That's brilliant rharv, with that explanation I get the whole picture! I've noticed that although the Auto Gain is linked to Threshold, you can turn the gain down even when the automatic box is checked. Nothing important, obviously one can get best control working the two dials independently.

So in a nutshell, the downward directed, central red meter is a good thing as it indicates that the threshold has been exceeded and the compressor is working. When the L & R boxes up top light red, that's a bad thing as they show the output is too hot. From that point you can simply push the levels slider in the channel strip if necessary.

Your post should have a way to be highlighted as there's virtually no good information prior to this on the plugin's usage. Congratulations! Believe it or not, my intuition led me down this same path, but now I know why with confidence!

Best, Warren

Warren A. Keller- Woodwindist/Producer
Spontaneous Groovin' Combustion
Tune 9 Music- SESAC