Clacky keyboards and clicky mice are satisfying to use and grating to listen to when every keystroke machine-guns through your stream. Because typing happens while you talk and travels through both the air and your desk, it takes a combined approach to tame: quieter hardware, smart isolation, mic technique, and light software cleanup.
Two paths the noise takes
Keyboard and mouse noise reaches your mic two ways. Airborne noise is the click sound traveling through the air into the capsule. Structure-borne noise is the vibration of typing traveling through the desk, up your boom arm, and into the mic as thumps. Effective fixes address both, treating only one leaves the other audible.
Why gates alone fail
A noise gate cannot help much here because the clicks happen while you are speaking, when the gate is open. You have to reduce the noise itself and stop it reaching the capsule, rather than relying on muting between words.
Fixes by path
| Fix | Path targeted | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Quieter switches / dampeners | Airborne | High |
| Desk mat under keyboard/mouse | Structure-borne | High |
| Dynamic mic, close, aimed away | Airborne | High |
| Shock mount + off-desk arm | Structure-borne | High |
| Light noise suppression | Residual airborne | Medium |
Quiet the source
If you are buying, silent or tactile switches, or adding O-ring dampeners and foam inside the case, dramatically cut keyboard clack. A quieter mouse with silent switches helps too. A thick desk mat under both keyboard and mouse absorbs impact noise and stops it transmitting into the desk, one of the cheapest, most effective changes you can make.
Use mic type and placement
A dynamic microphone used close (a few inches away) with lower gain captures far less of the room, including your keyboard, than a sensitive condenser sitting further back. Position the mic so its rear (least sensitive side) faces your keyboard, and keep it close to your mouth so your voice dominates. This positioning alone can push clicks well into the background.
Break the desk path and finish in software
Mount the mic in a shock mount and, if typing thumps still transfer, move the boom arm to a wall mount or weighted stand so desk vibration bypasses it. After the physical work, a light touch of noise suppression in OBS cleans up the faint remaining clicks without making your voice sound processed. Physical first, software last.
Choosing quieter gear thoughtfully
If you are shopping, switch type is the biggest lever for keyboard noise. Linear and silent-tactile switches, especially with factory or aftermarket dampening, are dramatically quieter than clicky switches. Adding a foam or sorbothane layer inside the case and O-rings under the keycaps further deadens the sound. For mice, models with silent switches eliminate the sharp click that cuts through commentary.
Technique while streaming
Small habits help too. Typing a little more gently, lifting rather than slamming keys, and keeping the keyboard toward the mic’s least-sensitive rear side all reduce pickup. Positioning your dynamic mic close to your mouth lets you lower the gain, which shrinks how loud the keyboard sounds relative to your voice, the single most effective free change.
How much software cleanup is too much
Noise suppression can shave off residual clicks, but pushing it hard to mask loud typing introduces watery artifacts and makes your voice sound processed and distant. Use it as a final light polish over a setup that is already physically quiet. If you find yourself cranking suppression to hide clicks, go back and fix the source and placement instead.
FAQ
Will a noise gate remove keyboard sounds?
Not while you are talking, the gate is open then, so clicks pass through. Reduce the noise physically and with mic technique instead; use suppression only for residue.
Does a desk mat really help?
Yes, a lot. It absorbs the impact of typing and clicking and stops that vibration from traveling through the desk into your boom arm and mic.
Can a noise gate remove keyboard clicks?
Not effectively, because clicks happen while you are talking, when the gate is open, so they pass straight through. A gate only mutes noise during silence between words. The real fixes are physical: quieter switches, a thick desk mat to absorb impact, a close-miked dynamic mic aimed away from the keyboard, and a shock mount. Use light noise suppression only for the faint residue after those steps.
Bottom line
Attack keyboard and mouse noise on both paths: quieter switches and a desk mat for airborne and impact noise, a close-miked dynamic mic aimed away plus a shock mount and off-desk arm for structure-borne noise, then light suppression for the rest. Gates alone cannot save you here.
