Analog Recording:

Analog recording is the oldest standard in audio recording based terms. The analog standard is still in mainstream use these days and can be found in a multitude of different media’s. Regarding the use of analog recording in the study of the EVP phenomenon, we will taper the field to a few different devices which are still being used by researchers today. The two which come to mind immediately are the standard cassette recorder and the reel to reel recorders. The basic cassette recorder is probably the cheapest form of analog recorder which is readily available.

The industry standard regarding frequency response of analog cassette recorders is (20hz - 20khz.) Likewise is this standard applied to the analog cassette tapes which are used in recording sessions. This standard has some wavering leeway though and apparently is not locked into a variable of (20hz. - 20khz.). I have noted in the past when running recording sessions with a like (20hz. - 20khz.) external microphone through that of a Spectrum Analyzer that certain EVP’s were occurring as low as 15hz. So, this being the case, this (20hz. - 20khz.) threshold has a variance of some where in the area of (5hz.+/-). Analog recording is the standard which our forefathers such as Friedrich Jurgenson utilized in 1959 and Konstantin Raudive utilized in 1971. Analog recording sessions were conducted by these two men in their search for the truth about the EVP phenomenon. Thousands of sessions were compiled with a multitude displaying the presence of these disembodied voices embedded in the tapes. These researchers utilized a multitude of recording devices but mostly used reel to reel recorders. These reel to reel recorders are still available today but they are getting a little hard to find and can be rather expensive in some cases. These recorders are big, bulky and in most cases rather heavy. The reel to reel recorder has a multitude of options which surpass the standard cassette recorder such as their ability to cut to multiple tracks at one time, some in fact have the ability to cut to (4) tracks at once. This can be a viable issue in separating the different areas where microphones were staged. These type of recorders would be a great asset when recording with in a structure with multiple rooms or areas. Tapes, parts and components are still available for these recorders so issues regarding maintenance or repair should not be a major concern .These recorders often perform well and offer good quality recordings for the researcher.

TECH UPDATE:

There is an issue I wish to discuss regarding the analog recorder. This issue has to do with the possible interception of airborne radio transmissions and the effect that these transmissions can have on an analog recorder. In the past, people have said that EVP's are no more than radio station bleed over or HAM radio transmissions. In most cases I would beg to differ with this theory, yet I do want to make a public note regarding possible bleed over.

Whilst back in New Jersey, I and a fellow researcher were researching a local cemetery, Egg Harbor City Cemetery to be specific. Across the way from the cemetery, approximately 200 Yards away stood a radio tower. Those who know this cemetery might know about the presence of the radio tower. This tower was used as a signal boosting station and was emanating a very strong radio signal. During this investigation, my partner noted that her entire analog tape was filled with foreign radio transmissions. During this investigation, she was using a very cheap GE analog tape recorder. I was using a much higher quality Radio Shack analog recorder. When reviewing the tape in my recorder, I had "NO" Radio signal bleed over at all on any of my research tapes. Our recorders were in the same relative area and both had external microphones. Now, even though these recorders have no radio receiver capabilities, the one recorder and it's circuitry was infiltrated by the high power signal.

One can ask, why did this happen to one recorder but not the other? This is a good question. To provide a viable theory for this, I would have to say that the bleed over was more than likely caused by a weak recorder circuit or a weak onboard preamp. Yes this can happen. My recommendation would be to try your recorder near a local radio station in your area. Test and see if bleed over is captured by your recorder. I have never had this happen on any of my recorders yet but did witness it happening. Be sure that when you are purchasing your analog recorder that the quality of the hardware is up to par for the job at hand.