EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, is what occurs when disembodied voices are heard on recordings with no scientific explanation as to how they got there. It is largely believed that these voices emanate from the spiritual realm. EVP can be a very useful tool in ghost hunting, allowing communication between the hunter and the ghost and helping to determine the reason for the haunting.

Making a quality EVP recording, however, can be difficult.  There are many everyday noises that can compromise the validity of the recording and, in some cases, render it useless. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional with fancy equipment in order to capture a quality EVP recording. You just have to have a reliable piece of recording equipment and the knowledge of how to avoid interference. 

The first rule of thumb, when making a recording for the purpose of picking up EVPs, is to make your recording in a space that is as free of noise as you can possibly make it.  Of course, some sounds are out of your control (e.g. traffic, wind rattling the windows, etc.), but what noise you can control, you must. Some common noise makers that you will want to eliminate from your recording space include television, radio, air conditioner/heater, telephone, pets, and other people.  Most importantly, don’t ever whisper!  Whispers can be easily mistaken for EVPs.

After you’ve secured a silent environment, you’ll want to ensure that your recording equipment is working properly by making a few test recordings.  Digital recorders are superior to tape recorders, for this type of recording, simply because there is no noise associated with their running.  Tape recorders, however, often have such sounds as whines, hisses, and knockings associated with the workings of their inner parts.  Such noises can compromise your recording if you don’t recognize them or aren’t familiar with them as being noises emitted from your recorder.  In that case, you should make your test recordings and listen to them, paying special attention to the sounds that your recorder is making, so that you will be able to properly recognize these sounds for what they are, later on.

Once you’ve done your test recordings, gotten your recorder primed, and have secured a silent environment, you’re ready to record.  In order to entice the spirit to speak to you, you’ll need to be an active interviewer. Ask questions and politely give the spirit time to respond to each one.  Be respectful and courteous with your questions just as you would a living person, always keeping an open mind.

When choosing equipment to listen to your recording on, keep in mind that some ethereal sounds are heard at frequencies that the human ear cannot pick up, but that can be listened to with special, computerized equipment. If you don’t hear anything straight from the recording, you may want to have it analyzed by a professional, to see if there are voices present at lower frequencies. If your recording yields nothing, don’t dismay. In some cases, ghost hunters are able to pick up EVPs on the first try. However, it more commonly requires a lot of waiting, a lot of tenacity, and a whole lot of patience. 

Whether you pick up an EVP right away or not, one thing is for certain: by following these guidelines and making a quality recording, you can be sure of the accuracy of your work and, in ghost hunting, accuracy is paramount.