The EVP Recordings

Green Smoke Promo Code

2009-12-25T23:24:00.003-07:00

Green Smoke Promo Codes

Just in time for those new years resolutions, a Green Smoke promo code to save you money on Green Smoke electronic cigarettes.

10% off Code: disc10-6073

5% off Code: disc5-6073

*10% off requires a minimum purchase of $100..

To use your promo code, visit www.greensmoke.com UK Customers | South Africa Customers

Put the coupon in the field " Promotional Code " at checkout.

Darren's EVP Society

2005-11-19T04:49:00.000-07:00

The EVP Society is the brain child of Darren Blanchard, otherwise known around the internet as OrdMandell, a guy who started recording EVP just a week ago and already has some amazing recordings.

Darren is very excited about his early results and has already built an attractive website to showcase them. He has spent much of the last two weeks learning all he can about EVP and has been making good progress.

I first met him over at HauntedVoices.com where he has quickly become a very active forum member. He reminds me somewhat of myself in my first few days of EVP study. He is eager to learn and reaching out for information wherever he can find it. I thought I might bring all of you along to check out his new site since he was kind enough to ask for my opinion.

The EVP Society is just a shell of a site at the moment, albeit one with a cool picture of a dead tree, but the good stuff is in his archives anyway, so lets just listen to his EVP.

His first EVP recorded on 8 November is amazingly clear and would scare the pants off most people. I'm not sure how anyone would feel when they hear a definite voice say "SHUT UP" when recording EVP for the first time. Darren was not discouraged.

Making no claims about his skills with audio software or recording devices, he is learning as he goes and the quality of the samples is greatly improving as he gains experience with the equipment. He is using Cool-Edit and is quickly learning how to properly filter his recordings without changing them. Still, many of his EVP are unclear or over processed. I do applaud him for posting his entire first session with whitenoise. That's good research, good sharing and a good listen. Nice Job!

My favorite is titled "how do I get out of here". It's very clear, but makes you wonder who needs to get out of where? Maybe Darren can find out.

We shall keep an eye on Darren and the EVP Society and I hope everyone welcomes and assists him in anyway you can, while forgiving the occasional cultural faux paus he is bound to make as a new comer to the world of the paranormal.

the Last SPIRICOM Recording

2005-09-29T03:58:00.000-06:00

SPIRICOM recording at the Ghost Investigators Society

If you like EVP, you have to hear George Meek and his work with the SPIRICOM. I wouldn't really call it Electronic Voice Phenomenon, but more like the Cell Phone to the Dead! I love the SPIRICOM project and have not heard this yet. Let's listen....

Mr. Meek starts out with a basic history of EVP and how the ideas for the SPIRICOM came about. I'm not going to ruin it and give you a blow by blow. If you want to know more, you will have to listen for yourself! But this is a good introduction to EVP, it's history and the theories of Meek, Raudive, Mueller, Jurgenson, and the other EVP pioneers.

The first thing that comes to mind while listening to some of the first recordings from the spiricom device, is how those pioneers tried their best to be scientific about their work. These were smart guys with some hi-tech gear for their time and they did a pretty good job of documenting things when they had success contacting deceased colleagues!

It's really fun to listen to them talking just like scientists in a lab or technicians in the field would be when working on a new communication device. You know "try this, adjust to ... frequency", "ok, try it now" "so how old are you? Are you married", things like that. LOL! You might think they were working on some new radio for the government, then you realize the one guy is DEAD!

They rag on each other about being late or long periods of no contact as well as the earliness of the hour; they tell jokes and rib one another too. They chat about the news and things around the lab. If you didn't know better you really would swear this was just a bunch of guys at work testing a new com system.

But this is no ordinary com system. We know Dr. Mueller died. Lot's of people were at his funeral and this research didn't begin immediately upon his death which might indicate scam. These guys were serious about their work, not out to make a buck. I don't find any reason not to take their recordings as authentic and this recording is quite entertaining and informative.

Listen to side one for yourself. I'll be back with my thoughts on side two, but for now it's bed time.

One problem with this recording is George Meek could have enjoyed a great carreer as a high school science movie host. You remember those guys, the ones that put you to sleep instantly when the teacher turned out the lights! So, couple that with the late hour and I'm ready for bed.

CHARGING DOES NOT MAKE ONE UNETHICAL or UNPROFFESIONAL

2005-08-31T17:34:00.000-06:00

CHARGING DOES NOT MAKE ONE UNETHICAL or UNPROFFESIONAL, in fact, the exact opposite is usually true.

There is much debate in the paranormal world lately about charging for services or training. Many are upset with groups like TAPS for doing TV shows and like to point fingers at any groups who charge for goods or services or ask for donations. It seems that many feel that if anyone charges or gets paid for anything, then they are not reputable and are out to scam everyone.

"The real ghost hunters work for FREE!" they say. BUT.....

It takes money to run a quality website. It takes money to run quality investigations (now it can take a week’s wages just to pay for the gas to drive to that haunted house!). It takes money to put together quality training materials. It takes money to run a ghost hunters organization. It takes money to buy sensitive scientific equipment and high tech electronics. It takes money so that people even have time to do this.

It takes money to do just about anything. So why would anyone expect you to do ghost hunting totally for free? What, because you can’t guarantee your work or prove you are absolutely right about anything?

We don't think like this with other professions. Lawyers, Doctors and even Plumbers and Car Mechanics charge a lot for their services. They too can't guarantee the outcome of a procedure or even prove their views are correct or will not be proven wrong next week. Yet we are happy to pay what they ask for their valuable services, all while knowing they profess to only be "practicing" their professions and nothing they say is set in stone.

Keeping you free, healthy, clean and moving seems to demand a high price, one many Americans and most of the rest of the world can't even afford. Yet we don't call these people "unethical" or "unprofessional" because they charge us, we actually expect them to charge us a lot!

The excuses I hear people use to defend this sad reality usually fall along these lines: They worked hard to get their education, things like good equipment, well trained staff and insurance cost lot's of money and besides, do we expect these valuable people to just work for free?

How would they feed their families or give their children a quality education and a nice place to live? What kind of quality legal representation, health services or repairs can one really expect for free anyway? Why would anyone spend all their time doing these jobs if they didn't pay well?

And there is truth there. People do deserve to be compensated for the time it took to learn their trades or to teach what they know to others. People do deserve to be able to afford a decent life and to provide for their families. People should expect to get the best quality they can afford for their hard earned money.

We all know "The more they charge, the better they must be." "You get what you pay for" and "free usually equals CRAP" is how we look at things as a society in general. Besides, it's usually true.

