Let me start by saying that I'm a believer in the cleanest audio possible when trying to capture EVPs. I don't agree with using white noise or using a recorder that adds a lot of hiss and background noise.

I've used the typical Olympus digital recorder since I started ghost hunting. An Olympus VN-3100PC to be exact. It's a decent recorder but it sure does add a lot of hiss even at the highest quality settings. Thanks to the help I received from Doug I decided to purchase a Blue Snowball USB condenser mic like his. I've used it at every investigation since and have had pretty good luck with it. It's sensitivity makes it very easy to distinguish various sounds and separate normal sounds from possibly paranormal sounds. The only problem is that I need to lug around a laptop to use it. Earlier this year I decided to look into upgrading our little Olympus recorder. I learned that you can buy a studio type, handheld recorder with built-in, stereo, condenser mics. They're not cheap but they're definitely worth it. They're slightly larger than a typical recorder but still small enough to fit into a baggy pants pocket. The one I bought was made by Tascam and I would venture to say that it's more sensitive and even cleaner than the Snowball mic, plus it's far more portable. Also, the fact that it records in stereo makes it much easier to figure out where a questionable sound might be coming from. I've already used that fact to distinguish a sound made by a fellow investigator in one instance and used it to distinguish a paranormal sound in another instance. Since I've been using it I've managed to record two clean EVPs.

In one investigation I used it to test the differences between it and our Olympus recorder. We had them right next to each other in the Star Of India in San Diego which had big, industrial type fans blowing because it was so warm. The Olympus audio was rendered completely useless due to the fan and wind noise. The Tascam, condenser recorder however was perfectly fine. The fan noise was loud but you could still hear and understand the other sounds and voices being recorded.

These recorders also record to memory cards so you won't run into that situation of having to dump your data onto a computer in the middle of a long investigation. They also offer multiple formats to record to and ours has a headphone jack on it so you can listen to what's being recorded. BTW, the higher sensitivity really comes across while using the headphones. You can hear people talking from farther away than with just your naked ears. lol!

Anyhow, I just wanted to make this suggestion to anyone who might be tired of hearing all these supposed EVPs that are completely garbled and could be anything. I think more people recording in higher quality will go a long way to getting more quality evidence out there.

Hi all,

I have captured an entity on video but it is EXTREMELY difficult to see because it is dark against a dark background. Does anyone know of a way that I can edit the video to help make out the being better? If you look VERY hard you can see that it is slightly darker than the night time horizon and can see a head, shoulders, arms, legs, etc. but it is just tough to see. There are two street lights in the distance and the figure blocks one of the lights out with it's leg a few times.

Thanks a bunch!

This may have been discussed already, but does anyone notice if there is more activity on Halloween or not? I am usually involved with traditional Halloween stuff on Halloween and not ghost hunting. I was just wondering if there was any truth to the thin veil on Halloween myth.

Nor the Great
Indiana Independent Ghost Hunter

“Ghosting and Red Bricks”

I have an annoying story and maybe a warning for the rest of the enthusiasts here in Indiana.
First off, the group I am lucky enough to be a part of has a member that is not mentioned enough, my new Jeep. Yes laugh, but I love my Jeep, and it is a great way to transport other members to locations far and near (Not to mention I am a camper=).
My story begins last Friday night as a small group of the team and I were out with perfect hunting weather. We had made our way out into the back roads to Main Street, a local interest, and were ready for an intense night of investigation.
After preparations a massive thud was heard by every member of the group, very odd, but I was horrified to discover the source.
Some “person” (I use that term loosely) had thrown a large red brick at the hood of my Jeep. The red brick which was now on the ground had bounced up and damaged my windshield. Needless to say explaining this to my insurance agency will be interesting.
Do not worry though the Jeep still says beep, and I have full coverage.

Thank you,

Nathan S. Frost

for those of you looking for a good audio editor for EVPs.

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Hi. I was wondering if anyone had a realyl good, easy to use/very friendly software program for editing audio recorded while ghost hunting. I have a really good digital audio recorder that hooks to my pc but no good software program so that I can clean up the recording so I can listen for any possible evp. Can someone help me?

I see many shows about spirits and ghosts that show people with electric field detectors searching for ghosts. can anyone point me to a website or link that gives an explanation of how this works? I mean what proof is there that ghost would create an electric field?

Everything I can find is just illogical conclusions. For example, investigator goes into the house with gadget and finds a field in the room that they were told the ghost haunted.

I took one around my house and found odd fields were I would not expect it. But no one in my house has every seen or heard anything spiritual.

Can anyone provide some good evidence?

You'll never use a trifield meter the same way again!

(Just for a second, I wish I could afford to hire Dr Ruth to say that line.)

