Clean Up Your Microphone

A few minutes of processing turns a raw, roomy mic into a clear, broadcast-ready voice. The whole core chain you need for this — gate, EQ, compressor — is free, and it always runs in the same order: GAIN → GATE → EQ → COMPRESSOR → FX. Set it up top to bottom and each stage feeds the next a cleaner signal.

1. Set the gain first

SELECT your mic channel → HOME tab. Speak normally and watch the INPUT meter. Use the GAIN knob so peaks land healthily (around the upper-middle of the meter, not pinning the top). If the signal is so hot it clips even at minimum gain, switch on PAD (−20 dB).

2. Gate out the silence

The noise gate lives in the left dynamics panel. It mutes the channel when you're not talking — killing fan hum, keyboard clatter and room tone between words.

• Set THRESH just above your background-noise level: low enough that normal speech opens it, high enough that the silence stays shut.
• Keep ATTACK fast so word beginnings aren't clipped; a medium RELEASE (≈100–200 ms) closes smoothly.
• A little HYST (hysteresis) stops the gate "chattering" on quiet tails.

Test by going quiet — the gate should close — then talking — it should open instantly. (Full gate guide.)

3. Shape the tone with EQ

Open the EQ tab. A classic vocal cleanup:

• High-pass around 80 Hz — removes desk rumble and pops without thinning your voice.
• A gentle cut near 250–400 Hz if the mic sounds boxy or muddy.
• A small lift around 3–5 kHz for presence and intelligibility.
• A touch of air above 10 kHz if it sounds dull.

Use the Vocal or Podcast built-in preset as a starting point, then adjust. (Full EQ guide.)

4. Even out the level with the compressor

The compressor (left dynamics panel) keeps you at a steady volume whether you lean in or sit back.

• RATIO ≈ 3:1, THRESH set so the meter shows just a few dB of gain reduction on your loudest words.
• Medium ATTACK (let consonants through), medium RELEASE.
• Turn on AUTO makeup (or raise MAKEUP) to bring the level back up after squashing.

(Full compressor guide.)

5. Optional polish (Premium)

For tougher problems, add an FX insert on the FX tab:

• Noise Suppressor — erases constant hiss, fan or air-conditioning that a gate can't touch while you're speaking.
• De-esser — tames harsh "s" and "sh" sounds from bright microphones.

These are Premium effects. (Effects reference.)

6. Save it

Once it sounds right, save each piece as a preset — the gate, EQ and compressor panels each have a Save as… field — so you can recall your polished voice on another mic any time. To keep the whole setup together, snapshot it as a scene. (Presets.)