So why is the world of the paranormal so different? Why is it that if someone in the paranormal asks for even the smallest donation to buy a new camera or cleverly uses the media's pocketbook to get themselves some decent equipment, sweet cars or to be able to afford more research, then they instantly become "unethical" or "unprofessional" and others will put them down for it?

Why is it that if someone asks for $5 for a CD of white noise that most people wouldn't have a clue how to make on their own, then they must be scamming you or "out to get rich"?

So many in the ghost hunting community seem to be saying "Look at me! I'm doing it for free so I'm better than everyone else!" and Mr. Snider of the Crawford County Ghost Hunters, seems to go even further by attacking the Haunted Voices staff and Mr. Todd Bates directly for charging $5 for a CD of white noise, which he personally doesn't feel is the best background for EVP recording.

I’ll say this about his opinion: I don't think it's fair. I don't think it's right. And I definitely don't think this general "you can't charge" attitude everyone seems to have is the way to get any kind of real "scientific study" done to further our knowledge and understanding of EVP or to give serious paranormal researchers any respect in the eyes of the general public.

I don't think it's fair:

I was at the meeting where it was decided to charge for some of the services on HV. I was one who was encouraging it since I know how much money it can cost to run a website such as this and how much time it takes to make it run smoothly.

HV offers many valuable products and services that people are more than willing to pay for. I don't see a problem with charging users a reasonable fee for things like advanced training and hard copy materials so the all volunteer staff can afford to make it even better than it already is.

Folks, the land of Free is unfortunately a dream. I wish it were not so, but bandwidth costs money and audio files take up a lot of it; hosting space costs money and again, large audio files and huge forum databases take up a lot of it; cool templates and custom programming costs money and time; chat rooms cost money and time, developing DVD's or CD's and their printed training materials costs a lot of money and time, and how willing would each of you be to use your home telephone or personal cell phone to provide three hours of training in your specialty to other people almost every night while footing the bill yourself? These things cost money. It’s a simple reality.

If HV keeps growing at this rate, it will go broke. That's a fact of life when running community websites and the crumbled ruins of millions of other sites who also thought they could provide advanced features to thousands of users for free litter the information superhighway. If HV is not destined to join them on the roadside, it needs a modest income to support its self as it grows. Technology costs money, and the funny thing is, it’s really not that much at all.

But it's not fair to ask Todd and his family or the families of the staff to go without things while we all enjoy the fruits of his and everyone else's labor for free. We pay handsomely for our entertainment, social events, and continuing education in the real world and while we usually wish it were cheaper, we don't expect those people to give us these things for free.

I believe it's unfair to expect anyone to give up their valuable time and energy teaching you or entertaining you or making you nice things without giving them something of value in return, especially when they are asking a tenth of what a giant corporation would while providing a better product.

We've all got bills to pay and families to feed. We don’t work for free at our jobs and it’s unfair to ask other people to work for free too.

It is not right:

Todd was totally against charging for anything except the few bucks for CD's because that’s exactly how much they cost him to make. He was willing to provide the three hours of FREE telephone training to anyone who might ask and even three or four more for advanced training without charge. He was willing to manage an ever growing community of affiliate groups by himself and provide them all with constant technical advice and support.

He was willing to give up hundreds and even thousands of hours of his time and talents so that people could have a nice place to learn more and share their knowledge about EVP.

He is definitely a man on a mission to share EVP with the world, but reality has come to roost and he is quickly going broke trying to save the world by himself. It just goes against his nature to charge for this stuff even if every single penny does go right back into the site along with many more that come straight from his family’s pocket. He was obviously angry that we even had to discuss it and I’m sure it was physically painful for him to finally make the hard decision to charge for anything.

After all Todd and the Haunted Voices staff have done, even if you don't agree with their methods or theories, it is just plain rude to exclaim they are in this for money. No body gets rich off EVP, and to even argue such a point is just plain silly. If anyone is planning on using EVP to get rich, take this ghostly advice from a pretty famous EVP recording and: "GET OUT, GET OUT NOW!"

The VOLUNTEER staff worked hard for hours to figure out ways to charge the least amount of money possible and still pay the bills. That sure doesn’t sound like greedy folks to me.

Free can't mean good science and besides, the public doesn’t respect free.

Every group says they are out to conduct "scientific" study, yet they try and do it for free and with the gear and training they can afford on such a budget. Does this really sound like the way to conduct "science" or to have your research taken seriously by anyone? I mean no offense to any group when I say “No, it’s not”.

After 60+ years of study, the world has still proven ZIP about the true nature of the Electronic Voice Phenomenon. One reason I got so interested in EVP in the first place, is that I thought this would seem to be the simplest way to prove, once and for all, something in the paranormal realm.

What more convincing evidence can one get then a disembodied voice answering specific questions on tape? How hard would it really be to prove it's not radio waves or our imaginations messing with us?

But I want to see some real science. I want structured experiments. I want to see environmental readings other then from a cheap thermometer or a radio shack EMF meter designed to find electrical wires in a wall. I want to see hypotheses written down and methodical research done to prove them. I want to see serious researchers trading data and working together to find the methods that work best while avoiding unnecessary duplication of things that have failed.

I say enough of the free host websites featuring "trust me! My $20 memo recorder and I really were in the empty cemetery with no one else around. Doesn't it sound like someone says 'get out', and isn't that really scary?" It's not convincing to the general public and I feel just fuels the scorn paranormal researchers must endure. That kind of thing might be fun and indeed pretty scary for people to listen to, but it's not science and it proves nothing.

I want to see video of the microphone and the surrounding area to prove it's not someone faking it. I want multiple recording devices going to make sure it's not some ambient noise or to try and locate the source by triangulation or spatial computer modeling. I want to see more creative engineering and experimentation in the devices used to capture EVP and more people seeking grants to fund such in depth research.

I want to see different types of recording equipment used to try and figure out exactly how it's being done and who might be doing it. I want to see long term coordinated study of the same locations by different groups to see if you consistently get the same voice and I want to see some attempts to initiate conversations with whoever is responsible for the mysterious voices you do record.

Enough of the scary ghost stories and “reality” TV shows where computer generated skulls come out of the windows of expensive New Orleans restaurants looking for free publicity. I want to see proof! I want to see science. And I don't think you can get either without some money, perhaps serious money.

If the string of paranormal TV shows has taught us anything, it should be that money can’t buy you love, but it sure does buy some cool electronics and comfortable cars while also opening the doors to places you never even knew existed!

I can’t understand how any ghost hunter can conduct serious research or expect to be taken seriously by the general public when they so proudly hail “We don’t charge anything and never paid a dime for any of our training or equipment! Those who do are frauds!”

