"WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT... EVP" > Page 1, 2, 3

How you can do it

Anyone can experiment with EVP. You don't need expensive equipment, special knowledge or psychic abilities. All you need is a tape recorder, new, previously unused audio tapes, and perhaps a good quantity of patience.

You can try to pick up EVP by recording radio "white noise" or directly by recording sound at a location such as a cemetery or old house. 

• Most researchers suggest using a cassette recorder that has a remote microphone; that is, one that connects to the recorder by wire. This is preferred to an in-machine condenser microphone on the recorder because it is more likely to pick up motor noises from the recorder itself.
• Buy name-brand audiocassettes (not the cheap-o, no-name kind) to ensure quality. Tapes that are labeled "normal" are fine, but many researchers recommend using "high-bias" tapes for best results.
• To use the radio method, tune the radio between stations where you can hear only static or "white noise." Be sure there are no distant stations coming through, however faintly. Make sure the room is otherwise quiet with no TV sounds in the background, people talking in the house or other audible distractions.
• To use the direct method, take your equipment to the cemetery or other location where you think you might pick up EVP. Make sure the location is as quiet as possible with no traffic noises in the background to interfere with your session.
• If your recorder has a counter, reset it to zero.
• Begin recording and announce the date, time and location.
• Record for a few minutes. Some researchers say you should even announce that you wish to communicate; ask them to speak to you. You can even ask questions every minute or so. Record for a few minutes.
• If you're on location, try different spots, keeping a record of where you are and what the counter number is when you begin at that spot.

Later you can listen to your playback and see if you captured any EVP. Rewind the tape, of course, and listen carefully to your sessions. You may need to turn up the volume a bit because the voices can sometimes be faint. You may not succeed the first time. Try it at different times and at various locations. It might take several attempts before you succeed, although there is no guarantee of success.

When you hear what you think might be an EVP voice, make a note of the counter number so you can easily return to it. Listen carefully to what it might be saying. Before you declare it to be an actual EVP, be sure you rule out any other explanation: real voices in the background, radio transmissions, etc. Be skeptical. You want to be as certain as possible that you have a genuine EVP.

Keep a journal of your recordings. Present them or send them to researchers who have experience with EVP for their opinions.

If you succeed and can transfer the recordings to computer format (such as .wav files), you can send them to me via e-mail for inclusion in a future article. It would be very interesting to hear what readers might have picked up. Was the voice familiar? Did it respond to your questions or otherwise seem that it was aware of your presence?

EVP is a fascinating, mysterious phenomenon quite worthy of research and experimentation. Let me know about your results.  

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