Cleaning & Filtering E.V.P. Recordings

 

In case you’re not familiar with the whole thing, a lot of investigators use computer software such as ‘Audacity’ or ‘Adobe Audition’ make their E.V.P.’s sound more clear. These programs are used to clean out the background noise, and put the recording through sound filters.

 

The Problems with Filtering & Cleaning

These audio programs can be a wonderful tool to help us clear up these recordings to possibly understand them better if used in moderation. Unfortunately, they also produce a lot of problems in the field. These programs are often overused. So many ghost hunters & investigators get far too overzealous with these things. Most of the time, they end up ruining their recording altogether.

To be clear, if you record a ‘Class C’ E.V.P, cleaning and filtering it WILL NOT somehow turn it into a ‘Class B’ recording. The truth is, it’s quite the opposite, actually. What a lot of people don’t realize is that cleaning, and filtering actually makes a recording LESS credible. Think about it. You’re actually manipulating your ‘evidence’ to make it seem better than it actually is.

Try that in court. Watch what happens to someone who tampers with evidence.

 

1.  Scientifically speaking, cleaning and filtering will NOT raise the class of your E.V.P. It actually makes it less credible.

 

I realize that this isn’t a court of law, but I hope you take your work seriously enough to hold yourself to higher standards. The moment that you tamper with a piece of evidence is the moment that it can no longer be called evidence. With that said, what’s evidence to one person may not be good enough for another, and vice versa. There’s nothing wrong with cleaning and filtering your recordings as long as you’re doing it for your own PERSONAL benefit. This brings me to my second rule…

 

2.  ALWAYS keep the original file so that you and others can compare it to your cleaned, or filtered file.

 

Also, if you HAVE to filter a recording to understand or hear anything, then it’s NOT an E.V.P. A lot of investigators fall into this trap. They want to record an E.V.P. so badly that their judgment goes out the window. They actually end up CREATING an artificial E.V.P. using their software, and even believe that it’s real. You’ll also want to make note that if you hear a recording that has been filtered to the point that sounds almost robotic or mechanical, then regardless of what it may have been before, it is no longer an E.V.P.

 

3.  If your E.V.P. is so faint that it REQUIRES you to manipulate it through software to understand it, it is NOT an E.V.P.

4.  The moment your recording sounds even remotely mechanical or robotic, it’s trash. Throw it away.

 

Regardless of what’s written in the software tutorials, I want to stress a couple last ideas before you begin filtering. Sometimes it’s better to not run your recording through software at all. Start by playing around with the graphic equalizer on your player. You’ll be amazed on how much clearer you can make a recording by turning down the bass or turning up the treble. You’ll also want to note that this also is considered ‘tampering’ with evidence. Lastly, ALWAYS use the program to clean your file BEFORE you amplify anything. Otherwise, you’ll be amplifying bad noise. 

 

5.  Use your equalizer to clean things up first. Sometimes you don’t need to mess with the software.

6.  SAVE AMPLIFICATION FOR LAST! Clean your file before amplifying, otherwise you’ll make the bad noises louder.

 

I hope this page helped you out with your recordings. If you’re interested in using Audacity, or Adobe Audition to clean your files, I’ve written tutorials to show ya how to go about it. You can click the banners below if you’re interested! Good luck out there.