That just seems unnatural and somewhat paranormal to me. Imagine what you would say to the scientist who told you the same thing! However, my views on this particular topic are often criticized by ghost hunters the world over.

As a matter of fact, when Todd and I first met, we had a rather heated discussion about using multiple recording devices and being more "scientific" when recording for EVP. I had criticized in my blog some things he had posted about the methods he uses when conducting investigations. He advised his students to stick to recording and not burden themselves with all sorts of techno gadgets which is exactly what I wanted to see more of!

He felt very strongly that the use of cameras, thermal imaging and multiple audio or other recording devices would make it harder for EVP to be generated by the “spirits” and all that technology would simply distract the researcher from the recording process.

I felt very strongly that all that equipment was needed to conduct serious scientific research to capture some real hard evidence so the study of EVP might finally get some serious funding or at least not be completely blown off by the general public.

Over the last few months we have learned from each other and come to respect one another’s opinions. Heck, look at me now I even joined his staff to try and do what I can to help out!

The simple fact is that no one knows what EVP really is or how best to study it. But I don't think anyone ever will with a budget of zero!

Work for free if you must, but if others wish to donate to the cause or if ghost hunters choose to charge for some hard copy materials or advanced training, don't point your finger at them and say they are unprofessional. I think the exact opposite might just be true.

EVP'S And Orb Video

2005-08-11T14:57:00.000-06:00

EVP'S And Orb Video from Glinda in KY.

Here is a site I found that has a great evp of a small child saying "can I say something" after Glinda asks if anyone would like to say something.

There is also some who say they can hear a man's voice saying "shut up" or "Joshua, shut up!"

See what you think.

And, if you are looking for a little fun, Glinda has just set up a webcam in her new place to do a little ghost hunting with as well. You can also chat about it at her new discussion board.

Take a look and see if you see the lady in the chair in the living room!

The AA-EVP's new "4Cell" experiment

2005-08-06T03:12:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems while I've been gone the AA-EVP has been busy developing an interesting new experiment with some very exciting and scientific methods.

Called the 4Cell EVP Demonstration, the main goal is to show that actual, provable communication can be had between experimenters and whomever is causing these strange voices people keep recording that we call the Electronic Voice Phenomenon.

So far, few researchers have even attempted, let alone actually accomplished an extended two way dialogue with these seemingly disembodied "entities". While many of the EVP recordings seem to be answering direct questions of the researchers, there is room for interpretation and the skeptics are always quick to point this out.

So, the AA-EVP wants to create a "test bed" with an established protocol, detailed records and weekly sessions to answer some basic questions about this amazing phenomenon in a way that minimizes direct personal involvement and therefore any possible direct or indirect interference on the part of individual researchers.

The questions they hope to answer:

Can you communicate and perhaps have some sort of conversation with the "other side"?
What forms of information are most easily communicated?
What are the best methods for training people to conduct transcommunication.
And which devices work best for capturing voices or images from these invisible benefactors?

Bold goals indeed.

Here is how it works:

One person, called the 'Requester' comes up with the question they will ask of the "entity". The Requester tells no one, at least no one living here on Earth what that question will be, but they are not clear on exactly how the Requester makes the request known to those they wish to communicate with.

Next, another person called the 'Sender' asks those on the other side to answer the question posed by the Requester. But, they don't actually make the recording, that's done by another person called the 'Receiver'.

The Receiver is always unaware of the specifics of the request and simply attempts to record any responses the "other side" might wish to make.

After the recording is completed, a fourth person, the 'Scribe' compares any recorded messages with the actual question asked by the Requester to see if the answer matches.

If there is a reasonable assumption that the recording is indeed in answer to the Requesters question, then the recording gets posted to the AA-EVP discussion group so that other members, called the "listening panel", can review the recording to see if they can concur on what was said and if indeed it was a response to the question posed.

All the while any communication between the four cell members will be conducted via an email list so that they will have detailed recorded archives of what was said and when.

This is the kind of stuff I've been waiting for! It's ok to go to a cemetery or be sitting in your house and ask "what is your name" and then record something you think might be a name, but this way there is a firm question, a firm answer, a peer review process of sorts and detailed records.

Not to mention, with the same group working together over a period of months, the possiblility of expanding on previous questions and actually having a conversation is very exciting!

So, what have they found so far? Great results came the very first week!

The question was asked by one group 'Does it take more of your energy to manifest a Class 'A' EVP? If so please indicate your answer as 'More energy' or 'No difference.' (I love that it's only multiple choice, not much room for interpretation here!)

The answer? An amazing "no difference" was clearly heard by the listening panel. Amazing! (It also leads to the obvious question 'then why do we have so many more class 'B' and 'C' EVP, but I'm sure they will get to that)

Another group posed the question "Can you tell me the name of JR's make-believe sister?" While this question does leave some room for personal interpretation and there is a remote possiblility that other participants might know this, the expected answer was "Sissy Sally" which is fairly specific and leaves little room for any interpretation on the part of the panel.

What response did they agree on after reviewing their recordings? "Sally is the name"! Now that's close enough for me!

What an exciting project. It seems this started back in May and I can't wait to learn what they have discovered since then.

As always, I'll keep you informed and I want to send a big giant

WELL DONE

to the fine folks at the AA-EVP for attempting this. It has great potential and moves us in the right direction of proving what the heck EVP really is!

EVPs and Videos from Washington State Paranormal Investigations and Research

2005-08-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

Today I discovered the EVPs and Videos from Washington State Paranormal Investigations and Research.

The thing I liked about their approach to posting EVP on the internet is that they won't tell you what they hear, they want you to tell them what you hear!

This is an interesting practice. Many naysayers point to the fact that if you tell people what they will hear, they will hear exactly that. For many EVP, this is true. I recall the debate over the WhiteNoise movie trailers. What millions heard as "I will see you no more" has been thought for years to be "I was seeing the war". Giant green letters on the screen might influence your judgement. These people try and minimize that and should be applauded for their very scientific efforts!

So, let''s listen and see what we hear!

Charlotte's EVP 2 - Taken with a micro cassette recorder I hear "please help me". What do you hear?

Charlotte's EVP 4 - This one is hard to make out. AT time index 0.05 there is definately a voice. The girls are talking about rewinding their recorders and you can hear a male voice whisper "see I told you"? Then, at the end of the recording there are very strange noises and a ground hum of sorts. Could be created by unplugging a mic or something, but it is interesting listening none the less.

Listen to Charlotte's EVP #6 and see what you hear. I can't make it out, but there is definately a male voice on this recording as well.

The amazing thing about Charlotte's recordings is that the male voice sounds like the same one on most of these. They don't say if all these recordings were taken at the same place or during the same investigation, but it is interesting to hear the same voice on multiple recordings, even if I can't make out what was being said.

