The Parabolic Microphone, sometimes referred to as a "paramic", is a piece of equipment in Phasmophobia. It can detect sounds through walls and at a great distance, serving almost as a handheld version of the sound sensor.
Mechanics[]
The parabolic microphone allows the player to hear an idle ghost's normally inaudible paranormal sounds (voices, growls, etc.), as well as amplifying any other sounds like object interactions. The parabolic microphone must be inside the building to detect sounds. When activated, the player will distinctively hear the sounds produced in front of the microphone with an angle of 110° horizontally, whether they are made by the ghost, another player, active equipment, or ambient noises, while all other sounds will be significantly muffled.
The Tier I and Tier II parabolic microphones will only detect sounds on the same floor as the player.
Ghost Sound Traits[]
- Mylings make paranormal sounds more often than other ghosts.
- Banshees have a certain chance of using a unique paranormal sound.
- Moroi will curse players who hear their whispers, resulting in an increased passive sanity drain.
Tier I[]
The Tier I Parabolic Microphone has a range of 20 meters forward. It has a red light that will flicker when it detects sound.
Tier II[]
The display of the tier II Parabolic Microphone.
The Tier II Parabolic Microphone has a range of 30 meters forward and has an additional screen which will display three sets of numbers:
- The largest number display (000.0) measures the total sum of sound (in decibels) from all detected sources.
- The Min and Peak values display the quietest and loudest individual sound levels picked up, respectively.
- For example, if a 16 dB sound, a 17 dB sound, and a 19 dB sound are picked up, Min will display 16 dB and Peak will display 19 dB, and the sum will be 52 dB.
During a hunt, the display will rapidly flash random numbers.
Tier III[]
The Tier III Parabolic Microphone is similar to the Tier II Parabolic Microphone, but it includes a sonar function, allowing its screen to display the position and the volume of each individual sound. It can also detect sounds one floor above or below the user.
Tips[]
- The player should remain aware of other noises, such as interactions from players. Coordinate with others and communicate to know whether a sound might have originated from a player or the ghost.
- Although generally disregarded for smaller maps, it may come in handy on larger ones (such as Brownstone High School and Sunny Meadows Mental Institution) for locating the ghost by pointing players in its general direction; this becomes even more effective in a team, where two players can use a Parabolic Microphone at different locations, and pinpoint the ghost's location quite accurately.
- On large maps where a hunt might start without players even knowing, a Parabolic Microphone is a good way to provide advance warning from a far distance that a hunt has started/is in progress, and warn players to stay away from that direction.
Objectives[]
| Objective | Actual requirements |
|---|---|
| Detect a paranormal sound with a Parabolic Microphone | Detect the ghost's whispers, or the Banshee's scream |
History[]
| Early Access Alpha | |
|---|---|
| 15 August 2020 (Part 2) |
Added parabolic microphone. |
| 16 August 2020 (Part 2) |
The parabolic microphone now detects door sounds. |
| 24 August 2020 (Part 4) |
Reduced the cost from $60 to $50. |
| Early Access | |
| 7 March 2021 | Increased the parabolic microphone's range and width from 8 to 30 metres and 2 to 6 metres, respectively. |
| The parabolic microphone no longer detects most sounds that are exclusive to player actions. | |
| The parabolic microphone can now detect sounds made up to 3 seconds ago instead of 2 seconds. | |
| 0.3.0 | Changed the parabolic microphone model. |
| The parabolic microphone is now required to detect the ghost's footsteps. | |
| The parabolic microphone can now detect paranormal sounds from the ghost. | |
| 0.6.0 | Increased the value refresh rate from 2 seconds to 1 second. |
| Players talking or using the walkie-talkie (global chat) are no longer picked up. | |
| 0.9.0 | The Parabolic Microphone now has 3 tiers. |
| Using a Parabolic microphone, all sounds forward within range will now be clearly heard, while all other sounds will be muffled. | |
| 0.10.0 | Tier I's red light will now flicker when it detects a sound. |
| Tier III can now detect one floor above or below the user, with a new UI to show which floor the sound is coming from. | |
| Players now have to hold Parabolic Microphones to turn them on or off. | |