In OBS Studio, open the microphone source’s Filters and add only the filters that solve problems you can hear: noise suppression for mild, steady background noise; a gate or expander for noise during pauses; compression for uneven speech peaks; and a limiter to cap the final output. Record a short test after each change. There is no universal filter chain: the right settings depend on your voice, microphone, room, and recording level.
Open the microphone’s filter controls
- In OBS Studio, find the microphone source in the Audio Mixer. If it is not listed, add or select the appropriate microphone source in your scene.
- Click the source’s three-dot menu or gear icon and choose Filters. You can also right-click the source and choose Filters.
- Under Audio Filters, use the plus button to add a filter. The exact available controls may vary with OBS version and platform; check the current OBS Filters Guide if a label differs.
- Add one filter at a time, make a short screen-and-voice recording, and listen back with headphones. Keep, adjust, or remove the filter based on what the recording sounds like—not just how the live meter moves.
Before applying filters, set a sensible microphone input level and reduce noise at its source when practical: move the mic closer to your mouth, lower nearby fan or room noise, and avoid letting the input clip. Filters can help shape captured sound, but they cannot reliably repair a very noisy recording.
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Choose filters by the problem you hear
| What you hear | Try | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Low, steady fan or hiss throughout the recording | Noise suppression | Less steady noise without a watery, muffled, or distorted voice |
| Noise mainly in pauses when you are not speaking | Gate, or a gentler expander | Noise reduction during silence without clipped word beginnings or endings |
| Some spoken words are much louder than others | Compressor | More even speech without pumping or an unnaturally crushed sound |
| Occasional loud peaks still need a ceiling | Limiter, last in the chain | Peaks are capped without abrupt changes to ordinary speech |
These filters are optional. For example, a quiet room may need no suppression or gate, and a naturally even voice may not need compression. OBS’s official filter guidance describes the functions and controls, not a tested, universally optimal preset.
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Reduce mild background noise with suppression
OBS says its Noise Suppression filter can reduce mild background or white noise, such as computer-fan noise, but is generally not effective in a loud room. The OBS Project documentation describes the filter as something that “can be used to remove mild background noise or white noise that may be in any of your audio sources.” See the OBS Noise Suppression Filter guide.
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- Add Noise Suppression to the microphone source.
- Start with the default RNNoise method if your system can handle its higher CPU use. OBS describes RNNoise as higher quality and more CPU intensive than Speex.
- If you choose Speex, begin with a mild suppression level. Its level control lets you increase suppression, but stronger settings filter more sounds and can distort your voice.
- Record a test with both speech and pauses. If the voice sounds thin, metallic, watery, or cuts in and out, reduce suppression or remove the filter. If the room noise is loud, address it acoustically rather than expecting suppression to fix it.
Control noise in pauses with a gate or expander
Use a gate for a firmer cutoff
A gate cuts off sound while you are not speaking. OBS advises setting the close threshold above the background-noise level and the open threshold slightly below the voice input level. Its documented defaults—close threshold -32 dB, open threshold -26 dB, attack 25 ms, hold 200 ms, and release 150 ms—are software defaults, not recommended settings for every microphone. See the OBS Noise Gate guide.
- Add Noise Gate to the microphone.
- Speak at your quietest normal volume and observe the microphone level. Set the open threshold slightly below that voice level so quiet words can open the gate.
- Stop speaking and observe the room-noise level. Set the close threshold above that noise level so the gate closes during pauses, while keeping it below your quiet speech level.
- Test quiet words, breaths, and the ends of sentences. If the gate chops words or abruptly removes natural tails, lower the open threshold, adjust the close threshold, or try an expander instead.
Use an expander for a smoother reduction
An expander turns down quieter sound rather than cutting it off as firmly as a gate. OBS says its adjustable ratio can make opening and closing smoother and recommends RMS detection. The guide gives 4:1 as one possible balance, not a universal setting. Tune the threshold so background noise is reduced without suppressing quiet speech. See the OBS Expander guide.
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Compare a gate and expander using the same test passage. Pay particular attention to quiet word beginnings, sentence endings, and pauses; choose the one that sounds more natural in your recording.
Even out speech with compression
A compressor reduces louder microphone peaks, helping speech with a wide volume range sound more consistent. OBS describes the compressor as typically placed at or near the beginning of the filter chain. Its documented defaults are a threshold of -18 dB and ratio of 10:1; treat these as product defaults, not personalized recommendations. See the OBS Compressor guide.
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- Add Compressor to the microphone source.
- Record a passage that includes both ordinary speech and your loudest expected speech. Adjust the threshold and ratio gradually while monitoring the recording.
- Listen for reduced differences between ordinary and loud words. If the level seems to surge and fall, or speech sounds unnaturally crushed, ease the settings and test again.
OBS also documents sidechain ducking: a compressor on desktop audio can use the microphone as its sidechain source to lower desktop sound while you speak. Its example starting values are ratio 32:1, threshold -36 dB, attack 100 ms, and release 600 ms. These are example settings, not a guarantee of suitable results for every mix. The routing is different from compressing the microphone itself; consult the OBS Compressor guide for the sidechain controls.
Put a limiter last to cap peaks
A limiter prevents output from exceeding its threshold. OBS says it should be the last filter in the chain; its default threshold is -6 dB with a 60 ms release. These are software defaults, not a target for every recording. See the OBS Limiter guide.
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- Onboard audio controls: Headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and mic gain put you in charge of every level of the audio recording and streaming process
- Positionable design: Pivot the mic in relation to the sound source to optimize your sound quality thanks to the adjustable desktop stand and track your voice in real time with no-latency monitoring
- Add Limiter after the other microphone filters.
- Record your loudest expected speech and check that peaks are controlled without ordinary speech being abruptly altered.
- If the limiter is engaging constantly, lower the microphone input or revisit compression rather than relying on the limiter to correct an overall level that is too high.
Check the filter chain and troubleshoot recordings
A practical starting order is suppression (if needed), gate or expander (if needed), compressor (if needed), and limiter last. OBS places a compressor typically near the beginning, so if compression is important to your setup, test it near the start of the chain as OBS describes. Filter order can change the sound; make a recording to compare changes rather than assuming a single order will suit every setup.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Voice sounds watery, metallic, or muffled | Suppression is too strong or the room noise is beyond what it handles well | Reduce suppression, try the other method, or reduce noise in the room |
| First syllables or quiet words disappear | Gate open threshold is too high | Lower the open threshold slightly and retest at your quietest normal speaking level |
| Word endings are chopped off | Gate closes too quickly or the thresholds are poorly matched to your voice | Adjust hold or release and thresholds, or compare an expander |
| Noise remains audible while you are silent | Gate close threshold may be too low, or no pause control is in use | Set the close threshold above the actual noise floor while ensuring quiet speech still opens the gate |
| Speech pumps or sounds crushed | Compression is too aggressive | Ease the threshold or ratio, then compare a fresh test recording |
| Loud peaks still exceed the desired ceiling | Limiter is absent, not last, or set inappropriately; input may also be too high | Place the limiter last and check input level and compression |
OBS’s cited filter articles are dated January 11–12, 2022. They document filter availability on Windows, macOS, and Linux, but do not establish independent acoustic test results or one best configuration. If controls differ in your installation, use the current OBS Filters Guide and verify the settings in a test recording.
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