Check out her EVP #9. She asks any spirits to speak into the microphone and say their name. Right after that you can hear a voice, but the recording seems to cut off and I can't make it out.

And finally, who is "Debbie Olsen"? I don't know, but it sure sounds like that's what Patricia's Issaquah clip captured a ghostly voice saying!

Check out this site. They have lot's of great EVP and many interesting investigations to read about.

Also, check out the facinating way they conduct themselves while investigating the Starvation Heights in Olalla Washington. They even blindfold their psychics, put them in seperate vehicles and don't tell them where they are going even after they get there.

When they do arrive, they also don't let any of the four teams interact with one another and they all must conduct their own independent investigations.

While it might sound more like a secret Mafia meeting, this is one great way to minimize the chances of one group influencing the others.

Good science and fun reading. Check out the Washington State Paranormal Investigations and Research right now!

Timeless Voices - EVP Analysis

2005-07-27T19:21:00.000-06:00

Timeless Voices - EVP Analysis

Lot''s of great EVP from this site. Living in the Southwest, as I do, one might think that our "wild west" might be a great place for recording EVP since so many tragic deaths occured during the settlement and exploration of this most inhospitable part of the country. Check out the Ghosts and Haunts of the Southwest for a ton of very interesting EVP.

"We are not here to hurt you" is a great example of some very clear class A EVP. While investigating a house without power, the team set up a tape recorder in a bedroom and went about the rest of the house. After returning, a recording of a woman's voice can be heard definately saying "we are not here to hurt you"! Well, I hope not!

Next is their collection of EVP taken on the Queen Mary. A popular ghost hunting spot and perhaps the most famous "haunted ship", the QM is a treasure trove of the paranormal and these EVP recordings are worth listening to.

"hotter than Hot" is how one "ghost" describes this team of women researchers as they investigate rooms B341 and B343 on the QM. While feeling the door for any heat sensations, a ghostly voice can be heard. Was he talking about the doors or the women? You decide.

"grata" when leaving the area of rooms B341 and 343, these polite investigators say thank you to whomever may be around. The response is "grata"! A you're welcome in Italian? You be the judge.

'I'm trying"? This EVP from the Queen Mary's first class pool area is also quite interesting. While the researchers say they hear "I'm trying" or "I'm crying", it sounds to me like there is a loud conversation that is obviously the researchers, yet under it is another conversation that sounds like kids. I definately can hear "where are you" in the middle. Can you?

Browse on over to the Ghosts and Haunts of the Southwest to hear more amazing EVP from the Queen Mary and other places in the great SW as well!

Sooner Corral EVP

2005-07-27T17:26:00.000-06:00

G.H.O.U.L.I EVP GALLERY- Sooner corral

This is not really an EVP, but rather an SSP (spontaneous Sound Phenomenon) but it sure is interesting.

Two investigators from the Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Investigations captured this amazing recording while conducting an investigation.

Russ, the guy running the recording equipment at the time, is very skeptical and didn't buy this right off. So, he asked the "spirit" who was tapping on the microphone to tap three times in a row.

As his partner exclaims that he can see indentions forming in the carpet as if some unseen person was walking across it, Russ records an amazing three taps on the mic which repeated three times, just as he had asked!

Great stuff, this! And a good lesson too. IF you get an EVP, ask the spirits to do something particular, something that will let you know some unseen force is responding to you.

Great EVP from the find folks at GHOULI! Check out the Sooner Corral EVP for yourself here.

Mellliiissaaa JR?

2005-07-16T03:34:00.000-06:00

Brooklyn Lancaster, young friend of Mellisa from EVPVOICES.COM has set up her own EVP site to share this phenomenon with younger people. She recently left some nice comments here and I thought I'd begin my return by checking out this new site!

I do have to say I really hate music on a website, especially MIDI tunes. Often times I have other sound stuff running and it just gets in the way or becomes annoying and would often crash my old system when I was watching TV or listening to the radio and analyzing an EVP which is hard enough on a sound card, and then BAM some musical website comes along and demands the sound cards full attention! Some people like it, I'm just not one of them, unless it specifically has to do with the site or is integrated into the design, then it's not so bad.

I was dissapointed she had not put evp as the background, that would be creepy!

But she had the theme from TITANIC going, so it's not too bad at all cause I'm a sucker for that song. I have to admit to letting it run the other night as background music while i worked!

Brooklyn starts out with

EVPs are important to our environment by helping us in whole different ways, by showing us that there is life after death. You can tell that there is life after death by listening to these EVPs of ours from many different places. EVP has helped me by thinking that there is life after death and knowing that you move on after you die.

and that's something I've discussed at great length here. Why don't people want to prove EVP for sure? IT could prove life after death, alternate dimensions or even time travel yet people either don't want to talk about it or just say it's all "crazy talk". What are people afraid of?

WHO WANTS TO KNOW

This is a great one! Guy asks if anyone is there and what sounds to me like an old woman says "who want's to know" then a long pause and "get out". Not scary, just like an old woman bothered by someone she doesn't know.

Unfortunately, many of her EVP are "enhanced" with digital processing and very hard to hear or uncomfortable to listen to. It's not her fault, just a side effect of the digital processing software. Good stuff costs thousands of dollars, so many EVP is processed using inexpensive or free software. I just can't listen to those. They never ring true to me and I can't put stock in something already altered.

"Play me that Tape", One of my all time favs is here, but it's processed and is not, in my opinion, as spectactular as the original at EVPVOICES.com. Melissa and her friend were out one night recording EVP when they recorded what sounds to be a man saying "play me that tape" and sounding rather surprised at finding his own voice on it!

"Leave me Alone" will give you chills. It sounds like the girls were not being all that serious one night and were joking about how the spirit died. So the lady tells them "Leave me alone" in the hollywood trademark spooky voice.

Check out "EVP VOICES JR" and you won't be disappointed in what this young lady has to say!

The Soldier Behind Me

2005-07-16T03:27:00.000-06:00

Well, this is not really EVP, but more of a feeling than anything else.

It was a dark and windy night last night. I'm in new digs and things are already strange to me as I get used to the new house that has lot's of solid surfaces and can create some very interesting sounds all on it's own.

But last night I was taking a break and playing "Pearl Harbor" at Yahoo Games when I swear to you there was a man standing over my left shoulder watching me play. For the whole half hour I felt someone behind me and kept turning to see if one of the dogs had somehow managed to get into my room.

It was windy, and I was quick to blame it on the wind. I felt a presence, but you know how it is, you want to think it's the wind.

Well, me being who I am, I quickly shut all the windows to eliminate that possibility. I checked the area for things that might feel or sound like a person. Then I put my headphones on and went back to playing the game.

