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Electronic voice phenomena is today one of the most fascinating areas of paranormal research. Human-sounding voices from unknown origin are recorded on such electronic media as tape recorders, digital voice recorders, video recorders and other devices. Strangely, the voices are not heard at the time of the recording; it is only when the recording is played back that the voices are heard.

(Contrary to the premise of the film White Noise, EVPs are very often found without the use of "white noise" – random static from a radio or television – although this method has been used successfully.)

The phenomenon has been experienced and documented virtually since the invention of recording devices. Skeptics reasoned that the voices were caused by stray radio broadcasts or pre-recorded voices on re-used tapes. EVP researchers were quick to dismiss the second reason, affirming that they only used sealed new tapes for their recordings. And then, of course, digital recorders, which require no tapes, made that argument irrelevant – the voices still showed up.

Aside from outright fraud (and to be sure there is some of that taking place here and there), this left the skeptics with the one "reasonable" explanation: the voices were caused by fragments of radio broadcasts. This dismissive explanation makes it clear that these skeptics – who usually tout themselves as being scientifically minded – have never tried to record EVPs and have certainly not researched the phenomenon very well. (Unfortunately, this is very often the case with skeptics and the paranormal.)

If they had researched it, they would have found that the radio broadcast theory is absurd. Why? Because quite often, these voices actually respond to questions posed by researchers, comment on situations in a relevant manner, and occasionally even address the researchers by name. The chances of a stray radio broadcast doing this with just a few choice words are too remote to even consider by any objective person. Also, the voices are clearly not those of loudmouthed DJs or other broadcasters; they are voices of average people, children, adults, seniors, male and female. Some have accents and some are infused with human emotion. There are real personalities behind these voices, wherever they come from.

It is true that the quality of EVP recordings varies widely. Some are of such low quality that we're left to guess what the voice is saying. There are many, however, that are quite clear and are usually categorized as Class A recordings. These EVPs represent the best evidence for a phenomenon yet to be fully understood.

Where do these voices come from? This is the big question. Do they come from our own subconscious? Are they angelic or demonic in nature? Do they cross over from other dimensions of reality? Are they the voices of dead people?

For the purposes of this article, let us consider the last theory, that they are the voices of dead people. This may be the most commonly accepted theory among EVP researchers. And if this is true, what are the implications of these EVPs and the things the voices are saying?

The ghost phenomenon has always raised unsettling questions about what happens to some of us when we die. Are some of us doomed to walk the earth after death, seemingly unaware of our demise, for an unknown length of time? (If time has any meaning where they are.) Why and how do they remain?

Except in very rare cases, ghosts – that is, apparitions – do not communicate with the living. Usually, they appear and vanish. There have been attempts to communicate with the dead through mediums, sιances and Ouija boards, of course, but the results of these methods are dubious or, at best, highly controversial.

EVPs, on the other hand, seem to be direct communication from these spirits. Hard evidence. The voices are right there on the recordings. They respond, answer questions, even ask questions of their own. There are hundreds of these voices documented – maybe even thousands.

You can hear a diversity of examples on several websites. For example, at Utah Paranormal Research Group, you'll hear a friendly voice say "How ya doing?" and another one threaten, "Get the hell out of here." At The Atlantic Paranormal Society, there's a child's voice pleading "Don't go" and a woman saying, "Don't hurt me."

A fate worse than death?

There are EVPs reflecting the full range of human personalities and emotions. These people are not only self-aware, but their interaction with researchers indicates that they are aware of the living. They can hear us and see us. Do they know they are dead? Do they know we are alive? Do they know the difference?

These poor souls seem to be stuck in a limbo, and there is a kind of confusion and uncertainty in many of the things they say. What is their world like? It may be beyond our earthly comprehension, and perhaps we should be thankful for that.

If EVPs are voices of the dead, what does that imply for the fate of some of us? We too might get stuck in that limbo, struggling to make contact with strange beings walking around with tape recorders. I'm not one to think negatively about death and its aftermath, but EVPs present grave evidence that life after death might not always be as clear-cut or as pleasant as we hope.

Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are recordings of voice or voice-like sounds that are not audible to the human ear. The frequencies of these sounds are reportedly well below the range of sounds that can be perceived by the human ear. Typically, but not always, they are short having a length of only one word or a short phrase.

In the 1920s, Thomas Edison told a reporter from the Scientific American magazine that he was working on a machine that would give the ability to contact the dead.

