If you've done EVP work before, you know that it can be difficult to designate spirit voices through the background noise. This white noise might be the whirring sound of the tape wheels in an analog recorder or the static of the various radio stations from a ghost box. A ten minute recording can take hours to go through thoroughly if there is too much white noise.
Popular Opinion
Popular opinion states that spirits use the white noise frequency to bring their voices in and that recording EVP is not possible without this white noise. This is where testing things out for yourself is a good idea. Contrary to the popular opinion, excellent EVP can be captured without white noise using the proper recording device.
A Recorder without White Noise
There is a recorder that does not create audible white noise, yet does a fantastic job at recording EVP. The best part about using this recorder is that you can easily discern spirit voices without struggling to determine if you are hearing just the hiss of background noise from the recorder or some other sound like the rush of a car going by or the wind. This recorder is a Disc Recorder.
The recorded sound on the Disc Recorder is crystal clear. There is no audible white noise to interfere with hearing any messages you may have picked up, so even whispered messages come through clearly. Your listening time with a Disc Recorder is cut in half.
The Disc Recorder uses plastic discs which record up to eight hours of sound and can be used over and over again without worrying about previous recordings bleeding over. Many of them offer various tracks which means you can record on track one, track two, etc. and easily go back to a specific track to listen, not wasting time on rewinding and fast forwarding. You can also use the various tracks to keep track of locations you have visited, using a separate track for each place. The Disc Recorder is very compact and easy to carry. Disc Recorders are expensive but you can find some good bargains by searching around a bit.
Recorder Comparison
An analog recorder tends to have a lot of background noise from the wheels that run the tape. This makes listening somewhat of a bother, but if you believe the background noise is necessary, then this would be a good choice. Each side of the tape should only be used once to avoid previous recording bleed over.
A digital recorder has less white noise background sound, but also tends to distort the words spoken by a spirit. You can make this comparison yourself by using both an analog and a digital recorder in the same area. By doing this, if a spirit speaks, you will get what is said on both recorders. In listening back, you will find that the message is quite clear on the analog recorder, sounding like normally formed words, whereas the digital recorder tends to make the words sound digitized and the words come back a bit oddly to the ear. Sometimes the messages, though the same, sound completely different.
Another option is to use your computer to record EVP. The computer does not have a lot of white noise either, so it is much like using the Disc Recorder. Using an external microphone can be a good idea as long as you do not use one that filters out surrounding sound. These types of microphones do not tend to pick up EVP very well. The down side to using your computer is that it is much bigger than the previously mentioned recorders and tends to lose battery power much more quickly. This is obviously an issue if you are not recording somewhere that has electricity.
Recording Devices versus Time
The equipment you use to record EVP is important, but so is your time. If you have a recorder that puts out a great deal of white noise, it will take you a lot longer to go through a recording. This is especially important to consider if you plan to record for hours rather than getting ten minute recording snippets. Your decision on which recorder to use should be based on sound quality and how much time you have to listen back to your EVP recordings. If your time is limited, using the Disc Recorder or your computer would allow you to get quantity as well as quality.
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