Sure enough, there is still at least one and sometimes it felt like two, people watching me. I swear you could feel them get excited as the Jap planes fell from the sky from my "expert" ;) gunnery skills with those rather large anti-aircraft guns you get to shoot in that game.

So, not really EVP and after a recent move and upgrade to winXP, I was not ready to whip out my recording stuff to see if these gentlemen had any advice for me.

I figured perhaps they had been there and could give me some pointers! But instead I decided if they wanted to watch, they were welcomed to tag along. It did seem like they were having more fun than I was!

The Return of Regman

2005-07-16T03:20:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Well, as you can tell I've not been keeping up with this blog. It's a long story but for the last few months I just have not had the time or connectivity to pursue my EVP interests.

But that's somewhat changed now! I'm still very busy, but with my new super high speed connection and more stable living arrangement, I now can find the few moments it takes to visit all the great EVP sites out there and contemplate the meaning of it all.

I've been getting great comments and feedback and I wanted to thank everyone who contributed. I have to admit that I am surprised how kind everyone has been even if they don't agree with me and I have to thank everyone in the EVP world who has been so welcoming to my constant questions and inquiry. Those who have visited have had nice things to say and I appreciate hearing from anyone who has actual experience with this strange phenomenon. Thanks for your support!

I always intendend for this blog to be a discussion of EVP and stories about people's experiences, so I urge everyone to comment on the pages as you read them and let us all know what you think. But, please, keep the name calling and the "it's all just evil but I can't explain why"'s at a minimum, ok?

All comments are welcome, but please be constructive when you contribute your own thoughts. No one can learn from you if you just put them down and don't communicate.

LETS HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY! COMMENT OFTEN!

NOW, on to some EVP!

Yuman's do EVP

2005-02-10T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Yuma Sun has a report today about their local ghost hunter Don Swain and the increase in his calls about EVP since the White Noise movie came out.

Swain is quoted as saying ""Right as soon as that movie came out, I had four of those calls, because of 'White Noise' everyone's watching the static on their TVs and seeing demons."

But it does seem that Yuma has more than it's fair share of ghosts talking via EVP. With their long 'old west' history, Swain says the hot spots for EVP are on Prison Hill, Old Town and the old cemetery off First Avenue.

"I even had two spirits talking to each other at the old Conner House. A female voice said 'Where are you?' and then you hear a male voice say 'I'm here. Speak to me.’ ” says Swain.

Tom and Lisa Butler of the AAEVP also report a great interest in EVP since the movie. On opening day of the movie, their website got over 88,000 hits and Universal had to mirror them to keep up with the demand.

The exposure has done a lot of good for the EVP community though. Lisa Butler says: "One great thing is that the movie has given us the chance to set the record straight. Even though it shows EVPs as scary, it's still getting the word to the public about this phenomena."

But shouldn't people be scared? Isn't there a chance some evil being might come through? "Listen, I'm much more scared about getting mugged by a human than a dead person." says Butler.

Finding EVP in Crewe Pubs

2005-02-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

icCheshireOnline - Group sets out to find spirits in pubs reports a new group of ghosthunters in Crewe are going to stakeout the coaching inn on saturday to see if they can capture one of it's famous ghosts. The 18th century inn is reportedly haunted by a lady wafting through walls, a dog, a smoking guy named Ernie and the EVP betters favorite, the giggling little girl.

The new group, Spooks Paranormal Investigations, is made up of local co-workers and ghost enthusiasts who have quite an impressive arsenal of equipment. They plan on using night vision digital camcorders, motion sensors, thermometers and a whole range of EMF detectors. They also plan to use the old fashioned, but reportedly reliable techniques as divining rods, candles and Ouija boards as well.

The article reports them as being "experts" in EVP, yet I find the lack of recording devices in their list of equipment kind of funny. They go on to mention, however, some sort of EVP equipment which sends out ultrasonic sounds is going to be used. This is the first time I have heard of such a technique and the author doesn't give us anymore details.

These guys are hoping to gain access to many of the famous pubs in town as well as the infamous Lyceum Theatre which has been reported haunted for centuries by such characters as a monk, an actor and a hung ballet dancer.

I can't wait to see if they report their findings or if they give anymore information on this EVP recording equipment that sends out sound waves. Seems like they have a lot of equipment, I hope they capture something!

MegaStar - Liberace ghost haunts club

2005-02-03T02:24:00.000-07:00

It seems the ghost of Liberace is haunting an old nightclub he used to own. Floating capes, flying bottles and womens' toilet doors that mysteriously lock and unlock themselves have all been reported at the Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens. The only thing that seems to be missing is his trademark candelabra floating across the dance floor!

MegaStar - Liberace ghost haunts club

While I really want to say publicly that Phil Kemp, the author of this article is a complete moron who obviously knows nothing about the history of music beyond his own limited experience in the last 10 years or so and has absolutely no business writing for any music website that does not exclusively cover shallow teen market hip hop or rap, I can't say that or it would just be mean and I would lower myself to his level. If you can disregard his mean spirited, homophobic, high schoolish remarks about one of music's greatest legends, then you might just find this story as funny as I did.

While Kemp says "Liber-who" and claims in his SAT question type style that while Elvis was "to screaming middle-aged women in his burger-guzzling rhinestone fat-suit 70s phase, Liberace was, well, just screaming", he obviously knows nothing of the rich history of music's most flambouyant showman who helped make Vegas the entertainment capital it is now.

I think haunting people who insult his sexual orientation with floating capes and flying bottles sounds just like something Liberace would do.

Liberace was famous for his larger than life theatrics and his colorful costumes, lavish sets and amazingly extravagant shows, not to mention his trademark candelabra, which made him as big a hit in Vegas as Elvis ever was. The Britney Spears to millions in an age where his sexuality made him an easy target for ridicule and boycott, America still embraced this obviously gay and lispy sounding piano player and allowed him into their hearts and their TV's for almost two decades.

But an employee of the club, a Kelly Stanley, "believes she's annoyed the camp chap's spirit by making quips about his sexual orientation." and now he locks her in the toilet!

Here's hoping he doesn't remember that old sound activated, color changing, 30' high water fountain curtain he used to have on his Vegas stage or she might just get the toilet show of a lifetime next time she makes a remark!

And Kelly, you might want to watch out for flying pink cadilacs in the parking lot too!

The Ghost of Regman

2005-01-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

I thought I would stop by and apologize to everyone who is a regular subscriber. I've been extremely busy the last week with three large projects going and have not been keeping this blog updated nor listening to EVP as I should.

Rest assured my interest is still here and more posts will be coming in the next couple of days. I just need to finish up some work and actually get some sleep and then I'll be all ready for more EVP and ghost philosophy!

