That'll get you familiar with how everything should be set up.
I can pick a mic and preamp and set it up blindly for my vocals out of pure habit; I know exactly where everything needs to be.
You will too, with some practice and repetition.
BSG is right about a mic like an RE20, but I'm not sure I agree with the other guy's advice about always being very close to the mic.
There's no reason why you shouldn't be able to sing quietly outside of proximity effect's reach, and then sing loud even farther away.
If you hear a substantial difference then, it's probably a side effect of your acoustic environment.
Even if you do sing close enough to hear proximity effect kicking in, I find it's an undesirable frequency range anyway.
I would just high pass it right outta the mix and not worry about it.
Either way, If you like the idea of a hardware compressor in the chain, that's fair enough. I can't argue with that.
My plan would be to sell the fast track and the compressor.
Buy an interface with mic preamps built in, and hope that it comes with better equipped software. (I assume you're currently on PTSE?)
If it doesn't come with better software, just use reaper. It's gold for very little money.
We all choose our own paths for our own reasons, though. Best of luck whichever way you go.