If you want to improve your audio quality while streaming or recording, you'll want to use OBS Studio's advanced microphone settings. With features such as a noise gate, noise removal, and compressor, you can ensure that your voice comes through crystal clear without distracting background noise. Optimizing these settings can take your audio quality to the next level and provide your audience with an immersive and professional experience. In this article, we'll walk you through how to use these features effectively and show you how to get the most out of your microphone setup in OBS Studio. Let's get started!

Optimize the Microphone Properties

Select the correct microphone in your Audio Mixer. Click on the gear icon for your Mic/Auxiliary device and select Properties.

On the window, select the correct device from this drop-down menu and apply your changes.

Adjust the Microphone Audio Level

When done, ensure the level slider is adjusted to around -2db. This will prevent the audio from clipping and sounding horrible when you’re too loud.

Change the microphone input volume in OBS

Apply Microphone Filters within OBS Studio

Next, we will take a look at your microphone filters. Navigate back to your mic settings and select Filters.

Noise Suppression

This window should be blank the first time you set this up. To add a filter, click the plus icon on the bottom left. Select Noise Suppression. Specify the name of your filter if you wish to do so, and then click on Ok. This will set the default Noise Suppression to your microphone and should help reduce the background noise from your mic. If the microphone is not correctly picking up your voice, reduce the Noise Suppression to around -18 dB.

Noise Gate

After tweaking this setting, you can close this window and add the Noise Gate filter. This will make your microphone completely silent when you don’t speak. Again, set the name if you want to, you can set the Close and Open Threshold for your Noise Gate. The close threshold will mute sound once your mic is below that level. You should look at your Audio Mixer, as it will show you which level is needed to set this threshold. Leave the Attack Time, Hold Time, and Release Time options as they are by default.

Compressor

Add a Compressor Filter to your microphone to level out your audio input level. This filter will automatically turn your audio level up or down, depending on whether it’s too loud or quiet. After adding the filter, set the Compression Ratio to 10. Set the Threshold to -18dB, and leave the other settings as they are. To remove a filter, right-click the filter you wish to remove and select Remove.