So stay tuned and happy ghost hunting!

EVP recorded by TV crew in Texas

2005-01-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

This just in from our friend Richard Smith over in Texas. Looks like he had some press over for the afternoon and they came away with some excellent EVP!

Television reporter and crew witness actual communication with ghosts !

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) January 17, 2005 -- TV station KSAT 12, with veteran news reporter Angela Vierville, visited with Richard Smith, at the Paranormal Investigations of Texas (paratexas.com) office in Santa Fe, Texas, January 11, 2005, for a LIVE 3 HOUR EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena)SESSION.

The entire episode, including digital recording, computer analysis and audio processing, was filmed by a KSAT Television news crew. In addition, Powell Productions of Santa Fe, was also on hand to film footage for current Paranormal Investigations of Texas documentary film projects.

The technique of recorded ghost voices has recently been brought to public prominence due to the release of the new Hollywood Blockbuster movie "White Noise" starring Michael Keaton.

During the seven minute recording session, ghosts voices were recorded which called them by name, and responded to questions asked.

One highly specific message was received by Angela Vierville...a female ghost voice replied to Angela's request to speak her name by saying "Hey....show us your song, Angela". To the amazement of all, Angela then revealed that she was, on that very day, missing a rehearsal for a local event in which she would indeed be singing a solo!

Another clear message was recorded to Richard Smith......"Richard Smith...your friends behold me!". This after Richard has asked for any spirits to assist in demonstrating the existance of the spirit world.

Richard Smith is author of the book "Everyplace I Go Is Haunted, webmaster www.paratexas.com, member of AAEVP, and long time investigator and researcher of the electronics voice communication phenomenon.

Common Ghost Theories and Misconceptions

2005-01-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

At haunted voices there is an article by James Pinkston on many of the common theories and possible misconceptions that abound in the ghost hunting world. Read it at Haunted Voices - Theories

I like this guy, I really do. We think a lot alike about the paranormal and what can be proven or not. He admits having weird readings at times and experiencing possible paranormal activity, but like myself, he can not say for sure what their cause is and therefore can not say what is proven or even if he believes them to be ghosts.

His article starts out:

"To date, there is absolutely no, and I repeat No 100% scientific proof that ghosts exist. Yes, we have all had our brush with the unexplained. We all have our personal opinions and feelings on the issue, but the skeptics and those opposed to the paranormal will argue that these are opinions and personal beliefs alone, and there is nothing substantial to support their actual existence. "

And they would be right. Until ghost hunters can gather more detailed and scientific data, there can be no logical or valid argument to the skeptics or the general public that anything paranormal actually exists. I'll be the first to attack skeptics who don't know what they are talking about or try to use their own unproven theories against believers. But as I've said to both sides many times, show me your data, show me your studies and you have to present me with more than "I just know". Mr. Pinkston goes on to say:

"What troubles me in the first place is how many of the theories that have existed for many years are now held by many to be considered as truths with no consideration or effort made to try to authenticate these theories."

Thanks James, I was starting to think I was the only one. I've written many times how amazed I am that no one seems to be really out to prove any theory. It seems many are comfortable believing one way or the other and just leave it at that. The skeptics say "it's radio" without any proof and the believers say "it's ghosts", also without any proof.

His discussion revolves mostly around orbs and EMF readings. He questions whether there is any shred of proof that EMF readings might indicate the paranormal and points out how many just assume elevated EMF indicates paranormal activity without really understanding what they are measuring, if anything.

He talks a lot about orbs, and what he says about them is interesting. He discusses the fact that many believe orb photos to be the spirits of the dead without any proof that it is not some other unknown force. Dust, pollen and many other pollutants have been found to be the cause of most orb photos but even those that remain unexplained are just that, unexplained. Orbs might be ghosts, or they might be something else all together.

I've always wondered why more EVP researchers do not use photography in their studies. You would have a good chance convincing me you had something substantial if you had three photos of the same orb from different cameras as well as a recording and some measurements showing drastic temperature or other environmental changes such as elevated EMF readings.

But many, including the Haunted Voices staff in their EVP questions and answers page advise against using other measuring equipment.

"When recording I personally do not take photos, use the Emf meter, or run video. I feel that this takes a lot of energy away from the spirit and they cannot perform with all of these different capture devices going. It takes a tremendous amount of energy for a spirit to show themselfs[sic] on film or video as well as recorders."

So, until someone figures out how to have full conversations with these voices or start actually trying to prove their theories with equipment other than the recorder, EVP will always remain a mystery that can not be proven.

As Pinkston so eloquently put it:

"Theories are great, as they lead to further research in an attempt to prove or disprove them, and everyone is entitled to their theories. What each person has to keep in mind is that even though these theories may be well founded, until they are proven, they are only that, theories, and should never be submitted or taken as factual."

That's good advice for anyone who studies or believes in anything, particularly the paranormal.

Haunted Voices - Crawford Co EVP

2005-01-11T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've been busy the last couple of days and found little time for EVP listening. Today I'm back under my headsets and have some great things for you to hear.

The folks over at Haunted Voices have some very clear EVP recordings and a whole lot of info on EVP. Check out Haunted Voices - EVP.

All the EVP they have on this "Haunted Crawford Co" page are very clear and very creepy.

"Protect the cemetery"
The ghostly sentry alerting the cemetery SWAT team to respond to the intrusion of these ghost hunters?

"We'll come out for you"
More of these strange guardians of the dead trying to give them a warning?

"Get out of here!" "GO"
Perhaps these spirit protectors decided enough is enough and it's time for these paranormal researchers to go back to their lab?

All of these are very clear and will definitely spook you. They also have a section I will report on later including visitor submitted EVP and training classes!

White Noise fails to drive out Fockers

2005-01-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

David Germain of the Associated Press reports in Canada's Globe and Mail (The White Noise fails to drive out Fockers) that this weekends earnings for the opening of White Noise was $24 million. This is 2.5 million under what the hit "Meet the Fockers" brought it, which has already been out for weeks.

Film producer Paul Brooks still has hope that his movie will do well with the public. "It's always fascinated me, the way critics work," said Brooks, "They have a particular view of a film that sometimes can be significantly at odds with what the man on the street and the lady on the street and the kid on the street want to see."

Often times this proves to be true, but I have yet to see one single good review. Sorry Paul, I think the man on the street agrees with the critics on this one.

WorldITC - Mark Macy and Spirit Group TimeStream

2005-01-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

The WorldITC is a "a network on Earth without a traditional structure, not a hierarchical or bureaucratic type of organization" that uses the internet to achieve this lofty goal. Continuing the work of Konstantin Raudive and his afterlife team of researchers calling themselves Spirit Group TimeStream, this is one fascinating organization and a definite must see for anyone serious about learning more on EVP.

