Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most creators in the United States, the simplest background noise removal tool is the built‑in Reduce mic background noise and Echo cancellation toggles directly inside the StreamYard studio. If you are doing advanced routing or heavy post‑production, you can layer desktop tools like OBS and send their processed audio into StreamYard.

Summary

• Turn on Reduce mic background noise in StreamYard’s audio settings to clean up steady hums, fans, and room hiss without extra software. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Use Echo cancellation when you or your guests are on built‑in laptop mics or speakers, and turn it off for high‑quality mics or music. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Keep your setup lean: StreamYard runs in the browser and gives you simple audio toggles, so there’s no local filter rack to build unless you truly need it. (StreamYard Blog)
• Add OBS or other desktop tools only if you want custom filter chains like RNNoise or complex routing, and are comfortable managing the extra CPU load. (StreamYard Blog)

What does a background noise removal tool actually do?

When people search for a “background noise removal tool,” they’re really asking for one thing: How do I make my voice clear without fans, HVAC hum, or room hiss ruining the stream?

In practice, these tools look for sound that doesn’t change much over time—like a consistent fan or air conditioner—and reduce that while keeping your speech intact. StreamYard’s Reduce mic background noise toggle applies that kind of suppression directly to your microphone inside the browser studio, so you don’t have to install or configure anything. (StreamYard Blog)

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s good-enough clarity with minimal effort so your audience focuses on your message, not your environment.

How do you turn on background noise removal in StreamYard?

If you’re already using StreamYard, you have a background noise removal tool built in. Here’s the basic flow:

1. Enter your StreamYard studio.
2. Click Settings.
3. Go to Audio.
4. Check Reduce mic background noise.

The toggle instantly applies noise removal to that microphone input for your live stream and recordings. (StreamYard Help Center)

A few practical notes for US-based creators:

• You don’t need to download an app or buy a separate subscription just to cut fan noise.
• Hosts, co‑hosts, and admins can switch this on or off for guests, which is huge when you have a panelist calling in from a noisy office. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Because everything runs in the browser, guests only need a link; you do the audio cleanup from your side.

For many podcasters, coaches, nonprofits, and local businesses in the US, that one checkbox handles 80% of the noise problems they care about.

When should you use Echo cancellation in StreamYard?

Echo cancellation is often misunderstood as “another noise remover,” but it’s focused on a different issue: stopping your own voice from coming back through someone else’s speakers and into their mic.

In StreamYard, turning on Echo cancellation also adds noise suppression and automatic gain control to the signal. (StreamYard Help Center) That means:

• It helps when guests are on laptop speakers or earbuds with no proper monitoring.
• It smooths out some volume jumps, which is handy for casual guests.

You can toggle it in the same place:

1. Open Settings → Audio in the studio.
2. Check or uncheck Echo cancellation. (StreamYard Help Center)

When to keep Echo cancellation ON:

• Guests are using built‑in laptop mics and speakers.
• You’re hosting a community call, office hours, or casual Q&A with non‑technical participants.

When to turn Echo cancellation OFF:

• You or your guests use high‑quality microphones and headphones.
• You’re playing music, singing, or sharing detailed audio where processing artifacts would be noticeable. (StreamYard Help Center)

A simple rule of thumb: If you hear echo, turn it on. If you hear your music getting squashed, turn it off.

Will StreamYard noise removal affect soundboards or other playback?

This is one of the most common follow‑up questions.

StreamYard’s Reduce mic background noise is applied to the mic input that the browser sees. If your soundboard or computer audio is coming in as that same “microphone” source, the background noise removal may treat parts of that audio as unwanted noise, especially if it’s steady or low‑level.

For most US creators using virtual soundboards or music beds, a practical approach looks like this:

• Route your main voice through a clean mic.
• Keep music and soundboard effects at a healthy volume so they are clearly “foreground,” not faint background.
• Test a short segment with and without the noise removal toggle to hear how it behaves with your setup.

If you are running produced segments (like podcast intros) at full volume, they typically hold up well. It’s the very quiet, ambient layers that are most likely to get dampened.

How to feed OBS’s noise suppression into StreamYard?

Some creators want more control than a simple toggle—custom thresholds, separate filters per guest, or specific algorithms like RNNoise. Tools like OBS let you build those filter chains and then send the processed audio into StreamYard.

A high‑level workflow:

• In OBS, add your microphone as an input.
• Apply noise suppression filters (for example, RNNoise, which offers higher‑quality noise removal but uses more CPU). (StreamYard Blog)
• Use a virtual audio device on your computer as the OBS output.
• Select that virtual device as your “microphone” inside StreamYard.

This gives you fine‑grained control, but it also means:

• More moving parts to debug.
• Higher CPU use, especially with intensive filters like RNNoise. (StreamYard Blog)
• Less “send a link and go live” simplicity.

For US-based creators who value time and reliability over tinkering, starting with StreamYard’s built‑in toggles is usually the better trade‑off. Move to an OBS‑style chain only when you have a clear reason, like a complex studio environment or a dedicated production PC.

What should you know about browser compatibility and Firefox?

Because StreamYard runs in the browser, some audio features depend on what each browser supports.

Right now, the background noise removal feature is not available in Firefox. (StreamYard Help Center) If you’re on a Windows or Mac laptop in the US, you’ll get the full audio feature set—including Reduce mic background noise—by using a Chromium‑based browser like Chrome or Edge.

If Firefox is non‑negotiable for you, a couple of options:

• Use Echo cancellation alone in Firefox when that’s sufficient.
• Or, do your advanced noise removal in OBS or another desktop tool, then send the processed audio into StreamYard as described above.

Most creators simply open Chrome for production and keep their personal browsing in Firefox or Safari.

Do you really need extra subscriptions for clean audio?

Many people assume they need a stack of tools: one for streaming, one for recording, one for noise removal, another for routing.

In practice, StreamYard already combines live streaming, recording, multistreaming, guest management, and basic noise control in the browser. (streamyard.com) You can:

• Run full interview shows with remote guests just from a link.
• Record separate local tracks on paid plans for better post‑production, while still benefiting from the live noise removal for monitoring. (streamyard.com)
• Save time by not configuring a local filter rack for every new guest.

If you reach a point where your workflow truly demands desktop‑level control, you can layer that on top. But for many US-based podcasters, educators, small agencies, and churches, a single StreamYard subscription covers both video and the core audio cleanup they need.

What we recommend

• Start simple: Use Chrome or another supported browser, turn on Reduce mic background noise, and enable Echo cancellation for casual guests.
• Tune for quality: Disable Echo cancellation for high‑end mics and music, and consider local recordings on paid plans if you care about post‑production polish. (streamyard.com)
• Add tools only when necessary: Bring in OBS or other desktop processors if you have clear needs for custom filters and are comfortable with more complexity. (StreamYard Blog)
• Minimize subscriptions: Let StreamYard handle your live studio, recordings, multistreaming, and everyday noise control before you commit to extra apps or services. (streamyard.com)