Removing Background Hum in OBS Studio Without Lag

Air conditioning noise, computer fan whirr, and room echo can turn professional commentary into painful listening for your audience. Many audio tutorials recommend complex VST plugins that consume excessive processing power and introduce noticeable voice delay. Here is the step-by-step breakdown to clean up your live audio signal using native filters.

Apply the RNNoise Suppression Filter

Open the Audio Filters menu on your primary microphone source and select Noise Suppression from the list. Choose the RNNoise neural network model option over Speex to eliminate steady low-frequency rumble without muffling your natural tone. This single adjustment strips away electrical hum while requiring minimal system resources.

Fine Tune the Noise Gate Thresholds

Add a Noise Gate filter directly below the suppressor to cut room tone whenever you stop speaking. Set your Close Threshold roughly five decibels above the ambient noise floor shown on your mixer meters, and set the Open Threshold two decibels higher. This configuration prevents keyboard clicks from opening the microphone during quiet moments.

Set Up Peak Limiting to Prevent Distortion

Finish your audio chain by adding a Limiter set to a hard threshold of negative three decibels. A peak limiter prevents sudden emotional outbursts or unexpected loud sounds from clipping the output stream. Your broadcast audio remains clear, balanced, and broadcast ready across every session.