Hello folks! I am very interested in EVP and in the past I have been able to get a few EVP's recorded, however the tape recorder I have is old and crappy (to say the least) and you end up hearing a buzz on anything you record, which I attribute to the internal workings of the recorder itself. I would like to get a good digital recorder and eventually either buy or make a spirit box however money is always an issue for a guy renting a house and trying to pay bills lol.

I do have an android smart phone and the Transformer tablet, and I was wondering if the simple and basic voice recorder apps would work just as well as a handheld digital recorder would for recording EVP.

Have any of you had any experience with using a voice recording app and could you advise of any pros and cons you may have noticed as opposed to using a handheld recorder?

And folks, a heart-felt request here from me is please PLEASE do not talk about you're views on EVP and try to convince people they are not real. I, among many of you, have had enough experiences over my life and have witnessed enough evidence to prove to me that this is all real. Attempting to derail the thread with narrow views is just a horrible thing to do.

I think the best bet is a digital recorder (those ones that record in HD) and a high gain mic so you can hear every single tiny sound.

Some people also put in some steady "white noise".
The theory is, the noise of the whatever it is, static box or fan or whatever will be used by whatever.

try both ways I guess..see which ones produce the best results. Keep in mind though, this is paranormal stuff your discussing, so there is no actual handbook on the right and wrong way to find/capture/record stuff...trial and error

Just remember to fully try and debunk your findings before calling it special...if you do your best to dismiss it but can't, then its worthwhile...but basically don't try to make something that isn't there...pipes in homes will occasionally make some noises, etc...be aware of your surroundings and potential sources of sounds that are less than extraordinary.

Thank you for the replies so far folks, I really appreciate it
I'm still at the office and it's gotten a fair bit busy so it will be a few hours before I can read and comment more, but I really do thank you for you're input. The only experience I have had with getting EVP's has been with analog and this will be my first venture into digital.
My roommate has a pretty sweet Snowball mic, I'm thinking I'll have to start on her tonight to let me use it lol.

I bought a Sony ICDSX712 for a business trip. I probably overbought, as it's retailing for about $150 right now. It's pretty awesome though. Pretty sure both Best Buy and Walmart have them. I got mine off of Amazon.

In the past when I fiddled around with EVP's, I used my computer/mic setup. I have a Blue Snowball USB mic on a boom stand with a shock mount and pop filter. I than ran the raw audio file through Audacity (free program) to boost the volume and tinker with it.

It was a pretty fun way to occupy an otherwise boring afternoon. Good luck on your EVP adventures!

I have purchased a few different handheld digital recorders over the past decade or so, as well as hdd recording devices that are much larger, and I have had good experiences with the quality. If I were you, and were looking to purchase a recorder, I would of course check a few of the main internet stores like Amazon, just to see what prices they have and what items they have as well.

But where I have bought all my stuff is a music related site. There are 2 or 3 good sites that sell audio recording equipment, and there are even handheld recorders that were designed for recording a whole band live. Anyway, you will be able to find a recorder that will be pretty good, even in the lower price range. I would be careful and check the specs for each device, as certain recorders will color the sound differently from others. The difference between a tape recorder and a digital recorder is that the tape recorder is analog.

So a digital recorder, which is much better for what you want to do, must convert the audio into a digital format. So the quality of the recording will mainly vary according to the AD/DA converters that are used in the device itself. In recording music, we use what are called preamps to bypass the converters used on our mixer. A preamp is basically an AD converter, and it raises a signal up to line level. Anyway, I would do some research for evp's, because I have no idea what frequency range ghosts talk in. Also pay attention to the microphone used. Higher quality recorders, instead of having built-in condenser mics, will have larger mics that actually stick out of the device, or are separate from it altogether.

My gut is telling me that just about any digital recorder is going to work for you, although the quality issue will really come into play in 2 areas...First, the background hiss, and second, the quality of the very low evp's, that sound like they are far from the recording device. So that is what I would look up first personally, and then I would price out some recorders. I have no experience using recording apps either. But I would bet you could use your cell phone, or any device that will record, as long as the evp's are not extremely faint, and the bg noise is not too bad. But I would stress again that you look for reviews from people who have used the recorders for paranormal work, instead of reviews from those doing music related work.

I use my laptop. I have best success when I leave it recording and leave the room. I clean up the audio and remove static with audacity - a free editing program for music. Being a musician, I happened to have all the equipment handy. I caught the eeriest EVP the other night. I caught two different voices - one male and one female. I've captured the female many times and all she usually says is hey or hi. But on Friday night - she said my name after I asked a bunch of questions. She said it when I asked "Where do you go when you die"....creepy. The male's voice said hi as I came back to my laptop. I could hear it clear as day without headphones. You have to have a lot of patience. I find the EVPs do not show up on the audio wave while editing. All human made sounds and building sounds create a spike in the wave. The EVPS either don't register at all or they create a downwards spike in the wave. It's why I like using audacity, I boost the quiet parts and listen with headphones while editing.

The strange thing is I haven't had any activity since I started recording a few months ago. I can't see anything unusual but I do see flickers of shadows once in awhile and goosebumps, sometimes different energy. I always play safe, and am respectful - thanking the spirits for speaking and wishing them peace.

side note, you need a lot of patience and to listen carefully. Many of my EVPs are maybe a second long or shorter and very faint. I'm sure I've missed a lot more and some I had to delete because I couldn't tell what the sound was.

I'm adding another comment. This week's investigation and recording sessions have left me with so many more questions than answers. A bit off topic but please, anyone who wants to dabble in the paranormal do protect yourself. In two minutes tonight, I recorded not one, but four voices on my laptop. I can't explain them though I finally captured one name. I don't know where the voices are coming from but it's making me a little bit sad to hear them.... just please to anyone who wants to record - be careful. I have not had any negative experiences or actually any activity since recording but - I fear if I do activity may start to happen.

And what about a 'Ghost Box' ?

I'm very sorry for my absence the last few days here folks, getting free time at work during the US tax season is very difficult to do (I live in Newfoundland and work for a US client).

Thank you everyone for the replies, I really appreciate all of the input and advice!
I haven't been able to pick up a radio to turn into a spirit box / ghost box as of yet however it turns out my girlfriends dad left an old hand help Radio Shack am/fm radio at her place the summer when he was in town, and I'm gonna try to convince her tonight to let me use it. Honestly, I doubt her dad would mind anyway lol.

On a whim a few nights ago I purchased the SV-1 SpiritVox "Ghost Box" on Google Play and downloaded it on my tablet just for the hell of it, it only cost me $5.91 and I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. According to the information on there it works the same as a normal ghost box does but to be honest I have my doubts. I recorded a few minutes while asking a few questions but I haven't had the time to listen to it yet. When I get some free time this weekend I intend to fully test it out, keeping in mind that I will have it in airplane mode, and while recording I will also have my phone's (also in airplane mode) voice recorder app going and also my old tape recorder going all next to each other.
Hopefully I will get something on the ghost box app and if it is also captured on one of the other recorders at least it will lend credibility to the app. I'm going to make sure to have my camera taking video pointing at the recorders as well during this and if my girlfriend is around all the better as that will allow another camera and cell phone to be used.

I still have every intention of using an am/fm radio to make a ghost box however, its just a time and potentially money issue.