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| Equipment First off you want to make sure that you have the right equipment for recording. Take a look at our Audio Equipment Page. You don't need ALL of that stuff, but you WILL need a recorder and a microphone. You may also want a program to use to clean your recording up on your computer. Location Outside locations aren't impossible, but they're VERY problematic when recording E.V.P. There are too many uncontrollable noises. Wind, traffic, and other people, will constantly play havoc with your recordings. It can be so bad that if you should, by chance catch something on your recorder, there's no way that you can claim it to be paranormal. There are far too many other possibilities. Indoors are best, but understandably, they're not always possible. If you're going to record, make sure that it's in a location where you can account for EVERY sound.
Classification Of E.V.P. Once you've recorded and identified what you believe is an E.V.P, you have to decide whether or not it's worth anything to the field. There is a classification system for E.V.P.'s that is accepted by most investigators. Frankly, I don't think it's strict enough, so what I've done here is write up the system that I personally follow. Keep in mind, that this is my own, and it is not accepted by the paranormal community. The traditional system allows for more 'questionable' recordings to be considered evidence of something. I'm a hell of a lot more strict about what I call evidence. A lot of recordings that some call 'evidence', I would call a waste of tape. The system below reflects that stance on things. The bottom line that I want you all to know is that what I say isn't gospel or anything. This system is my own, use it if you wish, and I DO hope it can help somehow. It helps me filter out a lot of crap that many investigators wish to put forth as evidence. I truly believe if more of us were more strict about this, there'd be a lot less fuel for the cynics. Class A These are the best that any investigator can do. These are E.V.P.'s that are loud, clear, and understandable to pretty much everyone that listens to them. You don't even need headphones to understand these. Class B These are a bit harder to understand. When you listen to them, they're loud, and there's no doubt that you have something. Unfortunately it's hard to positively identify exactly what you have. This is where BIG problems begin in the field. The problem comes in the form of 'matrixing'. Somebody thinks that they heard a voice that says, 'help me'. They tell somebody about what they think that they heard, and that person says, 'yeah you're right, it says help me!' That person tells someone, and so on. Eventually, it gets to the point where the truth has been distorted so much by imagination that what's really there becomes impossible to discern. To those who capture Class B E.V.P.'s, I offer this advice. Accept them for what they are, and don't use your imagination to figure them out. Be happy that you got something, and TRY AGAIN at the same location, and using the same technique. Maybe you can get a Class A next time. Class C Class 'C', for crap. I don't mince words. These are crap, audio dookie if you will. These recordings are quiet and nobody can understand them with any degree of certainty. Naturally, you'll always have the matrixing factor where people will claim to know what the recording is saying. Pay no attention. They don't have a clue. Think for yourself. NOTE: Under the traditional E.V.P. classification system that MANY investigators and hunters follow, this is actually considered acceptable evidence. I do not agree. Cleaning & Filtering
Try that in court. Watch what happens to someone who tampers with evidence. I realize that this isn't a court of law, but I hope you take your work seriously enough to hold yourself to higher standards. The moment that you tamper with a piece of evidence is the moment that it can no longer be called evidence. With that said, what's evidence to one person may not be good enough for another, and vice versa. There's nothing wrong with cleaning and filtering your recordings as long as you're doing it for your own PERSONAL benefit. I suggest that you ALWAYS keep the original file so that you and others can compare it to your cleaned or filtered file. Also, if you HAVE to filter a recording to understand or hear anything, then it's NOT an E.V.P. A lot of investigators fall into this trap. They want to record an E.V.P. so badly that their judgment goes out the window. They actually end up CREATING an artificial E.V.P. using their software, and even believe that it's real. You'll also want to make note that if you hear a recording that has been filtered to the point that sounds almost robotic or mechanical, then regardless of what it may have been before, it is no longer an E.V.P. I've written a couple of software tutorials which you can read to help you filter your files for your own use. If you scroll up, you'll see a little box that says "Resources". The links to the tutorials are in there. Regardless of what's written in the tutorials, I want to stress a couple last ideas before you begin filtering. Start by playing around with the graphic equalizer on your player. You'll be amazed on how much clearer you can make a recording by turning down the bass or turning up the treble. You'll also want to note that this also is considered 'tampering'. Lastly, ALWAYS use the program to clean your file BEFORE you amplify anything. Otherwise, you'll be amplifying bad noise. I hope this page helped you out with your recordings. Good luck out there. |
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