In this guide, we share the best GoXLR mic settings for live streaming to ensure your voice sounds clear and intelligible over game noise, music, and other sounds featured in your stream.
Quick Answer: The best GoXLR mic settings for a live stream won’t make your voice sound its best, but they will help it stand out over game noise. You should aim to create clarity with EQ, reduce background noise with a noise gate, compress dynamic range with compression, and reduce harsh “S” sounds with the de-esser.
- GoXLR Audio Mixer: https://currentprice.io/goxlr
- Electro-Voice RE20 Microphone: https://currentprice.io/re20-black
GoXLR Recommended Microphone
We love using the Electro-Voice RE20 dynamic microphone with the GoXLR. It has all the benefits of a dynamic microphone:
- Rugged
- Good inherent noise rejection
The RE20 is comparable to the Shure SM7B but has a bit more clarity. For these reasons, the RE20 is our favorite microphone with the GoXLR audio mixer.
Best GoXLR Mic Settings Explained
As we walk you through our recommended GoXLR mic settings, we’ll explain what each feature does and why we recommend the settings we do.
That way, you’ll know to fine-tune your GoXLR mic settings to suit your voice and the other sound sources on your stream.
Best GoXLR Mic Gain Setting
Correct gain is the foundation for getting all of your settings dialed in, so it makes sense to start here. The aim is to have the green bar of the mic meter consistently in the middle of the “good” section when you’re talking comfortably.
Do not use a 1/8″ to XLR cable to connect to the headset input. You must use an XLR cable to use the good XLR preamp in the GoXLR.
With Jordan’s voice, a gain setting of 53 dB works well for our microphone. Using the GoXLR with the SM7B, a gain setting of 60-62 dB is not uncommon. Find the setting that works best for your voice-mic combination.
You shouldn’t need a Cloudlifter or in-line preamp with the GoXLR. The GoXLR has enough clean gain to power any dynamic microphone (assuming you have good mic positioning).
Best GoXLR Noise Gate Settings
Think of the noise gate as a tool that automatically mutes your microphone when you’re not speaking. It can be great for cutting down background noise in a less-than-ideal recording environment when you’re not talking.
The downside of a noise gate is that you can hear when it clicks in and out, especially if the settings are too aggressive. This can make it more distracting than the background noise! So if you’re recording a talking-head video or voice-over, turn this off.
That said, music, game noise, team chat, or other audio in your stream can mask this clicking, making a noise gate very useful. Let’s take a look at each of the GoXLR’s noise gate settings:
- Threshold: -55 dB to -50 dB
The volume at which you break the noise gate and open the microphone. If you set this too high, your voice will sound clipped and choppy. Our recommended setting means the noise gate will open up easily as soon as you start to talk. - Attenuation: 50%
Attenuation controls the extent to which your mic gets muted when the noise gate is in. A setting of 50% means the mic volume is halved instead of muted, leading to more natural-sounding transitions as the gate opens and closes. - Attack: 10 ms
We recommend leaving the attack at the default setting of 10 ms. This is the time it takes for the noise gate to go from closed to open. - Release: 200 ms
We recommend leaving the release at the default setting of 200 ms. This is the time it takes for the noise gate to go from open to closed.
Best GoXLR EQ Settings
For a talking-head video with no other audio, we recommend using a flat EQ profile most of the time. This accurately represents your voice and allows the tone of your chosen microphone to shine through.
That said, we have different EQ goals for live streaming. We’re not setting out to make your voice sound as full as possible; we want to make your voice clear and intelligible while creating space in the mix for other audio to exist.
Enable fine-tune
Expand the EQ control panel and enable the fine-tune option. This way, you can target the frequencies you’re adjusting more precisely.
High pass filter
- 30 Hz: -9
- 75 Hz: -3
- 100 Hz: 0
Building a high pass filter removes your microphone and voice from the subwoofer. This range of frequencies does nothing to aid the clarity of your voice. Let’s leave the game noise in the subwoofer, but take your microphone out.
Low-mid cut
- 250 Hz: 0
- 0.5 kHz: -2
- 0.7 kHz: 0
A low-mid cut at 400 Hz opens up the microphone, creating space for other instruments and audio. There is no real intelligibility in your voice in this range, so it’s a very common EQ adjustment for the sake of clarity. The GoXLR doesn’t allow direct targeting of 400 Hz, but we can get close.
Mid-high boost
- 1.5 kHz: 2
- 2.7 kHz: 2
- 4 kHz: 0
The key intelligibility of most voices lies in the 1.5 kHz – 3 kHz range, so an increase here helps with vocal clarity over competing noise in your live stream.
High cut
- 13.5 kHz: -3
Most vocal mics don’t have much to offer at 13.5 kHz, so a cut here makes some space in the mix for special effects, games, and music.
Best GoXLR Compressor Settings
The compressor’s goal is to narrow the dynamic range of your vocal audio. You can think about it as an auto-mixer for your voice. It will make your quietest moments a little bit louder and compresses your loudest moments so you don’t peak or distort.
Don’t over-compress. If you over-compress your microphone, it can remove all emotion and dynamic variation from your voice, leaving you sounding blocky and digital. Our recommended compressor settings will help you strike the right balance.
- Threshold: -15 dB
The Threshold is the volume at which the compressor kicks in. Our recommended setting means the compressor will start working when you exceed -15 dB. - Ratio: 3.2:1
The ratio determines how aggressively your audio is compressed when it goes over the threshold. Anything much higher than 3.2:1 can remove dynamic emotion. - Attack: 2 ms
We recommend leaving the attack at the default setting of 2 ms. This is the time it takes for the signal to be fully compressed after exceeding the threshold. - Release: 100 ms
We recommend leaving the release at the default setting of 100 ms. This is the time it takes for the signal to go from being compressed back to its normal level. - Make-up gain: 5 dB
This pushes the signal up into the compressor, keeping the volume of your voice in a tighter window.
Best GoXLR De-Esser Settings
The de-esser is an helpful tool that rounds off the frequencies that make mouth noises, and S sounds really grating to listen to. Using the de-esser makes it much easier for people to listen to you for prolonged periods.
We think that a de-esser setting of 50% sounds pretty good.
GoXLR Microphone Settings FAQ
What does a noise gate do on GoXLR
A noise gate will automatically mute your microphone until you “break” the gate by exceeding the threshold you set.
Will a noise gate reduce the hum on GoXLR?
A noise gate will mute your microphone so you can’t hear the background hum until you start speaking into your microphone again.
What is a de-esser on GoXLR?
A de-esser is a tool that you can use to reduce the “s” sounds in your microphone that can be annoying to listen to. It will make your microphone easier to listen to for long periods of time.
Best GoXLR Mic Settings | Featured Equipment Prices
- GoXLR Audio Mixer: https://currentprice.io/goxlr
- Electro-Voice RE20 Microphone: https://currentprice.io/re20-black
- Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro Headphones: https://currentprice.io/beyer_dt_990
- XLR Cable: https://currentprice.io/xlr_cable
- TRS Cable: https://currentprice.io/trs_cable
- Mic Stand: https://currentprice.io/desk_stand
- Rode PSA1 Boom Arm: https://currentprice.io/boom_arm