I've been meaning to mention them and will do so more in the future because this is a wealth of information both on the history and the continuing efforts to study EVP and ITC.

Some pages I would suggest a visit to are as follows:

Voice Transmissions with the Deceased - Learn all about the early work of EVP pioneer Friedrich Juergenson and read his book online for free. Starting with that fateful Friday, the 12th of June 1959 when he first captured strange voices while recording bird songs, all the way to his later years and many public demonstrations, this book documents it all in an honest and easy to read fashion.

ITC contact examples - see amazing pictures supposedly sent back by researchers immediately after their deaths to friends televisions and read a letter from Jeanette Meek meant to prove life after death once and for all.

Conversations with Konstantin Raudive - Would you like to hear what this famous ITC pioneer sounds like on the phone? How about the supernatural phone to the after life?

They have many recordings of a wonderfully deep pitched and accented voice that is claimed to be that of Dr. Raudive after he died calling for consultation and to give instructions for researchers here on earth to build the equipment necessary to contact the dead. Forming the afterlife research team TimeStream, he continued his work for months after his death before finally being called away to somewhere he would not say.

If there is a spirit world and Raudive is there, I'm sure he is going to haunt me for doing my amateur impressions of him:
"My dear friends from the Internet, I bring you greetings and ask that you visit the WorldITC and my close friend and colleague Mark Macy, without whom continued research would not be possible. You would also benefit greatly by subscribing to this blog and maintaining daily contact so we may one day bring all of humanity into resonance and harmony as this is of the utmost importance to clear transmissions between both the living and those in my reality. This is technical advice from this side."

I love these recordings and his voice is wonderful. Listen to them and you will know what I'm talking about. I don't know if this is really Raudive from the dead or not, but whomever it is has got a great way of speaking, is very articulate and the recordings are quite clear. This voice is not in my head; I'm sure everyone will hear the same things I do.

I'll close with a quote from Dr. Raudive during one of these "transmissions with the dead":

"Lighten your hearts, show each other the real you, share each other's burdens, and don't make this important moment difficult for yourself or for each other. Relax."

Good advice for the living and the dead. So relax and check out WorldITC today.

The Supernatural World :: Electronic Voice Phenomena

2005-01-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

Over in the UK at The Supernatural World :: Electronic Voice Phenomena, they have a page on EVP with a couple of interesting samples.

Most of these samples cannot be made out, so I can't put any credence in them. But let's see if you hear the same things I do in these two:

"Touch me"
During a seance participants thought to tape the event and wondered if the recording would pick up the bubbling of their cokes. What it picked up was more than bubbles. When playing it back they heard this clear voice say "touch me". Is that what you hear?

What's her name?
Then they have an interesting sample from the Pollard Theatre "in America" and I'm assuming it's the famous playhouse in Guthrie Oklahoma. I hear a woman saying her name. Can you tell me what her name might be? I wonder if we all hear it too. Don't click on the comments until after you listen to Theatre EVP 1.

Then tell everyone what you hear and read the comments to see if we all agree. Sound like a fun experiment? I hope you will join along.

They're heeeaaaring things at the Telegraph News

2005-01-09T01:59:00.000-07:00

Science correspondent Robert Matthews for the Telegraph News in London obviously doesn't believe in EVP and is quite upset that people are trying to make money with the new movie White Noise featuring such a preposterous phenomenon. Telegraph News They're heeeaaaring things

He says in an article published today:

"The film's makers are certainly hoping that Electronic Voice Phenomena are very good at least for business. They are doing everything they can to convince us that EVP are the disembodied voices of the dead and that anyone can tune in to them using just a tape recorder and an open mind.

Creating a spurious air of credibility for creepy films is a time-honoured marketing ploy; it worked wonders for the supposedly "factual" blockbusters The Amityville Horror and The Blair Witch Project.

But the makers of White Noise have taken the gimmick to new heights or depths, depending on your view of Hollywood."

He then complains about those very good trailers that got all of us into this movie too. He has a point that White Noise commercials did sound quite authoritative and as if EVP is scientific fact, but it's an advertisement for a movie!

I'm not sure if I can go along with him on this. That's why people should look into things on their own and not expect hollywood's story tellers to bring us documentaries as entertainment or be completely honest in their marketing. Cop work is mostly boring and so is being a cowboy, soldier or just about anything else. I want to see excitement; if hollywood brought us the truth in everything where would the fun and entertainment be?

I wish he would have stopped by here. Any internet search for Ruth Baxter would have brought him right to my page all about her and her history. But instead he simply comments:

"In one, made in 2003, a woman called Ruth Baxter can be heard saying "I will see you no more" which may well be the case, since the trailer states that she died in 1987."

and goes on to complain how this will be damaging to anyone who tries it. Because it's demons or harmful spirits?

No, he is the science reporter after all and his views lie squarely in the "it's all radio noise" camp. He talks about how scientific researchers at prestigious universities, radio amateurs and "even BBC engineers have all heard these spooky voices". He forgets to mention the work done by these same people that shows it might not be radio waves, but he is trying to prove his point so I'll cut this english gent some slack.

He rather rudely goes on to say about EVP experimenters:

"If they are foolish enough to follow the website's instructions, what they will hear are effects first described in detail in the mid-1950s.

Others reported having similar experiences, including a shady Latvian psychologist named Konstantin Raudive,..(who) claimed to have detected more than 70,000 "voice texts" simply by making tape-recordings of the hiss-like static of radios tuned between stations."

I'm not sure I agree with Mr. Raudive either, but there's no need for name calling and I saw nothing in his work to indicate he was "shady". This term is just often used by scientists around the globe to refer to those whom they disagree with. I'm sure Darwin is called "shady" by a few even today.

Mr. Matthews then complains that the voice of reason at the time of Raudives recordings was drowned out when scientists "pointed out that the voices sometimes sounded like snatches of conversation from foreign radio stations" and "Psychologists quickly recognized EVP sometimes referred to as "Rorschach audio" as just another example of the brain's penchant for making sense even of the patently senseless."

Well, I'm not sure drowned out would be the term I would use or I think more people would know who Raudive was and what EVP is. I also have to question his comparing EVP to pareidolia and the "decade-old toasted cheese sandwich said to bear an image of the Virgin Mary, which sold for $28,000 on eBay in November."

How much is that famous Rembrandt said to bear the image of Jesus at the last supper or that Warhol that some think looks like a soup can? Sometimes people see different things in any picture or hear different things in recordings; that does not mean it's not really a picture of something specific or a recording of a live sound. This argument always rings hollow with me.

