Originally Posted by: mavik The explanation is that you have two open mics and you would need an auto mixer that only opens the mic when talking. If you have two open mics next to each other they both catch the audio. You have to move the faders or automate this with an auto mixer. The other option is to isolate the two persons acustically.
You don't want to want to solve this with a traditional noise gate or riding the faders to simulate a traditional noise gate, because, assuming the levels are set properly for the speech of the wearers, the noise would still be present in the same volume while they're talking.
The best option is what the OP is looking to do--replace the mics with options better suited to the environment and circumstance.
But if you weren't doing that, you'd want to use EQ (either manually or via a noise removal/reduction plugin) to reduce or remove it to the best of your ability.
That way, the noise won't be audibly present whether you're talking or not.
If you can't remove it completely but can only decrease it, you can pair that with a gate, but a gate alone only solves part of the problem, and, in many cases, would sound worse than not gating it, as the sound noticeably starts and stops, even if you ride the faders to make it gradual.
But the place to start is in switching to a microphone that's better suited to the task, then reevaluate.
The linked headsets, for example, have condenser microphones, which may not be what you want in this situation. Something with a dynamic microphone may be more practical.
The minimum gain setting on a mixer or interface is almost never 0 with a granular increase from that to the max. It either starts at a higher number or it starts at 0 then immediately jumps, like faders do from negative infinity.
Condenser microphones usually need some gain, just not a lot of gain. A lot of mixers/interfaces will, in my experience, go past that sweet spot from the get go.
Dynamic microphones need a lot more gain, which means it's a lot easier to dial it in if you're fighting against the minimum amounts.
The other thing to keep in mind is that cardioid/supercardioid/hypercardioid polar pickup patterns can be...unintuitive.
The narrower the pattern, the better it is at rejecting noise (including crosstalk) from the sides, with the caveat that it increases the pickup at the tail end of the microphone.
So the best mic for 2 people sitting next to each other won't necessarily be the best mic for 2 people facing each other.
Of course, that goes for the wearer's positioning in terms of any other source of noise as well.