RECORDING THEIR VOICES

Some of the creepiest evidence of paranormal activity are EVP's or "Electronic Voice Phenomena". This is the mysterious and often disturbing act of capturing the voices of spirits on an audio tape.

Much like photos of the paranormal, there are hundreds of examples of EVP's to scrutinize. They range from unrecognizable groans and mumbles to three hour long conversations.

Many scientists have studied this phenomenon and have not been able to explain it. I can't explain it other than this is yet another way for spirits to communicate with us. Frankly, I don't care how it works, I just know that it does and here is not only how to do it, but how to remain credible at the same time.

How do you do it?

Set down your recorder and relax. Settle down into your chair and get comfortable. Clear your mind and just sit still for a few minutes. You can say some sort of prayer if you feel like it, but it doesn't seem to affect the outcome at all.

Turn on some kind of background noise. Keep it pretty low, you don't want it to overpower the recording. Some suggestions are white noise (you know that fuzz you get when there's nothing on the TV or a particular radio station.), running water or even a vacuum cleaner. Anything
that will give you a steady stream of jumble.

This may sound weird but the spirits have a hard time creating any sound that makes sense. This is why people usually hear moans or groans. This takes a lot of energy to do. The background noise allows them to piece together sounds from the static to more easily form words. Plus, the
recorders are more sensitive than our ears. So, essentially, we are making it easier for them to talk.

Ok, now that you're comfortable and you've got some noise going, you can either just sit there, you can leave and see what turns up later or, you can start asking questions. Be sure to ask simple straight forward questions such as, What is your name?". And don't forget to leave a long
pause between questions so that the spirit has time to answer. Give them about three times as long as you would give a living person to answer.

When you're done with the recording, politely thank the spirit if you want to, once again this has no effect on the outcome of the recording. Then you can go home and listen to it.

How do you remain credible?

Just doing a few simple things can save you a lot of grief when trying to prove your recording.

Unplug anything you don't need to do the EVP. Almost everything that can be plugged in will make noise that will turn up on your tape, possibly fooling you into believing it is a ghost.

WHILE THE TAPE IS RECORDING, do the following:

When you first get to where you want to record, make every sound possible that could be mistaken for a spirit. Cough, breathe, scoot around, etc.

Next, have someone go into all of the surrounding rooms and talk at various volumes. Also, have them bang on the walls etc.

Announce that you are done with your comparative noises and begin your EVP.

Some general rules to follow when creating an EVP:

Don't use a crappy little recorder. Try to use something better. This isn't always possible. Even
a portable stereo has better recording capabilities than a walkman sized unit.

Use an external microphone. Any unit, no matter how nice it is, will put off some kind of
internal sound that will be picked up by the microphone. Steer clear of using the microphone that is mounted on the actual unit or you'll pick up the gears inside the unit that are
moving the tape. This kind of interference makes it VERY difficult to make out the voices.

Spend the extra two bucks and buy some high-quality tapes. Remember, this is what holds the valuable recordings. The better the tape, the clearer the sound.

Don't whisper. When you talk or ask questions speak loudly and clearly. Don't speak directly into the microphone because when you play back the tape you'll most likely have the volume cranked up so that you can hear every little sound. If you come cranking over the speaker at 50,000 decibels, your chances of ever hearing anything else again are slim.

Ask simple questions. Don't ask "How often did you think about going to your mother's house, and if it was often which days did you not do it?"

Use some background noise. Running water, white noise, vacuum cleaner... just make sure it doesn't dominate the recording. Remember, it's called BACKGROUND noise.

Get comfortable. The less noise YOU make the better.

Respect the dead. Be courteous to the spirits. Thank them for their help and try to help them once you've heard what they have to say.

Most of all, try and do it where there is spiritual activity, this will always increase your odds. Good luck, and happy hunting!
 

- Grant (TAPS)