How do gaming channels use condenser microphones without having their keyboard and mouse clicks in skype calls and videos?

Question

I just got a blue snowball and it picks up pretty much everything in the room. I understand that many of the youtubers and streamers have sound dampening, but some do not and seem to still be able to play fine.

I've been searching all around and was not able to find how they do it.

Answer 1

3 things will give you the biggest advantage

1. Directional microphone cardiod pattern being the best for this scenario
2. Quiet keyboard - sounds silly but there are keyboards that are much quieter than others
3. Gate - a piece of equipment that mutes the sound when it's below a certain threshold or volume. i.e. when you aren't talking it's muted.

Personally I've found that Dynamic vs Condenser microphones pick up far less because their sensitivity is usually lower. This is why often the "headset" mics work well in only picking up the voice and nothing else.

Another factor in this particular scenario that can also make a large difference is background music. If there is music fed into the stream/video it will likely cover over many background noises provided they aren't very loud.

Answer 2

Probably a directional microphone...point it at your mouth and put it as close to you as you can, then turn down the volume until the clicks are not too distracting. I believe the blue snowball is switchable between omnidirectional (will pick up everything) and cardioid (will pick up what's in front of it).

Perhaps moving it from your desk to a stool next to your sitting position or something could help.