Start by reducing noise at its source and confirming that your streaming app is using the microphone you intend. For steady, mild noise, try OBS Noise Suppression; for noise that is most noticeable between phrases, use a Noise Gate or Expander. Record a short sample before going live and listen for muffled speech, clipped words, or sentence endings that disappear.
Identify what is making the noise
First, check the microphone and audio route that actually reach the stream. In OBS, identify the microphone source being used. If a noise-removal app is active, make sure OBS has selected that app’s virtual microphone rather than bypassing it and taking audio directly from the physical mic.
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Note when the noise occurs. A fan or steady room hiss audible underneath speech calls for suppression. Noise that is mainly noticeable while you are silent may be reduced with a gate or expander. These filters behave differently; one cannot reliably solve every kind of noise.
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Try OBS Noise Suppression for steady, mild noise
OBS says its Noise Suppression filter can remove mild background or white noise, including PC-fan and environmental noise. It is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but OBS cautions that it is generally not effective when a loud room produces a large amount of noise. Strong suppression can also distort your voice. OBS Project’s Noise Suppression Filter guide describes the methods and trade-offs.
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- In OBS, open the audio source’s Filters and add Noise Suppression.
- Speak at your usual streaming volume while the noise source is present. Compare the filtered voice with the unfiltered sound.
- OBS documents RNNoise as its higher-quality method, with greater CPU use than Speex. Speex has a configurable suppression level. Start with a modest effect and listen for voice quality rather than trying to eliminate every trace of room sound.
- Make a short local recording and listen through headphones. If your voice sounds watery, muffled, or unnatural, reduce the effect or remove it.
Reduce noise between phrases with a gate or expander
Noise Gate: close the mic below a threshold
A Noise Gate lowers or cuts the microphone signal when it falls below a threshold. It is useful when room noise is most distracting during pauses, but it does not remove noise that remains audible under speech. OBS advises setting the close threshold above the noise level and the open threshold slightly below the voice input. Thresholds depend on your microphone, gain, room, and speaking volume, so its documented defaults are not universal settings. See the OBS Noise Gate Filter guide.
- Add Noise Gate to the microphone source in OBS.
- With the room noise present and without speaking, adjust the close threshold until the mic closes during silence.
- Speak quietly as well as at normal volume. Set the open threshold low enough that quiet words are not cut off.
- Listen to pauses, the first word after a pause, and sentence endings. If the gate chops speech or sounds abrupt, adjust it or remove it.
Expander: make quieter sounds quieter
An Expander reduces sounds below its threshold rather than acting as a simple on/off gate. It can make quieter sounds such as fans and keyboard clicks less prominent while sounding less abrupt, depending on the settings. OBS recommends avoiding a threshold so high that speech is cut off; a lower ratio produces lighter reduction. Its Expander Filter guide explains the controls.
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- Add Expander to the microphone source in OBS.
- Adjust the threshold cautiously while monitoring both room noise and quiet speech.
- Try a lower ratio for gentler reduction. Check soft words and sentence endings before keeping the setting.
Use an external noise-removal app only if OBS is routed through it
NVIDIA Broadcast
NVIDIA Broadcast offers microphone Noise Removal and a separate Room Echo Removal effect for reverberation; echo and background noise are different problems. Its FAQ lists Windows 10 64-bit and an RTX 2060, Quadro RTX 3000, TITAN RTX, or higher for Broadcast. Hardware, driver, and software requirements can change, so check NVIDIA’s current NVIDIA Broadcast FAQ before installing it.
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- In NVIDIA Broadcast, select the physical microphone you want to use and enable Noise Removal.
- In OBS, open Settings > Audio > Mic/Auxiliary Audio and select Microphone (NVIDIA Broadcast).
- Record a sample with the background noise present. Toggle the effect or adjust its strength and compare the recording, as NVIDIA recommends in its Broadcast setup guide.
- Avoid stacking noise-removal effects without testing. NVIDIA advises disabling overlapping removal in the app or device; it also notes that combining Noise Removal and Room Echo Removal can reduce noise-removal efficacy while Room Echo Removal is in beta. See its Broadcast troubleshooting guide.
Broadcast processing applies only when OBS uses its virtual microphone. If OBS still selects the physical mic, the Broadcast effect will not be in that audio path.
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Krisp
Krisp documents a workflow for filtering microphone audio before it reaches OBS. In OBS, add an Audio Input Capture source and select Krisp Microphone as its device. Make a local recording and listen before streaming. This is Krisp’s setup guidance, not evidence of a universal quality advantage over OBS or NVIDIA processing. Its streamer workflow was last updated August 21, 2026: Krisp for Streamers and Gamers.
Choose the approach that matches the problem
| Approach | Best fit | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| OBS Noise Suppression | Mild, steady background or white noise audible under speech | OBS says it is generally ineffective against a large amount of noise in a loud room; strong suppression may distort voice. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. OBS documentation |
| OBS Noise Gate | Noise that is most noticeable while you are not talking | Thresholds that are too aggressive can cut off quiet words or sentence endings. OBS documentation |
| OBS Expander | Reducing quieter sounds below a threshold, such as fans or keyboard clicks | A high threshold can cut off speech; a lower ratio gives lighter reduction. OBS documentation |
| NVIDIA Broadcast | Microphone noise removal or room-echo processing when the PC meets current requirements | OBS must use the NVIDIA virtual microphone; overlapping processing can cause problems. NVIDIA FAQ and troubleshooting |
| Krisp | A virtual-microphone workflow that filters audio before it reaches OBS | The documented setup does not establish that it is better than the other options. Krisp setup guide |
These are documented workflows and functions, not controlled comparative tests. Judge the result with a recording of your own voice and room, at realistic speaking volume. OBS’s Filters Guide also summarizes how suppression, gates, and expanders differ.
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Troubleshoot noise that remains
- The effect seems to do nothing: Confirm OBS is using the intended mic source. With NVIDIA Broadcast or Krisp, confirm OBS has selected the corresponding virtual microphone.
- Your voice is muffled or distorted: Reduce or disable suppression, then record and compare again. Avoid piling multiple removal effects on top of one another.
- Words disappear at the start or end of a phrase: A gate or expander threshold may be too high. Lower it and test quiet speech and sentence endings.
- Noise is loud beneath speech: A gate will not help while your voice keeps the mic open. OBS limits its suppression guidance to mild noise and says it is generally ineffective in a loud room; reduce the noise source where practical before relying on stronger processing.
- Room echo remains: Echo from reverberation is not the same as steady background noise. NVIDIA Broadcast has a separate Room Echo Removal effect; test it separately from Noise Removal.
Software documentation does not quantify how much a physical change to a room will help. If a filter cannot separate your voice cleanly from the noise, addressing the source is a practical next step rather than continuing to increase processing.
Or let it run in the cloud
Noise reduction above is for a live microphone signal. If your goal is instead to keep prerecorded video playing as a 24/7 YouTube live stream, StreamNeo is a different tool: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops uploaded videos from the cloud; it does not stream a live camera feed.
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