Does anyone know where I could get my greedy little hands on a few of these. I'd like to build one of the gadgets as described at WorldITC.org but I can't seem to locate the key part. I would even settle for a reasonable substitute part of similar function.

Please help.

Thank you.

Check the weather...after a really warm almost spring like day a coupe of my friends decided we should check out an old cemetary close by so off we went..we thought we had everything we needed..but the warm spring day turned into a COLD winter night.We were way underdressed,and what should have been a fun outting turned into one of those"nights of horror"as we all tried to tough it out.Finally we gave up...So be sure to check the forcast..oh yeah and to pour salt on the wound,we didn't get anything on audio or video or stills(except for a few cold idiots standing a freezing cemetary)

Turns out Sundays guest was right. It's not always bit for bit when you use a usb connection.
Heres a link to a story about transfering digital audio to your computer.
Unexpected Manipulation

Ok guys....just wondering:
i've heard of people catching ghostly images with a camera and not seeing anything in the room (with their eyes) while snapping the photo. That's rather common, i guess.
I wonder about the inverse.....
Has anyone had an experience where they first "saw" an orb or appirition, or mist, etc., then photographed it, only to have nothing show up in the pic?
i know that is probably a more rare circumstance, but i was just wondering.

Has anyone attempted to catch images of ghosts(or even entitys) on TV/Computer screens? I haven't tried it yet but the factor of something that I may not want to know about living in my home turns me off. I probably will test it soon.

I've had a few interactions with Ghosthunters and other paranormal enthusiast and I'm always met with the same debate. Some say cemeteries are an ideal place to do a last minute ghost hunt, while others say they dont do cemeteries at all. I wanted to open this up for discussion and clear the air on where some of us stand on the issue. Feel free to post your opinions whether experienced or not, I'd really like to know how you feel about the issue.

In my experience, which goes back to my teen years, I honestly believe in the capacity of a cemetery to retain some paranormal energy. I believe, and I've heard psychic mediums speak on this issue, that our spirit stays with us up until the time of the funeral and our family and friends let us go so to speak. Now what if we have no family or friends to let us go? Or what if we were buried without a funeral? What if we had unfinished business and followed the family to the cemetery whereupon we lost our way or simply became trapped?

That would be the mystical side of my opinion, on a more physical level, I believe that the modern day casket itself has the power to become a sort of capacitor. If you think about it a simple electronic capacitor is nothing but foil and paper wound tightly into a roll, and becomes a storage unit for energy.

The main law of physics is "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transfered".

When you take into account the number of caskets in any given cemetery along with the insulating properties of the earth, you have one whopper of a paranormal battery! Sounds crazy I know, but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. It might explain all of the orb activity we get in these yards, energy leakage perhaps?

Please post up and let us know why or why not cemeteries are/arent a good idea!

I had this conversation in another forum before, and would like to know what you all think of this.

Personally, I feel calling what I do "ghost hunting" or labeling me a "ghost hunter" offending. The term "ghost hunter" implies that you are searching and tracking ghosts to kill them for your own pleasure or gain. What does an animal hunter do? Either for sport or for food (or clothing), kills animals. Is that what we do?
This day and age, people think of "ghost hunters" as thrill seekers. These people go to supposedly go to haunted places to "have that experience". Too many of these "ghost hunters" are out for two things, that thrill, or to become rich and famous. These people give paranormal investigators a bad name, because they break the law and have no regard for people and property, so that they may be able to accomplish their goals.

As a paranormal researcher, or investigator, I too go to supposedly haunted places in hopes to capture evidence of a ghost on camera or tape. But not for my own personal gain. My team and I do it so that we may be able to explain too people who are confused and scared as to what is really going on. We do it so that people around the globe may have a better understanding as to what these paranormal occurences truly are. We do it for you, and everyone else who knows there is something, but lacks the evidence to prove it to all the nay-sayers.

I hope I don't come across as too overbearing when it comes to this, but I truly do get offended when someone calls me a "ghostbuster". If it weren't for all the "hobby-hunters", as I call them, this science that we are involved in may become more mainstream much quicker.

your thoughts?

Hm.

I wonder, what equipment would be part of a comprehensive, no-holds-barred, 'Redneck Ghost Huntin'" kit?

All you need is a shotgun and a lawyer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060213/ap_on_go_pr_wh/cheney_hunting_accident

(Well, after all, who's going to miss another lawyer, anyway?)

Just curious as to see how many of you use or have or know someone who uses dowsing rods and their accuracy? Someone told me you can make your own, coat hangers and the like, so I brought out some tools and made a pair. Also curious too know if homemade or blessed purchased rods would work better. Any opinions?

~Orby