Originally Posted By: Warren Keller
I'd think that upwards compressors are the noisier of the two, pushing weaker signal to match stronger? I finally have a pretty good handle on the real-time downwards plugin! Anyone care to say more about the Expander/Gate and its settings? Thanks!


When a downward compressor limits the sound there is also a gain dial to bring the volume back up (to compensate for lost volume).
What do you think happens to the noise floor once you start pushing the gain up on a noise level that has not been compressed? It goes up too .. just sayin'.
A compressor isn't about noise removal, that should already have happened with gain staging and signal routing.
Unless you got handed noisy tracks to work with, there's usually no reason to have them. <grin>
The gate/expander is meant to help condition the sound pre-compressor, but when used together with the compressor right after, the settings between the two can be tricky, you have to listen close so you don't cause some un-natural or sterile sound. Too much Gate making the compressor choppy, weirdness like that.
And every track will be different, so it's hard to recommend any settings. Try some presets. See what gets close then tinker with it.

Make your sound your own!
.. I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome