How to Make Mic Sound Quality Better for Kick Stream

When we talk about live streaming, engaging your audience is crucial for building a loyal community and establishing yourself as a successful content creator.

As a Kick streamer, you know the importance of engaging gameplay, entertaining commentary, and a visually appealing setup. But don’t forget about the quality of your audio.

Luckily, by using simple techniques and audio filters, you can greatly improve the sound of your streams, giving your viewers an immersive and enjoyable experience.

In today’s post, we will give you 5 lists of filters that can help you how to make your microphone sound quality better for Kick stream.

1. Compressor: Leveling Your Audio

The first filter we’ll discuss is the Compressor. This filter ensures that your microphone audio maintains a consistent level, regardless of the variations in your voice volume.

To add the Compressor filter, follow these steps:

1. Click the cog icon again, as mentioned earlier, to access the Filters section.
2. A new window will appear. Click the “+” sign at the bottom left and select Compressor from the options.

Adjusting the Compressor settings may seem a bit complex at first, but it’s actually quite simple. The two crucial settings you need to focus on are Threshold and Output Gain.

Threshold helps in reducing the volume when you produce loud noises or encounter sudden sounds near the microphone. Ideally, you should adjust it in a way that prevents the audio level from reaching the maximum (full red line) whenever you yell or create loud noises. Aim for the end of the yellow line or slightly into the red zone.

Output Gain, on the other hand, allows you to amplify the volume when speaking softly. Adjust it somewhere between the beginning and end of the yellow line.

2. Expander: Filtering Background Noise

Introducing the Compressor filter solved one issue but created another. By amplifying the audio when your voice is softer, the compressor also enhances any surrounding noise you generate, including keyboard typing.

To address this concern, you can utilize another useful filter called the Expander. This filter provides you with customization options to control the microphone’s sensitivity and ensure that it only captures sounds above a certain threshold.

Here’s how you can add the Expander filter:

1. Click the cog icon again and navigate to the Filters section.
2. Click the “+” sign and select Expander.

To set up the Expander filter, adjust the following settings:

• Ratio: Set it to 4:1.
• Threshold: Move it all the way to the left.
• Attack: Set it to 2ms.
• Release: Set it to 100ms.
• Output Gain: Keep it at 0.

By setting the Threshold to 0, the microphone picks up all the sounds you produce. To resolve this, stop talking and produce a lower-level noise, such as typing on the keyboard, while gradually dragging the Threshold slider to the right. Keep adjusting until you notice that the microphone no longer captures the noise in the Audio Mixer below.

While fine-tuning the Expander, be cautious about the possibility of certain words having their first letter cut off. If you encounter this issue, you can either reduce the Threshold or decrease the Ratio until you achieve satisfactory results.

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3. VST Filter: Enhancing Natural Sound

If you desire to give your voice a more natural sound rather than a phone-like effect, you can employ the VST filter. Unlike the previous filters, the VST filter needs to be downloaded separately.

To acquire the VST filter, visit the Voxengo website and download it from there. You can find the download link in the description below.

Once you’ve obtained the VST filter, install it anywhere on your system. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the same location as OBS; the software will automatically detect it.

To add the VST filter to OBS, follow these steps:

1. Repeat the process used for the previous filters by accessing the Filters section.
2. Click the “+” sign and choose the VST filter from the drop-down menu.

Upon selecting the VST filter, a new window will appear. In this window, you can customize the settings according to your microphone. As the settings vary depending on the microphone you use, I won’t delve into the specifics at this moment. Adjust the sliders and experiment until you’re satisfied with the sound quality. If needed, you can reset the sliders to their default positions by double-clicking on them.

4. Noise Suppression: Eliminating Background Hiss

One common issue, especially when using lower-priced microphones, is the presence of annoying background hissing noise. Fortunately, you can easily eliminate this noise by applying the Noise Suppression filter.

To add the Noise Suppression filter to your setup, follow these steps:

1. Access the Filters section by clicking the cog icon.
2. Click the “+” sign and select Noise Suppression.

5. Limiter: Avoiding Sudden Background Noise

The final filter we’ll discuss today is the Limiter. Similar to the Compressor, the Limiter ensures that sudden and unexpected background noise doesn’t affect the audio quality. It is particularly useful in extreme situations, such as when you get frustrated while playing a game and inadvertently hit your desk.

To utilize the Limiter filter effectively, follow these steps:

1. Drag the Threshold slider to the right until you achieve the desired result. Avoid exceeding the beginning of the red line.
2. By doing so, you can rest assured that no noise can penetrate through and compromise the quality of your stream.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, enhancing your microphone sound quality using filters can significantly improve your streaming experience. Experiment with the various filters discussed here, adjusting their settings to suit your specific microphone and streaming setup. Remember to find the perfect balance that delivers optimal audio clarity and reduces unwanted noise, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of your streams.