Season 10 / Episode 12: Texas Horror Hotel: Magnetic Microphone

EVP is one of the most intriguing pieces of the paranormal.  This week we set out to build a device using an alternative method to Electronic Voice Phenomenon.   The Magnetic Microphone or Mag Mic was built around the idea that EVP may not be just an audio phenomena but a combination of electromagnetism and vibration.

The device has a large heavy base built form sheets of 1/4 thick ABS and Acrylic.  Each layer of the base and support were laser cut.

Four Ion / Static detectors were mounted in the base so the device could provide a visual indication if something changed around it.

The microphone is not your standard microphone but rather a contact piezo element microphone.  The microphone is secured to the base of the device and above the microphone is a magnetically floating platform. The Platform is connected to the microphone via a thin metal cable similar to a musical instrument string.  Any movement of the floating magnet is transferred to the microphone through this cable.

The base has a large chamber that holds the electric controls for this device.  Two large round neodymium magnets were used to “float” the upper disk.

The build of the Magnetic Microphone took approximately 45 hours from design to the finished device.