An EVP recorder is an audio recorder used to investigate sounds that listeners interpret as electronic voice phenomena. The name describes its use, not a sensor that identifies spirits. Understanding recorder terminology helps you choose settings, compare files and explain what a recording can actually establish.
EVP recorder terminology at a glance
| Term | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Input gain | Adjustment of the incoming signal level on recorders that provide it. |
| Playback volume | How loudly you hear an existing recording; it is not the same as recording gain. |
| WAV and MP3 | Audio file formats. MP3 uses lossy compression; a WAV file may contain uncompressed PCM audio. |
| Sample rate | The number of audio samples recorded per second, commonly expressed in kHz. |
| Bit depth | A property of digital audio representation; it does not identify the origin of a sound. |
| Monitoring | Listening to the recorder’s output during recording, when supported. |
| Voice activation | A feature that starts or pauses recording according to a sound threshold. |
Gain, volume and clipping
Increasing playback volume can make quiet sounds easier to hear, but it cannot supply missing information. On a recorder with adjustable gain, make a test with the loudest sound you expect and check the manufacturer’s level guidance. Note whether automatic gain, a limiter or other processing is enabled.
Do not assume that 32-bit float makes a recorder immune to every overload. The microphone and other physical components still have limits. For example, the Zoom H1essential manual specifies both its recording format and a maximum microphone sound-pressure level. Apply specifications to the exact model, not every device marketed for EVP.
Native files, working copies and formats
A native file is the file created by the recording device or app. Preserve that file unchanged and work on a copy. Converting an MP3 to WAV does not restore information already removed by compression. A lossless working format can help avoid additional lossy encoding during editing.
The SWGDE forensic audio guidance supports preserving original recordings and documenting the processing of examination copies. See our EVP analysis workflow for a practical file and review routine.
Monitoring and automatic recording
Check whether headphones provide live monitoring, playback only, or both. Listening through headphones does not confirm that a sound is paranormal. Record ordinary sources such as nearby speech, movement and equipment operation in a separate event log.
Sound-triggered recording can leave gaps or omit quiet context. Continuous recording is a useful starting point when storage and battery capacity allow. If you use an automatic start function, document the threshold and test what it misses before relying on the recording.
Noise reduction and other processing
Noise reduction changes audio. It can also remove wanted sounds or introduce artifacts, as the Audacity documentation explains. Keep the original available beside every processed excerpt and record the settings used.
A spectrogram shows sound energy over time and frequency. It cannot label a source as a spirit. “Unidentified,” “speech-like” and “interpreted as a word” are different observations; keep those distinctions in your report.
What to record in your notes
- Recorder model, microphone arrangement and file format.
- Sample rate, available level controls and enabled processing.
- Whether recording was continuous or sound-triggered.
- Start time, file name, microphone location and known sound sources.
- Each edit or conversion made to a working copy.
Use the paranormal evidence log template to connect observations to files. For the basic definition and limitations, read what an EVP recorder is.
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