glossary
Threshold sets the level where the compressor starts reacting.
Threshold is the level above which a compressor begins reducing gain. Lowering the threshold usually means more of the signal gets compressed.
The same threshold can behave differently if clip gain, input trim, or earlier processing changes the signal level feeding the compressor.
A compressor does not know whether a signal was turned up before it or the threshold was turned down. Both can create more gain reduction.
That is why threshold decisions belong inside a gain-staging workflow, not as isolated knob moves.
Pull the threshold until gain reduction appears on the moments you actually want controlled. Then level-match the output before deciding whether the setting improved the part.
Meter Core shows the loudness and peak consequences of that change so compression does not hide a simple level boost.