Confused on Steam Play and Proton? Be sure to check out our guide.
Advice wanted: Reduce noise from PC when livestreaming
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
So I now have the Blue Yeti microphone, which is a lot better than the Superlux I was using.

I have replaced a fan on the back of my PC with a quieter one, and turned off the three fans on the front of my PC as they just aren't needed (temps still reasonable).

My problem is the Microphone will still pickup background noise of the PC fans when I am capturing video or livestreaming.

I can remove the noise for pre-recorded stuff, but not for livestreams.

Wondering what ideas you guys might have.
Noxes Apr 22, 2016
As I mentioned on your twitter (@NotActuallyJack here), those gaskets will help a lot, something else you can do which will help is get a mic windscreen, as it will act as a low-bias squelch. Another more extensive mod to cut the noise would be to get some thin rubber sheeting and attach it to the flat surfaces exposed on inside of case to help kill how much the sound can reflect around. If that STILL isn't enough, cut a few egg cartons in half and make an isolation screen, ie tape them to backing or side to side and place in front of case to act as brute noise barrier. Egg cartons on inside of hutch etc (case home) will also help as it will again cut down on reflected sound around sides of case from back fan.
Good Luck!
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
Noxes Apr 22, 2016
Yes, exactly.
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
Okay I've ordered that, for the price I can't really complain, if it even helps a bit it will be worth it!

I can't seem to find a gasket/cover that will fit my 140mm deep silence fan sadly, any idea where's a cheap place (in the UK) to order some of the washers from. You put them on the outside between the screw and the case right?
tuubi Apr 22, 2016
One extremely obvious but completely serious suggestion: Move the microphone farther away from the computer. Like to the other side of your desk. Even half a metre of extra distance might do wonders.
Noxes Apr 22, 2016
I'll look for a 140mm for you in a bit, is early morning for me (west coast US). But yeah, the gaskets go on side compression is coming from, so if you screw in from outside they go on that side, if you screw from inside they go between case and fan housing; goal is really just to keep vibrations in fan from becoming vibrations on case. If you buy the washers from a hardware store (they sell baggies of the cheap paper kind that work fine) it really doesn't hurt to have washers on both sides, between head of screw and case and between fan and case.
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
One extremely obvious but completely serious suggestion: Move the microphone farther away from the computer. Like to the other side of your desk. Even half a metre of extra distance might do wonders.
My pc sits to the right of my desk, my microphone is on top on the left of my desk, it's as far away as I can make it go.

Another problem is my PSU fan seems to be acting up, getting a fair amount of noise and vibration from it. Have sent an email to the PC maker about it.
tuubi Apr 22, 2016
Another problem is my PSU fan seems to be acting up, getting a fair amount of noise and vibration from it. Have sent an email to the PC maker about it.
I absolutely love my Corsair RM-series PSU. The fan only starts spinning when there's significant power draw, and my measly i7/GTX 960 setup has never actually managed to make it budge. The dust filter under it is always clean. :)
Segata Sanshiro Apr 22, 2016
Rubber washers for the case fan help a bit (and they're only a couple of pounds) as other have suggested. Depending on how the PSU is in there, you could add some to that too. Then bigger case fans are usually better in terms of noise.

With the PSU, it might be that your power consumption is too high for it. That's a part that if it's doing weird things, I'd definitely look into replacing. If that burns out, you risk your GPU and CPU as well.
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
The PSU is being replaced by the system builder, it's not due to power draw as I've used it extensively since last year when I got it (it's the correct power for the system).

Sadly my old silent PSU won't work with the type of case I have, as the power button is hooked up to a circuitboard, and it requires a specific connector that PSU doesn't have :(
poke86 Apr 22, 2016
WD Green hard drives for mass storage. Slow, but quiet.

If you're careful and don't mind voiding warranties, PSU fans can be replaced.
Liam Dawe Apr 22, 2016
I've also had two more ideas.

I'm going to get a vibration pad to sit the PC on, and possible something like that for the microphone (rather than a big shock mount and arm for the microphone, small desk) too. I reckon that + the windshield might help quite a bit.
Liam Dawe May 4, 2016
I got the Windshield btw, and there's literally zero difference.
wojtek88 May 5, 2016
I got the Windshield btw, and there's literally zero difference.
Have you considered that the problem may lie in microphone, not in the background sounds? Did you try to record with this microphone in some very silent room (for example on long cable or with some super silent laptop instead your monster PC)?
Liam Dawe May 5, 2016
I got the Windshield btw, and there's literally zero difference.
Have you considered that the problem may lie in microphone, not in the background sounds? Did you try to record with this microphone in some very silent room (for example on long cable or with some super silent laptop instead your monster PC)?
I am positive it's the PC fans.
gaardon May 15, 2016
have you tried to blacklisting the hdmi sound from the graphics card? i also had crackling noise until i blacklisted the hdmi sounds. might not be relevant but just a suggestion.
Liam Dawe May 15, 2016
It's fan noise, I assure you :)

I need to either

a) Box the pc in, but that increases heat and is a bad idea
b) find inventive ways to shield the microphone
c) buy cheaper fans (going with this to start with sometime in the next few months)

It's not too much of a problem now I have a quieter case fan at the back and my new PSU's fan only gets used under heavier load. That plus using a noise gate in OBS will help a lot.
gaardon May 15, 2016
You could buy a fan controller and control it manually mabye you will be able to find the sweet spot. i dunno the quiet fans has always seem to be more expensive where i live :P
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
Login / Register