Great Training Article on doing evp's
Written By: Todd M. Bates of (HauntedVoices.com)
Posted: 2/2/2005
Using Adobe Audition For EVPs
Adobe Audition is a great piece of equipment for the serious
researcher. This software was formally Cool Edit and Adobe
acquired the company and made some great improvements to the
program. Haunted Voices is currently working with Adobe to
create a program that is focused on the paranormal community
and I will keep you up to date on the progress. The following
information is some of the basics behind operating the program
and processing your recordings. I will break these down for you in
a step by step process.
Uploading your recordings to your computer using Adobe Audition:
For this process you will need what is called a “Patch Cord” and
these can be purchased at your local electronics store.
Step 1: INSTALLATION - Plug one end of the patch cord into the
“Ear/Headphone Jack” of your recording device and plug the
opposite end into the “line in” jack of your computers sound card.
Step 2: SETTINGS - Open the Adobe Audition software and click
on FILE then NEW and this will bring you to the Waveform settings
option. For your sample rate you should select between 22050
and 42100 (The higher the number the more space that will be
taken up on your hard drive). Next you will want to select Stereo
because this will upload your recording on both the left and right
channel (Better Quality). For your resolution you can choose 16bit
for most recordings or if you have a high end sound card you can
choose the 32bit float. Then press OK.
Step 3: UPLOADING - Now that you have your software ready for
recording now it is time to upload your data and record it to your
computer. Some investigators choose to just upload the segment
that they wish to process but I usually upload the entire recording
and then remove any negative excess later.
FOR CASSETTE RECORDERS:
Press the pause button and the play button to preload your
cassette recorder and hover the mouse cursor over the record
button of Adobe (Little red button in lower left corner) with one
finger on the pause button and the other on the left mouse button,
press and release the two simultaneously and this will begin your
recording to the program. *BE SURE YOUR LINE IN FEATURE IS
SELECTED* this can be done by clicking on your volume horn
located by the clock and look to see if this is muted or not. You
may need to click on the properties then on the advanced tab to
see some of these features. Click on options then properties and
select “Recording” make sure the “Line In” option is selected in
this feature.
FOR DIGITAL RECORDERS:
The process is pretty much the same for the digital recorder
except you would just press play on the device when you are ready
to record. There have been some issues with using the USB
option that comes with most new models of digital recorders to
upload your date. I personally choose not to use this option for a
couple of reasons. One is that the USB option in my opinion can
not decipher the sound as well as the computers sound card can
and this may result in a lower quality recording. Two, there is more
work involved with using this option. First, if you are in the field and
do not have your computer with you then you have to bring the
software drivers that came with your recorder and install them on
another computer if you wish to analyze them on site. With the
patch cord you can upload them very easily to any computer and
NO software or drivers are needed. *SOME MODELS WILL
UPLOAD IN MONO IF USING THE PATCH CORD* This type of
thing is normal for some newer models because the computer
chip inside is only designed to decipher mono from stereo by
using the program that is included with it. You can always change
the recording to stereo with Adobe later.
Step 4: AMPLIFYING - This process can be used if you feel you
have captured an Evp and wish to enhance the sound for better
processing. Click on the EFFECTS option located at the top of
the program and then hover the mouse on AMPLITUDE then click
on AMPLIFY/FADE. This will bring you to a Presets menu. Keep
in mind that a little goes a long way in this program. I usually start
with a 3db (Decibel) boost and then replay the recording and
apply a further boost of 3db – 10db as needed. *DO NOT OVER
AMPLIFY YOUR RECORDING* this can greatly reduce the sound
quality and possible damage your data and you will be forced to
record it once again.
Step 5: CLEANING - This process seems to be the most difficult
for investigators to understand and I will try my best to explain it. If
you wish to go over this section “hands on” then please contact
me for a private lesson. This process will differ between cassette
and digital recordings due to the “hiss” (also referred to as white
noise) generated by cassettes. You can either break down your
segments (explained further with private lessons) and clean them
or you can clean your entire recording (this may take several
minutes to complete) I usually clean my entire recording because
you never know what may be missed or hidden in there once it
has been cleaned. Click on the EFFECTS tab once again and
then hover the cursor over FILTERS, then click on SCIENTIFIC
FILTER. In your PRESETS box locate HISS CUT ABOVE 10 kHz
click on this option and then press OK. This will filter out a small
amount of the hiss and be sure to listen to the entire segment after
the reduction has been made. If you wish to continue making small
hiss cuts use this feature. If your recording has heavy background
noise (usually cassettes) then I would recommend using the
NOISE REDUCTION option. Click on EFFECTS then hover over
NOISE REDUCTION and clicking on HISS REDUCTION this will
open your settings box. *PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW
CAREFULLY* this is where a lot of us tend to ruin or distort our
recordings so please follow carefully. In the settings box you will
see a graph of your recording and a box of presets. The LIGHT
HISS REDUCTION preset is usually the only one that you will be
using. Click on the LIGHT HISS REDUCTION preset to highlight it
and you will see your graph flat line (This is normal) once you have
highlighted this preset then click on GET NOISE FLOOR and this
will quickly adjust your recording and load it onto the graph. Press
OK and the light hiss reduction will be made. Listen to your
segment after making this adjustment and you will usually not need
to make another reduction. If too many of this are made then your
recording will sound extremely digitalized and the Evp will be
unsuitable for evidence. I would recommend using only the
scientific filter for your reductions unless you have heavy
background hiss.
