What do the OBS noise gate settings actually do?

Two thresholds run the whole show: Open (how loud you must be to unmute the mic) and Close (how quiet it gets before re-muting). OBS defaults sit at -26 dB open / -32 dB close — a sensible start, tuned from there against your own meter.

Noise gate or noise suppression — which do I need?

Different jobs, best together: suppression scrubs noise while you talk; the gate guarantees dead silence while you don’t. Keyboard clatter between sentences is gate territory; fan hum under your voice is suppression territory.

Why does my gate cut off the start of my words?

Open threshold too high (or attack too slow): quiet first syllables don’t clear the bar. Lower Open a few dB and nudge attack faster until soft speech opens it reliably.

OBS noise gate: the two-slider setup that ends keyboard bleed

The gate is the cheapest win in stream audio: two thresholds, zero CPU drama, and the silence between your sentences finally stays silent. Here’s the five-minute version that actually holds.

BUILD 2026.07.30paths & prices verified vs vendor docsby the Loadout Audio squad

Add it, chip by chip

Right-click mic source→Filters→+→Noise Gate

Separate noise gate filter with open/close threshold sliders. The two sliders are the whole instrument; everything else is trim.

The two-slider method

Find your floor. Sit silent, hands on keyboard, fan on — watch your mic meter in the OBS mixer. That resting level is your room’s floor.
Close threshold: just above the floor. Floor at -45 dB → Close around -40. The gate now shuts on room alone.
Open threshold: just below your quiet voice. Speak at your actual muttering-at-teammates volume, note the meter, set Open a few dB under it. Defaults (-26/-32) fit a lot of setups; your meter beats the defaults.
Test like you play. Type furiously while silent (should be muted), then speak mid-clatter (should open instantly). Adjust in 2 dB steps, one slider at a time.

Order and manners

Gate goes after suppression in the filter chain — let RNNoise lower the floor first and the gate’s job gets easy. And mind the squad’s ears: a gate only governs your stream mic; your Discord path has its own input sensitivity doing this exact job — set it deliberately instead of letting auto decide.

When a gate is the wrong tool

Constant noise under your voice (fan, hum) sails straight through an open gate — that’s suppression’s job. And co-streams with quiet talkers fight gates all night; fix distance and levels first via the mic basics in the stack guide.

Lobby questions

What do the OBS noise gate settings actually do?: Two thresholds run the whole show: Open (how loud you must be to unmute the mic) and Close (how quiet it gets before re-muting). OBS defaults sit at -26 dB open / -32 dB close — a sensible start, tuned from there against your own meter.
Noise gate or noise suppression — which do I need?: Different jobs, best together: suppression scrubs noise while you talk; the gate guarantees dead silence while you don’t. Keyboard clatter between sentences is gate territory; fan hum under your voice is suppression territory.
Why does my gate cut off the start of my words?: Open threshold too high (or attack too slow): quiet first syllables don’t clear the bar. Lower Open a few dB and nudge attack faster until soft speech opens it reliably.