Bad Audio = Dead Stream
44sInstantly hooks viewers with the universal pain point of bad audio and the promise of fixing it.
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This video is a beginner-focused guide to improving OBS audio quality by adding four filters: compressor, noise suppression, noise gate, and limiter. The creator shares his personal settings and explains the purpose of each filter, stressing that these values are a baseline that may need adjustment for your microphone and environment.
Chapters
[00:02]
Audio is the number one retention factor
The host states that audio is the primary reason a viewer chooses to stay or leave a live stream or video, making it the most important element to get right.
[00:17]
Settings are a starting point
The disclaimer clarifies that the presented OBS settings are tuned for the host's environment and microphone; viewers should treat them as a baseline and adjust for their own setup.
[01:00]
Compressor prevents clipping on loud spikes
A compressor automatically lowers the source volume when it spikes (e.g., shouting) to avoid exceeding 0 dB, then restores it to normal after the spike ends.
[01:27]
Compressor settings used
The host's compressor settings are: ratio 3:1, threshold -7.3 dB, attack 1 ms, release 61 ms, output gain 15.9 dB.
[01:45]
Noise suppression for mild background noise
The noise suppression filter removes mild background noise such as PC fans or AC units. The host uses the 'good quality' method, which consumes more CPU.
[02:23]
Noise gate cuts sound while not talking
A noise gate silences all background noise when the user is not speaking. The host's settings are: close threshold -28 dB, open threshold -33 dB, attack 25 ms, hold 200 ms, release 150 ms.
[02:53]
Limiter as the final safety net
A limiter prevents audio from ever peaking above 0 dB, using a very fast attack and high ratio. It should always be the last filter in the chain.
[03:20]
Limiter settings and final advice
The host's limiter settings are 26.5 dB with a 60 ms attack time. He reminds viewers that mileage will vary and adjustments may be needed.
With the four filters applied in the recommended order, you can prevent clipping, suppress background noise, and keep your voice clear during streams. Treat the provided settings as a starting point and tweak them to match your own setup.
Mentioned in this Video
Tutorial Checklist
Study Flashcards (8)
What is the purpose of a compressor in OBS?
easy
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What is the purpose of a compressor in OBS?
easy
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It automatically lowers the audio source's volume when it spikes to prevent clipping/distortion, then restores it to normal when volume returns to baseline.
01:00
What are the host's compressor settings in OBS?
hard
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What are the host's compressor settings in OBS?
hard
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Ratio 3:1, threshold -7.3 dB, attack 1 ms, release 61 ms, output gain 15.9 dB.
01:27
What is the noise suppression filter used for?
easy
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What is the noise suppression filter used for?
easy
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It removes mild background or white noise, such as PC fan noises or environmental noises like AC units.
01:45
Which noise suppression method does the host recommend?
medium
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Which noise suppression method does the host recommend?
medium
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The 'good quality' method, which uses more CPU.
02:09
What does a noise gate filter do?
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What does a noise gate filter do?
medium
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It cuts off all background noises while you are not talking by setting a closed threshold above the noise volume and an open threshold slightly below your voice input.
02:23
What are the host's noise gate settings?
hard
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What are the host's noise gate settings?
hard
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Close threshold -28 dB, open threshold -33 dB, attack time 25 ms, hold time 200 ms, release time 150 ms.
02:37
Why should the limiter be the last filter in the chain?
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Why should the limiter be the last filter in the chain?
medium
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Because it prevents audio signals from peaking above 0 dB and needs to catch any peaks that come out of the previous filters in the chain.
03:07
What are the host's limiter settings?
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What are the host's limiter settings?
medium
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26.5 dB with a 60 ms attack time.
03:20
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Audio drives viewer retention
It establishes why audio is the most critical production element for streamers and video creators.
00:02
🔧
Compressor tames dynamic spikes
Explains the exact mechanism that prevents distortion without manually riding the volume.
01:00
📊
Noise suppression handles constant hums
Useful for reducing fan and air-conditioning noise with a simple OBS built-in filter.
01:45
🔧
Noise gate silences non-speaking moments
Shows how to eliminate ambient noise between phrases, a key step for professional-sounding streams.
02:23
⚖️
Limiter protects against final peaks
Highlights the importance of filter order, with the limiter always placed last.
02:53Full Transcript
[00:02] your live streams in your video content it is the number one reason on why a viewer would choose to stay or leave so in today's video we're going to go over my OBS audio settings if you haven't already already make sure you hit that
[00:17] like And subscribe button and help me reach the goal of 100,000 subscribers here on YouTube by the end of 20126 just a quick disclaimer these settings are set for me in my environment and my micophone these should give you a little
[00:31] bit of a baseline so you might have to change some settings around to make it work better for you the first thing we need to do is open up OBS great now I'm assuming that you have your basic OBS set up if you haven't make sure you
[00:46] check the description down below for a video that guides you how to do it first settings we're going to hit the three little dots and we're going to head to filters the first filter we're going to add is something called a compressor a
[01:00] compressor is very useful if your Source typically a microphone is set for a normal level but can sometimes Spike much louder such as an improptu shouting or getting into a heated discussion it will automatically lower the source's
[01:13] volume to reduce the likelihood of it peeking over 0 DB which can cause clipping and Distortion and then turn it back up once the volume is back to normal level so this is super useful for people like to Rage or uh kind of yell
[01:27] do is in the bottom left since I click the little plus button and then click on compressor the settings I use is ratio 3:1 threshold -7.3 DB attack 1 milliseconds release 61 milliseconds output gain 15.9 DB the next filter
[01:45] we're going to add is called the noise suppression filter the noise suppression filter can be used to remove mild background noise or white noise that may background noise or white noise that may be in any of your audio sources while
[01:57] this is generally not effective in large amounts of background noise I.E a loud room it can be quite effective at reducing things like PC fan noises or reducing things like PC fan noises or other environmental noises such as AC's
[02:09] or fans so just like the compressor what we're going to do is again bottom left click on noise suppression method I'm going to be personally using is good quality that uses the more CPU usage and then uh yeah
[02:23] let's move on to Noise Gate The Noise Gate filter allows you to cut off all background noises while you're not talking select a closed threshold above the noise volume and an open threshold slightly below your voice input to get
[02:37] good results once again to add it plus sign and then add noise gate my settings sign and then add noise gate my settings is close threshold -28 DB open threshold 33 DB attack time 25 hold time 200 release time 150 milliseconds the last
[02:53] and final filter we'll be using is called a limiter limiter are used to prevent audio signals from peaking above 0 DB which can cause clipping and Distortion a limiter is a special type of compressor with a very fast attack
[03:07] of compressor with a very fast attack and very high ratio when using a limiter it should be the last filter in your chain the last and final filter again plus icon head over to limiter and my
[03:20] settings are 26.5 DB with a 60 millisecond attack time and just like that your OBS settings are the same as mine again mileage will vary and you might have to make some adjustments here and there at time are you a new vtuber
[03:36] need a little bit of help consider joining my Discord we have thousands of members tons of different channels to give you the proper assistance that you may require links are in the description down below that's it for today's video
[03:50] I'm your vtuber Senpai I stream here on YouTube every Friday 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard time so come on by and say hi and well I'll catch you all on the next and well I'll catch you all on the next one bye
