When you’re live streaming you want to have the best quality audio and video possible. With mechanical keyboards and electronic devices around it is common for there to be background humming or clicking sounds. You can take advantage of the audio settings inside of OBS to improve your audio quality.
The most effective way of reducing or even removing these irritating noises is with the right mic setup. The best microphones for this are dynamic devices. There are some good dynamic USB microphones available, however for the most part you may want to choose to go for an XLR device. The OBS changes can also do a great deal in improving better microphones audio, and is something you should play with and test to better your overall audio quality.
Configuring your Microphone Settings
Step 1: Right click on the Windows sound icon on your taskbar. By default it will be on the bottom right of your screen.
Step 2: Choose to open Sound Settings.
Step 3: A new window will open, select to open the Sound Control Panel.
Step 4: When the new window has opened go to the recording tab.
Step 5: Locate the microphone you plan to use in OBS, it may already be set as your default device. Right click on it and choose to open its properties.
Step 6: Head to the Advanced settings and switch the Default Format to 48000 Hz. Apply your changes and close all the previously opened windows.
Step 7: Launch OBS and navigate to Settings; Audio.
Step 8: Under the “General” heading switch the sample rate to 48khz, the channels to stereo and set your Mic/Auxiliary Audio to the microphone device you plan on using.
Step 9: Apply your new settings, you may be asked to restart your OBS for the settings to work.
These changes should work for most microphones. However there is a chance that you may run into some minor issues. If you find yourself not having the 48000 Hz option in your sound control panel then you can use the default setting. Also if your microphone stops picking up sounds after making these changes you can revert them and the issue will be resolved.
Applying OBS Audio Filters
Step 1: Open up OBS and make sure that you have the correct mic selected inside the program. You can change the active microphone by pressing on the settings icon next to the Mic/Aux audio mixer and selecting properties. Once you have the correct device selected press confirm and press Ok.
Step 2: Click on the settings icon next to the Mic/Aux once again and choose the Filters option.
Step 3: Add a new Noise Suppression filter by pressing the plus sign at the bottom left corner of the filter window.
Step 4: The noise suppression will help remove background noises, by default it will be set to -30 dB, you should alter this to best suit your environment. A good way to test how it sounds is to record with OBS and listen back to see which setting you prefer. The further to the left you move the slider the more suppression that will occur.
Step 5: Add a Noise Gate filter.
Step 6: Setting up Noise Gate can require a lot of trial and error, however the effort is well worth it. Noise Gate essentially mutes the microphone when you aren’t talking. Close Threshold indicates the point at which the mic will shut off, anything lower than this point will not be heard. The Open Threshold indicates when the mic will cut in.
Step 7: Add a new Compressor filter, this will help prevent distortion of loud sounds or reactions that may happen when streaming.
Step 8: Adjust the settings to what will best suit your audio, again this will take some experimenting to get right. The two main settings that you want to be focusing on is the threshold and ratio. Ratio indicates how strong the compression is. Whereas the threshold indicates at what level (in dB) the compressor will activate.
What is OBS Noise Gate filter?
The name says quite a lot about what the Noise Gate filter does, it decides what noises should be transmitted and which shouldn’t. The close threshold determines the cutoff point as to where the audio will be muted. If the audio being picked up is below this point you won’t be able to hear it on stream or recordings.
The open threshold amount determines how loud audio needs to be before being unmuted. This should be just below your normal vocal volume. You can use the Audio Mixer preview to help you get these settings correct. If set properly you should only be able to see the mic activating when you are speaking. If you’re using a mechanical keyboard it might be difficult to cut out the entirety of your keyboard sound depending on the switches being used.
The other three settings should be fine with their default settings. You can change them if you’re not getting your desired effect, or want to get the best audio possible. Attack time refers to the amount of time the sound must occur before unmuting.
The hold time determines how long after speaking the audio will mute. Having this set too short will cause cuts in audio between words when speaking. The release time works as a fade out when you’ve finished speaking. It makes the audio gradually lower till the mic is completely muted for a seamless effect.
What is OBS Compressor audio filter?
The compressor filter is incredibly useful, especially for people that stream or record video games. When exciting moments happen you may scream in excitement. In moments of frustration you might yell in anger. Both of which may add to the entertainment of your content however there is a chance that the audio will distort when doing so. The compressor helps prevent audio distortion by reducing the volume when it reaches a predetermined level.
When working with compression it’s important that you understand what each setting does so that you can get the optimal experience. The ratio indicates the amount of compression to apply. Threshold is the point or volume as to which the ratio compression will be applied. Anything lower than this set point will have no compression, allowing for you to only target the loud sounds and reactions.
The attack and release settings are adjusted in milliseconds. These settings both work on helping fade the effect in and out. Attack refers to the time in which the compressor will take to reach maximum reduction. The release is the opposite, the time it will take for the gain to fade back to zero. The last notable compressor setting is the “Output Gain” which you can use to help raise the levels incase the compressor quietens down your audio or makes it difficult to hear.
