Last updated: 2026-01-10

For most creators in the US, the simplest and most reliable path is to run your live show in StreamYard, use its built-in audio controls, and (if needed) feed in pre‑processed audio from a hardware or virtual mixer. When you truly need a full software equalizer chain, desktop tools like OBS or Streamlabs can host VST plugins and send that processed audio into StreamYard.

Summary

• StreamYard is a browser-based live studio with echo cancellation, noise reduction, stereo and other mic controls, but not a built-in multiband EQ. (StreamYard)
• OBS and Streamlabs Desktop can host VST2.x plugins, which is how many creators add detailed EQ and audio processing. (OBS)
• A practical setup for most people is: tune your sound with a hardware or virtual mixer, then send that single, great-sounding feed into StreamYard.
• StreamYard’s ease of use, guest experience, and multistreaming on paid plans make it the best default studio for talk-style shows, webinars, and interviews in the browser. (StreamYard)

What are you really asking for when you want “audio mixer and equalizer”?

When people search for “streaming software with audio mixer and equalizer,” they’re usually asking three things in disguise:

1. Can I make my voice sound clear and professional?
2. Can I balance multiple sources (mic, guests, music, screenshare) without clipping or chaos?
3. Can I do this without becoming a full-time audio engineer?

You can absolutely get there—but the right tool depends on how deep you want to go.

For most non-technical hosts—pastors, coaches, small business owners, solo creators—the winning combo is:

• StreamYard as your live studio (layouts, guests, multistream).
• Simple built-in processing (echo cancellation, noise reduction, stereo, automatic mic controls) plus, if needed, a hardware or virtual mixer doing the EQ before it ever hits your studio. (StreamYard)

If you love tweaking bands and plugins, you can add OBS or Streamlabs Desktop into the chain—but that should be a conscious choice, not the default.

How does StreamYard handle audio mixing today?

StreamYard runs entirely in your browser, so there’s no software to install for you or your guests. That’s a huge win for non-technical panels and interviews—people consistently tell us that guests “can join easily and reliably without tech problems” and that it “passes the grandparent test.”

On the audio side, StreamYard focuses on sane defaults plus a few key toggles, not a mixing console full of knobs. Today, you get:

• Echo cancellation
• Background noise reduction
• Stereo audio
• Automatic mic level controls

Those options run in the browser to keep your signal clean and intelligible without extra setup. (StreamYard)

Under the hood, StreamYard can already juggle multiple mics, screenshares, and video clips in one show, and you can host up to 10 people in the studio plus backstage participants, which covers most talk shows, panels, and webinars.

For mainstream use—“my mic sounds good, my guest is clear, my music isn’t blowing people out”—that’s usually enough.

Does StreamYard include a built-in equalizer?

Short answer: no, not a multiband EQ UI you can drag around inside the studio. StreamYard “does not document a built-in multi-band equalizer today.” (StreamYard)

Instead, we lean into a different philosophy:

• Keep the live studio simple and stable.
• Let power users pre-shape their audio in tools built for mixing and EQ.
• Make it easy to route that processed signal into StreamYard.

In practice, that looks like:

• Using a USB interface or mixer (e.g., with basic EQ on your mic) and choosing that device as your mic in StreamYard.
• On Windows, using Voicemeeter as a virtual mixer to combine and EQ sources, then sending that single output into StreamYard; our help docs walk through this workflow. (StreamYard)
• On macOS, using tools like Loopback or similar to route app audio and processed inputs to one virtual device, then selecting it in StreamYard. (StreamYard)

For most readers, this separation is a plus: your show stays easy to run, and you only add complexity in one place (your audio chain) if you really need it.

When do OBS or Streamlabs make sense for EQ and plugins?

If you’re specifically asking for parametric EQ, de-essers, multiband compression, or full VST chains, you’re in the territory where desktop encoders are useful.

• OBS Studio supports many VST 2.x plugins via its VST filter system, which is how creators add equalizers and other processing at the source level. (OBS)
• That same doc notes important limits: VST1.x, VST3, and shell-style plugins are not officially supported in current builds, so you’re working within the VST2.x universe. (OBS)
• Streamlabs Desktop layers a friendlier UI on top of an OBS-style workflow and includes built-in audio filters like Gain, Noise Suppression, Noise Gate, Compressor, and Limiter, which cover many common tuning needs. (Streamlabs)

Here’s the catch: both OBS and Streamlabs are installed desktop apps. You’re managing scenes, encoders, plugin compatibility, and system performance. Many creators in our community tried OBS first and found it “too convoluted,” then switched to StreamYard for the ease of use.

A balanced approach that works well in practice:

• Use OBS or Streamlabs as a “pre-processor” for your audio only, or as a full scene encoder once you’re comfortable with the complexity.
• Then either:
  • Stream directly from those apps to your platform(s), or
  • Send their processed output into StreamYard as an RTMP source or virtual audio device, and still enjoy StreamYard’s guest links, layouts, and multistreaming.

That way, you only pay the complexity cost where it truly matters: your sound.

How does Restream Studio compare on audio controls?

Restream’s browser studio is another option in this space. Its audio settings include:

• Mic selection and simple level controls
• Echo cancellation and noise reduction options
• A high-resolution audio toggle that increases performance up to 256 kbps. (Restream)

Like StreamYard, Restream Studio focuses on toggle-based controls, not a full graphic EQ panel. It’s oriented toward multistream reach and unified chat across many destinations, with plan-based limits on how many channels you can hit at once. (Restream)

For many US creators, though, the trade-off is straightforward:

• If you mainly care about going live quickly with guests on a few major platforms (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, maybe Twitch), StreamYard’s browser studio and multistreaming on paid plans are usually enough. (StreamYard)
• If your top priority is reaching many niche platforms at once, Restream’s wider multichannel focus might be useful—but that’s a smaller, more advanced audience.

What’s a simple, practical setup for most US creators?

Let’s put this together with a realistic scenario.

You’re a coach, pastor, or small business owner in the US. You want to:

• Host weekly live sessions on YouTube and Facebook.
• Bring on remote guests without tech drama.
• Have your mic sound warm and controlled.
• Avoid buying racks of hardware or spending weekends in audio forums.

A practical stack:

1. Use StreamYard as your main studio.
   • Run it in Chrome, share a simple invite link with guests.
   • Turn on echo cancellation and noise reduction if you’re not on headphones.
2. Add a basic hardware interface or USB mic with onboard EQ or tone presets.
   • Set it once, save it, forget it.
3. (Optional) Use Voicemeeter (Windows) or Loopback (macOS) as your virtual mixer.
   • Route your mic and any music or app audio through it.
   • Apply light EQ/compression.
   • Select that virtual device as your input in StreamYard. (StreamYard)

You end up with:

• Clean, consistent audio every week.
• Guests who join in two clicks without downloads.
• A show that looks and feels professional, with branding, overlays, and multistreaming handled for you.

When—and only when—you feel limited by that setup, you can explore OBS or Streamlabs for deeper plugin chains. But most people never need to go that far.

What we recommend

• Default choice: Use StreamYard as your main live studio, turn on the built-in audio processing, and keep your workflow simple.
• When you need EQ: Add a hardware or virtual mixer (Voicemeeter/Loopback) to pre-shape your audio, then feed that signal into StreamYard.
• When to add desktop tools: Bring in OBS or Streamlabs only if you truly need VST-based equalizers and are comfortable with more technical setup.
• Focus on outcomes, not knobs: Your audience cares about clear, reliable sound and a smooth show more than they care which plugin chain you used to get there.