Best Streaming Mixers

A streaming mixer gives you live, hands-on control of every audio source in your broadcast — mic, game, chat, music and alerts — with hardware faders and instant mute. Many add a hardware noise gate and voice effects, taking load off your CPU during a stream.

Mixers are part of the broader streaming equipment family. The stream-focused GoXLR is the best-known example of a combined mixer and interface. To plan the full rig, use the Creator Setup Builder.

What to look for

Independent source faders

A fader per source lets you duck game audio under your voice or mute music instantly, live.

Hardware voice processing

Onboard gate, compressor and de-esser clean your voice without software plugins or CPU cost.

Multiple mix outputs

Separate mixes for stream, headphones and chat give you precise control over what each audience hears.

Featured picks

GoXLR

7.4 / 10

Streamers who route game audio, chat, music, and mic on independent sliders

$499

Read review

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a streaming mixer do?

It routes and balances all your audio sources live — mic, game, chat, music — with hardware faders, and often adds a noise gate and voice effects in hardware.

Do I need a mixer to stream?

No. Many streamers mix in software. A hardware mixer is worth it when you want tactile, instant control and to offload processing from your PC.

Is the GoXLR a mixer or an interface?

It is both — a combined interface and stream mixer with faders, routing and onboard voice effects. See our GoXLR review for details.

Can a streaming mixer reduce keyboard noise?

Its hardware noise gate can cut keyboard clatter between words, and choosing a tight cardioid mic helps further.

Will a streaming mixer work for podcasting?

It can, but podcast-specific mixers focus on multitrack recording and per-guest monitoring, which suit voice recording better.