If you would like to experiment with your own EVP recordings be sure to check out How To Record Your Own EVPswhich goes very much in depth with what you need to have and know.

Electronic Voice Phenomenon - Voices From Beyond the Veil

Ever since the invention of electronic recording devices people have found strange voices appearing on their recordings, sometimes speaking directly to them, even though no one was present but themselves. The Electronic Voice Phenomena or EVP has been raising controversy as to what it is they are capturing on tape. Could it be the voices of souls who have "passed on" and wish to speak to loved ones left behind or is it an elaborate hoax meant to deceive the gullible?

A great deal of study has gone into EVP since the 1920's. Even Thomas Edison, when interviewed, stated "it is possible to construct an apparatus which will be so delicate that if there are personalities in another existence ... this apparatus will at least give them a better opportunity to express themselves". That first device was the electronic recording.

Skeptics claim that all people are hearing in electronic voice phenomenon recordings is random noise filtered through the desire to hear something; called "pareidolia" (a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus, often an image or sound, being mistakenly perceived as recognizable). Or, they claim, all they are recording is the bleed-over from radio transmitters. The research has shown time and again that the skeptics have NOT studied electronic voice phenomenon in any depth at all.

Those who wish to find out the source of these mysterious voices on their tape recordings, none of which are heard until the tape is replayed, have gone to great lengths to eliminate these obvious possibilities. They have recorded voices in heavily shielded rooms specifically designed to prevent radio wave penetration. Another experiment that has been repeated often and with great success is in asking specific questions while recording and leaving a silence between them in case there is an answer. Quite often when they play back the recording, they find that some one or something, has responded directly to the question asked, often naming the querant personally. The odds of this being random radio interference has been calculated as being so high that winning the lottery would be an everyday occurrence by comparison.

Quite a bit of study has gone into figuring out how these voices manifest. Since we create sounds on the physical plane by passing air through our throat and mouth to create the sound frequencies our ears can perceive, it has been tested to determine how a non-physical entity can produce the frequencies on tape that we can hear. More and more it is shown that the reason the EVP researchers don't hear the voices directly is because whatever is causing the sounds are having to manipulate existing sound frequencies at the point in the machine where the processing of the analog sound to a digital format for storage is taking place.

Therefore, a place which is kept quite silent will produce little or no electronic voice phenomena whereas in an environment with a full range of "white noise" very good results are usually achieved. It has been shown that a common house fan is even better for this than an electronically produced "white noise" generator. While old style tape recorders have motor hum and the tape "hiss" which is not the best background for creating manipulative sound frequencies, they are much better than state of the art recorders that have been designed to create little or no sound.

Much of the controversy surrounding Electronic Voice Phenomena comes from the purveyors of organized religions. The possibility that there truly is an existence of personality beyond death (despite their stated beliefs in a "heaven" or "hell") seems to disturb them greatly. They propound that if investigators are hearing anything at all it must be "demons" doing the talking. EVP investigators has shown that overwhelmingly, their recordings show such an abundance of love, compassion and concern for the living that if what they are hearing IS demons, then the religious debunkers might want to reexamine their definition!

Whatever it is that causes these voice imprints onto electronic media, be they ghosts, spirits, aliens (or even demons), the fact is that EVP's are real and that continued research and experimentation will eventually determine all the "How" of the occurrences and be able to refine the process till communication between out physical mortal realm and whatever non-physical place they come from will become a fully realized scientific fact.

How to Record Electronic Voice Phenomenon

Most people, when they learn about Electronic Voice Phenomenon, are very interested in trying to make their own recordings to capture ghost voices. While it is true that there are advantages to be had in using expensive and sophisticated recording devices it is possible to capture EVPs using standard tape or digital recorders. When you try experimenting with EVP recordings make sure that you are using new tapes to avoid interferences associated with previous recordings.

Electronic Voice Phenomenon have been captured in all sorts of places. You do not have to be in a grave yard or a haunted house to get these eerie voices on tape or digital media.

Be sure to carefully document everything about the place and the environmental conditions where you make your recordings. Also include a list of all people who are present. Remember that you may record for hours without getting the strange voices so be patient. Also, realize that in most cases the voices are not heard until after you play back the recordings.

sources:

http://paranormal.about.com/od/ghostaudiovideo/a/aa010305.htm

http://www.skepdic.com/paranormalinvestigator.html

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