Zoom H2
Digital Audio Recorder
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 The
H2 is a true audio recorder. The other recorders we use
are designed for voice, whereas the Zoom is designed for
music and other audio. The microphones are spaced out
to give it 360° of detection and can also be used in a
90° front mode or 120° rear mode. It has a very wide
frequency range, is extremely sensitive, and clear. We
have had a lot of success with this recorder. The
sensitivity and lack of background noise have made it
much easier to analyze EVP that were picked up by other
recorders running concurrently but were not clear enough
to understand. We have also picked up quite a few
that were simply too low to be heard over the background
noise of any other recorder.
While being very large in file size, the ability to
record in WAV format means nothing will be lost or
contaminated due to compression. It can also record in
MP3 format in bitrates up to 320 kbps. Overall, it is a
versatile piece of equipment that is very useful to have
during recording sessions.
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Panasonic
RR-QR80
Digital Voice Recorder |
 The
QR80 is an older audio recorder that, for whatever
reason, is said to be excellent for picking up some
types of EVP.
This particular recorder was donated by
Adam Blai to a charity
auction at the Stanley Hotel
in April 2007. It has only 15 minutes of recording
time on high quality so it is best used sparingly.
The lack of recording space makes it a good candidate
for using the voice activated system.
The usefulness of VAS is a matter of preference and
misconceptions. Some say that it might not pick up on
everything and that may be true in some cases. However,
there is no reason why an EVP on a
frequency below our hearing threshold would not
be picked up by VAS. This also makes it useful to
leave sitting for long periods of time when you don't
want the additional 12 hours of audio to review.
If you leave it in a quiet room for 12 hours and it
fills up those 15 minutes with paranormal activity,
you're already going to have an astounding enough find.
We tend to use our other recorders for full sessions and
reserve this one for VAS or quick sessions.
One of the misconceptions about VAS is that it cuts off
the first syllable of the word that activates it. We
have tested this numerous times and it is absolutely not
true for a digital recorder. The reason why is
that it sits in a passive mode with a small buffer so that when something activates it,
the audio from before it happened is still in the
buffer. Once it stops detecting anything, it keeps
recording for around 2 seconds to make sure nothing is
cut off. |
Sony ICD-P320 &
ICD-P520 Recorders
Digital Voice Recorders |
 These
are our main recorders for use during EVP sessions.
They are virtually identical, with the main difference
being the 520 having a much larger storage capacity.
Unlike the QR80, these allow us to listen live with
headphones as we record. This may allow us to
hear some EVPs as they happen, and even if not, having
the headphones already there makes reviewing on the spot
a simple task.
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Sennheiser PX-100
Headphones
Collapsible Open-Air Headphones |
 These
headphones are very easy to carry around but are also
somewhat noisy due to being open-air in nature.
Their main advantages are very light weight and being
collapsible to around
the size of a glasses case. They are very
convenient for live monitoring of EVP sessions or quick
reviews before a full scrutiny is performed at a later
date.
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Sennheiser HD-280
Headphones
Closed-Ear Headphones |
 The
HD-280 headphones are the headphones we use to review
all of our audio in detail, from our
FLIR recordings to
our EVP sessions. They close around the ear in
order to eliminate all but the loudest background noise
and enhance perception of more subtle noises that may be
subconsciously dismissed with open-air headphones.
They can be a bit too bulky to use in the field and
uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time, but they
are invaluable when it comes to reviewing. |
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