audiorecordingSL

It is important to capture as much information or occurrences as possible. We are not only aiming to capture voices from the dead but instead any sound that can help prove or disprove an unexplained event. For this purpose I’m not going to make references to EVP (being electronic voice phenomena) but instead use the term CAP (captured audio phenomena).

There are many items that can be used, and with care you can get great results from all of them. I’m going to cover some of these and split them into two camps Digital and Analogue.

Cassette recorders, Multi track recorders, Dictaphones (tape), Video recorders and camcorders that use tapes.

Mobile phones, Dictaphones (tape), Mini disk, CD, DAT, Computers, ADAT.

All of the above can record audio, however analogue and digital are different creatures and as such should be treated appropriately when examining your CAP. Analogue recorders can create their own noise from tape hiss to the sound of the workings of the recorder itself, while digital tends to be silent and sharper.

Cassette recorder, Dictaphone (tape), Video recorders

Pros: Cheap, easy to use, generates its own ‘white noise’, and it is a traditional method.

Cons: Needs tapes which can be hard to find and buy, will record its own noises which could easily be mistaken for phenomena, extremely hard to review results digitally, more prone to interference.

It is claimed that the hiss, or white noise, generated by these types of recorders, aids in spirit recording allowing the paranormal phenomena to some how manipulate the ‘white noise’ into words or sentences in order to communicate.

If you want to carry a recorder with you as you move between locations there is still a tape based dictaphone on the UK market: the Olympus S711. For around £20, it is small, simple to use and very effective. It is the UK equivalent to the one used by Chris Fleming on Dead Famous.

Unless you are using an analogue recorder specifically for the noise it generates, it is worth considering getting a plug-in, external microphone. If you place the microphone away from your recording device, it will cut down on the noise pollution from the machine.

If you choose to use an analogue recorder for its white noise, then it is worth doing a control recording beforehand. Studying this recording will familiarize you with the normal recording sounds of the device (pops, hisses, clunks etc), and therefore help you eliminate them from your investigation recordings.

Dictaphones (Digital), Computers (running recording software), Mobile phones.

Pros: Very long constant recording times, Easy to retrieve recordings for analysis, Hiss free.

Cons: None that are relevant to the investigator

Using this type of medium will give you hiss free, crystal clear reproduction. Again there are a few types but digital dictaphones, such as the Olympus VN-3100 PC or equivalent, are great for their ease of use, ability to record for hours and simplicity when it comes to analyzing your recordings.

If you purchase a digital dictaphone its worth every penny to pay a little more and get one with a USB connection so you can transfer the sound files to your computer.

Digital dictaphones are ideal for leaving in ‘locked off’ investigation areas. Because of their long record time, you can be sure they will be recording your chosen location for the entire investigation, therefore cutting down the risk of contaminating your evidence by having to enter the area to check or change tapes.

MD (mini disk) CD (compact disk)

Pros: Hiss free, clean, high quality recordings,

Cons: Limited recording times, harder to transfer recordings to a computer than other digital recorders, an added expense of buying CDs and disks.

To increase the usage times of these types of recorders it is worth using them in the long play mode if it is available on your machine.

While conducting these types of experiment, it is fairly common for people to walk around locations holding the recording device in their hand. With this in mind, you may find your recordings will be contaminated with noise from your handling, the wind, and your footsteps. It will be hard to determine the natural location noises from any paranormal ones when you listen to your recording later. If you do need to hold your device then consider wearing a woolen glove or using a soft cloth to hold your recorder to cut down handling noise.

Describe where you are and location details as you start your recording, such as ‘ground floor room 3, standing next to fire place that has a slight draft, door closed, room has slight echo’. Also be sure to state any normal causes for noises you are aware of during your recording e.g. ‘I have just walked across the room’ or ‘That was Mat coughing’ etc. Take photographs of surrounding location and keep them together with your recordings as it may help to look back at the area when you are analyzing causes for unexplained noises.

Another idea is to place a recorder in each room / location, and let them continually record, just be sure to state loudly when you enter the area and who is with you. This saves you from having to carry this equipment with you and also means you are capturing any events that may be happening before and after your experiments.

For external microphones, be aware of what type you are buying and how they pick up sounds. Directional microphones (cardioids), will pick up sounds coming from directly in front of it but much less so those to the sides or from behind. Boundary microphones (omni), will record sound from all around.

If you are using external microphones be mindful of where you place them. Drafts, vibrations, etc can contaminate your evidence. Consider placing your microphones inside a sponge to help eliminate these things.

There are many programs that will enable you to edit digital audio files. They generally show your file in a wave format and allow you to see areas of silence and sound. This helps cut down the time of data analysis as you don’t have to listen to the whole recording – just the areas of interest. They also enable you to cut out those areas and save them as a separate file for easy reference or sharing. As with any investigation, one of the first steps is to preserve your evidence in its original state, so save your original sound files as masters then make copies of them for editing

I’d have to recommend the Digital Dictaphone with a USB connection for most Paranormal Investigators. The cost versus reward is much better than alternative options. They are relatively cheap, they don’t need tapes or other media to record on to, and they can transfer your recordings directly to your computer for use with editing software.

For editing software, I would personally recommend one called Wavepad. It is a free program available from www.nch.com.au/wavepad/ and is widely used by paranormal investigation groups.

P.I.G.S. Spotlight - Audio Recording