From the team at [ClassyMachine.store](https://www.ClassyMachine.store) 🎙️🎮

Whether you stream on Twitch, YouTube, or Discord, a clean, controlled audio chain is what makes your voice cut through game sound without harshness or hiss. This is a practical, creator-first guide with clear signal paths, settings you can copy, and gear choices that actually make a difference.

TL;DR

- Start with a dynamic XLR mic close to your mouth, add a solid preamp/interface (or a streamer-friendly mixer), then shape with a simple VST chain: HPF → De-esser → Compressor → EQ → Limiter.
- Use loopback or a mixer’s submix/aux to create separate sends for stream, VOD, and chat (mix-minus).
- Target 48 kHz sample rate, peaks around −12 dBFS pre-processing, and keep a limiter ceiling at −1 dBTP. Sidechain-duck game/music under your voice.

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The stream signal chain (big picture)

1. Mic
2. Preamp (+48V only for condenser)
3. A/D conversion (audio interface or USB mixer)
4. Routing (loopback, aux buses, or virtual cables)
5. Processing (onboard DSP or VSTs in OBS/DAW)
6. Monitoring (headphones/IF direct monitor)
7. Outputs (Stream mix, VOD mix, Chat mix)

Keep each stage clean and conservative—good gain staging beats expensive gear used poorly.

Microphone picking: start here

- Dynamic XLR (recommended for untreated rooms)
  - Pros: Rejects room noise/reverb better; smoother on loud voices.
  - Cons: Needs more clean gain; may need inline preamp (e.g., +20–25 dB) for very low-output mics.
- Condenser XLR
  - Pros: Detailed top end; great in treated rooms.
  - Cons: Picks up room/keyboard/fans easily; needs 48V phantom.
- Polar pattern: Cardioid or supercardioid facing your mouth; 5–10 cm distance, slightly off-axis to reduce plosives.
- Essentials: Pop filter, shock mount, stable boom arm.

Tip: If your room is lively, a dynamic like SM7B/RE20/PodMic/MD421-style is usually easier to control than a bright condenser.

Interface vs. mixer: what’s right for your stream?

- USB microphone
  - Pros: Fast start, minimal gear.
  - Cons: Harder routing; limited upgrade path; often noisier monitoring.
- Audio interface (2×2 or 4×4)
  - Look for: Plenty of gain (60+ dB for low-output dynamics), low EIN noise, hardware loopback, mix knob (input vs. PC), balanced outputs.
  - Best for: Clean chains, VST in OBS/DAW, single-PC streaming, and two-PC with loopback or line-out.
- USB mixers (analog/digital/streamer-focused)
  - Features to value: Submixes or aux sends, one-button mute/cough, faders, built-in DSP (gate/comp/EQ), mix-minus for chat apps, multi-track USB.
  - Best for: Hands-on control, multiple sources (mic, game, music, console), fast show tweaks.

Rule of thumb:
- Prefer an interface if you’re comfortable with software routing and want low noise and flexibility.
- Prefer a streamer mixer if you want tactile faders, per-bus mixes, and onboard DSP without juggling apps.

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Essential routing patterns

- Single-PC streaming
  - Use the interface’s loopback or a mixer’s “USB/Stream” bus to feed OBS.
  - Create a separate “Chat” send for Discord/VC with game + your mic, but without their return (mix-minus).
- Dual-PC streaming
  - Send your mic and PC audio to the stream PC via USB (loopback) or balanced line outs into the capture card or the stream PC’s interface.
  - Build a mix-minus back to your gaming PC/Discord so they never hear themselves.
- Console + PC hybrid
  - Route console audio into the mixer/interface line inputs; keep it on its own fader; send to OBS via loopback.

Virtual audio tools (if you don’t have hardware loopback):
- Windows: VB-Audio (VoiceMeeter/CABLE), WASAPI preferred.
- macOS: Aggregate/Multi-Output Devices in Audio MIDI Setup.

Gain staging: clean in, clean out

1. Mic placement
  - 5–10 cm, slightly off-axis, pop filter on.
2. Set preamp gain
  - Speak loudly; aim for peaks around −12 dBFS on the interface/mixer meter (pre-processing).
3. Headroom
  - Leave 10–12 dB of headroom before plugins to avoid interstage clipping.
4. Output to OBS
  - After processing, your OBS meter should peak around −6 to −3 dBFS, with a limiter catching overs.