REMOVING CLICKS AND POPS:
This is a nice feature that Adobe Audition has and is an asset for
those of us who still use cassettes for recording. This filter will
repair what is needed and reject what is not so it is a pretty safe
filter to use. To use this filter click on EFFECTS then hover over
NOISE REDUCTION then click on CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR
(Avoid using the AUTOMATIC option *Adobe Audition v. 1.5 only)
on your preset options click and highlight your desired filter
(usually the HISS + LOTS OF CLICKS filter) and click OK. This
process may take several minutes to complete with a longer
recording. You should hear a significant difference after using this
filter.
Step 6: REVERSE OPTION - This is a feature that can be used to
see if your captured Evp has a “Reverse Meaning” This should be
attempted with all of your Evp just to be sure that you have not
captured 2 different words or phrases. There have been several
Evp that have been captured that say one thing forward and
something completely different in reverse. The reason that some
spirits do this is unknown but is a pretty common occurrence. To
reverse your Evp click on EFFECTS then REVERSE *be sure to
highlight the area you wish to reverse prior to doing this*
Step 7: ENHANCING SOUND - for those of us that choose to
upload or share our evidence with others on the internet then I
would recommend using this next feature. Click on EFFECTS
then FILTERS and then select GRAPHIC EQUALIZER. Click on
the tab that says 30 BANDS 1/3 OCTAVE. You will see numerous
presets at the bottom and I usually use the one titled “Destination
Home Theater” select this filter and click OK and this will improve
the sound quality on some of your Evp. This DOES NOT alter your
evidence but merely enhances it.
To learn more about Adobe Audition or receive Private Lessons
please feel free to contact Haunted Voices http://www.
hauntedvoices.com
Posted: 2/2/2005
Using Adobe Audition For EVPs
Adobe Audition is a great piece of equipment for the serious
researcher. This software was formally Cool Edit and Adobe
acquired the company and made some great improvements to the
program. Haunted Voices is currently working with Adobe to
create a program that is focused on the paranormal community
and I will keep you up to date on the progress. The following
information is some of the basics behind operating the program
and processing your recordings. I will break these down for you in
a step by step process.
Uploading your recordings to your computer using Adobe Audition:
For this process you will need what is called a “Patch Cord” and
these can be purchased at your local electronics store.
Step 1: INSTALLATION - Plug one end of the patch cord into the
“Ear/Headphone Jack” of your recording device and plug the
opposite end into the “line in” jack of your computers sound card.
Step 2: SETTINGS - Open the Adobe Audition software and click
on FILE then NEW and this will bring you to the Waveform settings
option. For your sample rate you should select between 22050
and 42100 (The higher the number the more space that will be
taken up on your hard drive). Next you will want to select Stereo
because this will upload your recording on both the left and right
channel (Better Quality). For your resolution you can choose 16bit
for most recordings or if you have a high end sound card you can
choose the 32bit float. Then press OK.
Step 3: UPLOADING - Now that you have your software ready for
recording now it is time to upload your data and record it to your
computer. Some investigators choose to just upload the segment
that they wish to process but I usually upload the entire recording
and then remove any negative excess later.
FOR CASSETTE RECORDERS:
Press the pause button and the play button to preload your
cassette recorder and hover the mouse cursor over the record
button of Adobe (Little red button in lower left corner) with one
finger on the pause button and the other on the left mouse button,
press and release the two simultaneously and this will begin your
recording to the program. *BE SURE YOUR LINE IN FEATURE IS
SELECTED* this can be done by clicking on your volume horn
located by the clock and look to see if this is muted or not. You
may need to click on the properties then on the advanced tab to
see some of these features. Click on options then properties and
select “Recording” make sure the “Line In” option is selected in
this feature.
