Wild4Games
- Sep 14, 2020
- 2 min read

No Background Noise - How To Use A Noise Gate Filter Correctly!

Updated: Mar 7, 2021

Increase the audio quality and clarity of your stream by using a noise gate audio filter correctly.

How Will A Noise Gate Help My Stream Audio?

Having quality audio setup is crucial for streamers and youtubers. Your audio is the single most important part of your stream without it interacting with viewers and chat is almost impossible. Running a noise gate is a great way to filter out any unwanted audio issues. From dogs barking, to kids crying, to loud cars or motorcycles driving by, a properly set up noise gate can keep these kinds of unwanted background noise from getting picked up by your mic.

What Are The Close and Open Threshold Settings For?

When you have added your filter to your broadcast settings there are two settings we want to look at. Close threshold and Open threshold. The Close threshold means whenever there is a sound below that number it will not be picked up. Likewise the Open threshold means whenever there is a sound above that number it will not be picked up. From my experience the default settings we're pretty good, but keep in mind that different sound and room setups may mean you need to fine tune your settings or setup to get the most from your audio.

What Are Attack Time, Hold Time, And Release Time Used For?

The other three settings on your noise gate are Attack Time, Hold Time, and Release Time. Attack time refers to how long it takes the noise gate to go from closed to fully open. Hold time refers to how long the gate will stay open after the signal falls below the threshold and before the release period is commenced. Release time refers to how long the noise gate takes to change from open to fully closed. Keep in mind you may need to play around with these settings and test your audio and noise gate to make sure everything is working properly.