I was reviewing and re-listening to the
Jan 6th episode of The Paracast with
John Zaffis when about halfway through the episode, David Biedny brings up a point concerning the quality of the
EVP's on some captures he has listened to. The over all point he was making was that he noticed that there didn't seem to be any real set standard
for equipment used to capture voices such as HD sound equipment with a broader range of receivable frequencies.
Now, as an
EVP guy myself, I first learned about any kind of a standard for equipment, albeit not
strict, on the
AA-EVP site. I had an old cheap mini-cassette recorder from Radio Shack that produced a nice whine
for white noise as they recommended something like this. I currently use an
RCA RP5030A
Digital Recorder. This is simply my preference and admittedly the standard wasn't that high. It simply had to be digital, hold several hours
of recorded material, have a USB port, and be able to take an external mic.
What I would like to do is expand this concept to fit all of the typical equipment currently in use for this avenue of study (ghost/paranormal) today.
For instance, what is the standard and please tell us why for:
Sound Recorders
EMF Meters
Cameras (for stills and motion capture)
Infrared Meters
Motion Detectors
Software
And of course anything else I might have missed. Again, I remind you that I am an EVP guy so I'm not always up on what the other folks are using.
What I would really like to see is a detailed analysis of each piece of equipment i.e., who manufactures it, why it's preferred, it's primary
function, in what conditions (light, climate, temperature) it works best, cost effectiveness and is it portable in a practical sense.
This is a chance to really get into the nitty gritty on these matters, because this is after all a science, right? Well if you want this to be
accepted as a science (and I would love it to be) then there has to be some set standard across the board as to the quality and effectiveness of the
equipment in use. If we all keep using whatever we want, I don't think this avenue of study will ever be taken seriously.
My hope is to come to some kind of consensus somewhere on this thread so as to eventually be able to say to someone who is new to this field of
study,
"Well you simply need this, this, that and such and such and about a kagillion dollars."
Who knows? Maybe someday you will very simply be able to go online and just order the one and only Ghost Hunting kit. As of yet, it doesn't exist
really. Too many variations. Too many margins for error. The ghosts themselves are more real in concept than this is.
Let's fix this and bring a "control" factor to our already weird science.
Cheers,
Erik
[edit on 22/MarpmFri, 28 Mar 2008 23:08:45 -0500/08 by redwoodjedi]