FOR DIGITAL RECORDERS:
The process is pretty much the same for the digital recorder
except you would just press play on the device when you are ready
to record. There have been some issues with using the USB
option that comes with most new models of digital recorders to
upload your date. I personally choose not to use this option for a
couple of reasons. One is that the USB option in my opinion can
not decipher the sound as well as the computers sound card can
and this may result in a lower quality recording. Two, there is more
work involved with using this option. First, if you are in the field and
do not have your computer with you then you have to bring the
software drivers that came with your recorder and install them on
another computer if you wish to analyze them on site. With the
patch cord you can upload them very easily to any computer and
NO software or drivers are needed. *SOME MODELS WILL
UPLOAD IN MONO IF USING THE PATCH CORD* This type of
thing is normal for some newer models because the computer
chip inside is only designed to decipher mono from stereo by
using the program that is included with it. You can always change
the recording to stereo with Adobe later.
Step 4: AMPLIFYING - This process can be used if you feel you
have captured an Evp and wish to enhance the sound for better
processing. Click on the EFFECTS option located at the top of
the program and then hover the mouse on AMPLITUDE then click
on AMPLIFY/FADE. This will bring you to a Presets menu. Keep
in mind that a little goes a long way in this program. I usually start
with a 3db (Decibel) boost and then replay the recording and
apply a further boost of 3db – 10db as needed. *DO NOT OVER
AMPLIFY YOUR RECORDING* this can greatly reduce the sound
quality and possible damage your data and you will be forced to
record it once again.
Step 5: CLEANING - This process seems to be the most difficult
for investigators to understand and I will try my best to explain it. If
you wish to go over this section “hands on” then please contact
me for a private lesson. This process will differ between cassette
and digital recordings due to the “hiss” (also referred to as white
noise) generated by cassettes. You can either break down your
segments (explained further with private lessons) and clean them
or you can clean your entire recording (this may take several
minutes to complete) I usually clean my entire recording because
you never know what may be missed or hidden in there once it
has been cleaned. Click on the EFFECTS tab once again and
then hover the cursor over FILTERS, then click on SCIENTIFIC
FILTER. In your PRESETS box locate HISS CUT ABOVE 10 kHz
click on this option and then press OK. This will filter out a small
amount of the hiss and be sure to listen to the entire segment after
the reduction has been made. If you wish to continue making small
hiss cuts use this feature. If your recording has heavy background
noise (usually cassettes) then I would recommend using the
NOISE REDUCTION option. Click on EFFECTS then hover over
NOISE REDUCTION and clicking on HISS REDUCTION this will
open your settings box. *PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW
CAREFULLY* this is where a lot of us tend to ruin or distort our
recordings so please follow carefully. In the settings box you will
see a graph of your recording and a box of presets. The LIGHT
HISS REDUCTION preset is usually the only one that you will be
using. Click on the LIGHT HISS REDUCTION preset to highlight it
and you will see your graph flat line (This is normal) once you have
highlighted this preset then click on GET NOISE FLOOR and this
will quickly adjust your recording and load it onto the graph. Press
OK and the light hiss reduction will be made. Listen to your
segment after making this adjustment and you will usually not need
to make another reduction. If too many of this are made then your
recording will sound extremely digitalized and the Evp will be
unsuitable for evidence. I would recommend using only the
scientific filter for your reductions unless you have heavy
background hiss.
REMOVING CLICKS AND POPS:
This is a nice feature that Adobe Audition has and is an asset for
those of us who still use cassettes for recording. This filter will
repair what is needed and reject what is not so it is a pretty safe
filter to use. To use this filter click on EFFECTS then hover over
NOISE REDUCTION then click on CLICK/POP ELIMINATOR
(Avoid using the AUTOMATIC option *Adobe Audition v. 1.5 only)
on your preset options click and highlight your desired filter
(usually the HISS + LOTS OF CLICKS filter) and click OK. This
process may take several minutes to complete with a longer
recording. You should hear a significant difference after using this
filter.
Step 6: REVERSE OPTION - This is a feature that can be used to
see if your captured Evp has a “Reverse Meaning” This should be
attempted with all of your Evp just to be sure that you have not
captured 2 different words or phrases. There have been several
Evp that have been captured that say one thing forward and
something completely different in reverse. The reason that some
spirits do this is unknown but is a pretty common occurrence. To
reverse your Evp click on EFFECTS then REVERSE *be sure to
highlight the area you wish to reverse prior to doing this*
Step 7: ENHANCING SOUND - for those of us that choose to
upload or share our evidence with others on the internet then I
would recommend using this next feature. Click on EFFECTS
then FILTERS and then select GRAPHIC EQUALIZER. Click on
the tab that says 30 BANDS 1/3 OCTAVE. You will see numerous
presets at the bottom and I usually use the one titled “Destination
Home Theater” select this filter and click OK and this will improve
the sound quality on some of your Evp. This DOES NOT alter your
evidence but merely enhances it.
To learn more about Adobe Audition or receive Private Lessons
please feel free to contact Haunted Voices http://www.
hauntedvoices.com
How to EVP'S