A proven vocal plugin chain (copy these)

Order: High-Pass Filter → De-esser → Compressor → (Optional) Dynamic EQ → Limiter

- High-Pass Filter (HPF)
  - Cut: 70–100 Hz for most voices (120 Hz if proximity boominess).
- De-esser
  - Start: 5–8 kHz, threshold for 2–4 dB reduction on sibilant words.
- Compressor (vocal control)
  - Ratio: 3:1 to 4:1
  - Attack: 5–15 ms
  - Release: 50–120 ms
  - Gain reduction: 3–6 dB on normal speech
  - Make-up gain: Enough to restore level, not to clip the next plugin.
- Dynamic EQ (optional polish)
  - Tame 200–300 Hz (mud) by 1–3 dB when speaking.
  - Gentle presence lift around 3–4 kHz if needed.
- Limiter (safety)
  - Ceiling: −1.0 dBTP
  - Aim for only occasional 1–2 dB gain reduction on loud peaks.

Free, excellent VSTs:
- ReaPlugs (ReaEQ, ReaComp, ReaGate), TDR Nova (dynamic EQ), TDR Kotelnikov (clean comp), LoudMax (limiter), Bertom Denoiser, Lisp/Spitfish (de-esser), RNNoise (AI noise reduction). NVIDIA Broadcast noise removal is great if you have a compatible GPU.

Tip: Use noise suppression sparingly. Over-suppression adds warble/pumping. Fix room/fan noise first if you can.

Game and music balance: smart ducking

- Sidechain-duck music under your voice
  - Reduction: −10 to −14 dB feels natural for talk + BGM.
- Sidechain-duck game slightly
  - Reduction: −3 to −6 dB during speech keeps clarity without killing hype moments.
- How in OBS
  1. Add “Compressor” filter to the music/game source.
  2. Set “Sidechain/Ducking Source” to your mic.
  3. Adjust threshold/ratio until ducking only when you speak.

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Monitoring and latency

- Sample rate: 48 kHz (industry standard for video/stream).
- Buffer size: 128–256 samples for real-time feel; raise if you get crackles.
- Use your interface’s direct monitor to avoid round-trip latency.
- In OBS, disable “Monitor and Output” on your mic to prevent comb filtering/double monitoring.
- Headphones: closed-back for isolation; open-back for natural sound if your mic isolation is solid.

Chat apps and mix-minus

- Discord/Zoom/etc.
  - Disable AGC (auto gain), noise suppression, and echo cancel if you’re on headphones.
  - Send them a “Chat Mix” with your mic + game/music, but not their own return.
  - On mixers, use an Aux/Bus for this. On interfaces, use loopback B or a virtual cable.

Noise, hum, and hiss: quick fixes

- Use balanced cables (XLR/TRS) wherever possible.
- Avoid plugging everything into the same noisy USB hub; prefer motherboard USB or a quality powered hub.
- Ground loop on 3.5 mm lines? Use a ground loop isolator or switch to balanced I/O.
- Fan/PC noise: move the mic closer and lower preamp gain; use HPF; aim the mic’s null toward the noise.
- Low-output dynamics: consider an inline preamp (+20–25 dB clean gain) before the interface if you’re near maxing the preamp.

OBS quick-start settings

- Settings → Audio: Sample rate 48 kHz; set the correct monitoring device.
- Per source → Filters (Mic):
  1) HPF (via EQ)  
  2) De-esser  
  3) Compressor  
  4) Limiter  
- Advanced Audio Properties:
  - Route track assignments (e.g., Track 1 = Stream mix, Track 2 = Clean VOD without music).
  - Sync offset: keep at 0 ms if using direct monitor; add offset only if you’ve measured A/V drift.

Simple, reliable recipes

- Minimal/clean chain
  - Dynamic XLR mic → Transparent 2×2 interface (with loopback) → OBS VST chain → Headphones via interface.
- Tactile, all-in-one control
  - Dynamic XLR mic → Streamer-focused USB mixer (DSP, submixes, faders) → Direct loopback to OBS → Headphones on mixer.
- Dual-PC flexibility
  - Gaming PC: interface or mixer with line out to capture card/stream PC; mix-minus back to chat on gaming PC.
  - Stream PC: handles OBS, recording, loudness control, and VOD track separation.

Targets and meters to trust

- Preamp input peaks: about −12 dBFS (clean headroom).
- Post-processing (OBS): peak −6 to −3 dBFS; limiter at −1 dBTP.
- Loudness:
  - Twitch/YouTube Live: aim around −16 to −14 LUFS integrated; consistency > loudness wars.
  - VOD: keep integrated around −14 LUFS; avoid clipping; ceiling −1 dBTP.

Final checklist

- 48 kHz everywhere (interface, DAW/OBS, OS).
- Mic close, pop filter on, gain staged to −12 dBFS peaks pre-FX.
- HPF, de-ess, compress, limit—light, musical settings.
- Sidechain-duck music/game under voice.
- Separate mixes for Stream, VOD, and Chat (mix-minus).
- Monitor via interface, not through OBS.
- Balanced cables, clean power, minimal USB daisy-chains.

Dial this in once and you’ll sound polished every stream—without babysitting your meters.my