Of course people might be hearing things out of the noise that are not there. That is a proven scientific fact and always a possibility. It's also a scientific fact that if you record a voice on a recording device you can play it back and everyone will hear what it says. Not all of these recordings are bad enough to simply be in everyone's head.

He does tell us of some amazing research by Professor Imants Baruss, a psychologist at the University of Western Ontairio, who took over 60 hours of recordings in an experiment "designed to detect EVP under scientific conditions". They asked any spirits to make themselves known, but he fails to mention any of the other "scientific conditions" they were under such as any radio wave blocking or soundproofing.

The professor and his assistants found many strange things on their tapes:

"When the 60 hours of recordings were played back, the team found a host of bizarre effects on their tapes. Some seemed to be radio stations breaking through the static. Sometimes there would be dramatic surges in the background noise not unlike those used to scare audiences in White Noise.
And then there were the eerie voices, saying occasional words like "hello" and, in one case, informing the team to "Tell Peter".
Or at least that's what two of the researchers thought it said; Prof. Baruss isn't so sure. "The phrase on the tape is not `Tell Peter' but noise that just happens to be how our perceptions work," he told The Telegraph."

While the good professor does admit "I would not be surprised if some EVP turns out to be genuinely anomalous although that is still a long way from evidence of life after death" he is adamant that this experiment proves "weird voice-like effects can be picked up using just a radio and a tape-recorder". But ask this scientist how they get there and he says he doesn't know.

So basically they didn't do much science and just proved that recording voices from the radio, cell phones and even perhaps the dead is all possible with any regular recording device.

Matthews then talks with a few radio experts who actually have some very interesting things to point out. Senior Investigations Engineer for the BBC Ian Astbury says he is all too familiar with EVP.

"The microphone cable acts as the aerial and you only have to have a dirty connection to act like the crystal, which demodulates the signal" says Astbury who goes on to explain "The result is a tape recorder that picks up mysterious "voices" from thin air. They could be anything from bursts of local taxi-cab chatter to stray signals from the other side of the world. "

He even tells of some that were taped on live broadcasts including a famous event last February on a show called Excess Baggage where hostess Sandi Toksvig was doing an interview at a haunted castle and a ghostly, whispering voice could be heard in the background. But Astbury doesn't believe it was the dead, just poor equipment.

Vaughan Reynolds, a BBC radio reception expert says amateur radio ethusiasts hear weird voice effects when transmissions bounce off of meteor trails in the atmosphere. "You may be listening to a nice, clear voice, but when it hits the auroral curtain it sounds like a hoarse whisper, it's amazingly ghostly" says Reynolds.

That's something I'll need to look into more. That is an amazing phenomenon in itself and could be a cause of some EVP. But our friend the science report concludes in his somewhat rude tone:

"Picked up on a dodgy tape-recorder by those who don't know their RF from their elbow, the effect could be unnerving. For the bereaved conned by a Hollywood movie into believing that they are talking to their dead relatives, the result could be truly traumatic."

This guy definitely doesn't believe in EVP and is a little off in his analysis, but he does give all of us some good things to think about and a new possible cause to explore. I'd say this is a A good article to take a look at.

Hot Abercrombie Chick on true theories being scientific

2005-01-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

Hot Abercrombie Chick Posts: true theories scientific

I like to read this woman's blog. I find many interesting things here and her take on life is always fun to read. This chick is pretty conservative, and I doubt she believes in ghosts, but she does have a good point that EVP believers and skeptics alike may want to take into account:

Does a theory have to be scientific to be true?

She is talking in the context of the theory of evolution, of course, and not the paranormal, but the principles are the same and she has some tasty food for thought for all of us.

Paleontologists, anthropologists, astronomers, and just about everyone else who studies things from the past is forced to make assumptions that they cannot always prove with hard physical science when they form their theories. Yet we often take this as real "science" because we don't have any way to prove it wrong and don't call what these people do "crazy" or "impossible"; well, at least not anymore.

Her fictional example, similar to what you will see in any natural history museum, concerns the color of prehistoric flower J32. Her pretend scientists have decided based on environmental evidence that the petals of this flower were bright orange.

There is no way to prove this scientifically since we have no more J32's to look at and the existing measuring equipment technology cannot detect anything that would tell us what the actual color was. So is this theory scientific, even if it turns out to be true?

Well, it seems the answer is no. It might be true, but it's not scientific. Yet scientists often try and pass this kind of thing off as science, because it was based on environmental evidence and the theories of the leaders in the field. They stick it in the museums and the text books and the rest of us just go along because we can't prove it's not wrong.

Hum, doesn't sound like the way we treat those in the paranormal studies, does it?

In her post on evolutions, Abercrombie Chick says:

"For a hypothesis/theory to be scientific, it must (by Popper's generally accepted standard) be falsifiable - that is, it must be possible for it to be shown to be false. If a theory isn't of the sort that could be shown to be false, it doesn't count as a scientific theory. That does not, of course, mean that it is not or could not be true - it simply means that it isn't something that can be dealt with from within scientific methodology. "

Gee, that sounds a lot like ghost hunting for EVP. No scientist has proved ghosts don't exist or EVP is not possible communication with the dead. As a matter of fact, the few scientists who tried failed miserably to prove their theories.

So evolution gets in textbooks and EVP is laughed at by the scientific community. Sound to you like maybe science has a little double standard here since ghost hunters don't wear white coats and have fancy labs or lot's of letters behind their names?

Food for thought.

Tell us your EVP story.

2005-01-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

Many people in the past few days have been sharing their own weird EVP or ghost experiences with me via email or comments. Thanks go out to everyone, they were very interesting and fun to read. Many will keep you up at night!

I thought it might be fun to have all these facinating stories in one place and to give you readers an opportunity to share your story with the rest of us.

So, put your own strange experiences in the comments here and let's share!

Missoulian: Ghost hunter pulls disappearing act

2005-01-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Missoulian: Ghost hunter pulls disappearing act

Definitely one of the poorest excuses for news I've ever read, this published today just shows how eager many in the press and the public are to find anything, and I mean anything that discredits ghosts or the paranormal, even stooping so low as to report complete nonsense. Seems like things are pretty boring in Missoula Montana today if this is straight from the editors desk.

It seems the board of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula don't believe in ghosts and have little respect for those who do. So the big news today in bustling Missoula? They've lost their ghost hunter! reports crack journalism ace and paper editor Jamie Kelly.

You see, someone offered his ghost hunting services last year to investigate reports of a military looking and somewhat mischievous spirit haunting the grounds that was seen many times by the past curator and others over the years. Bob Brown, the museums current executive director, "can't quite recall the young University of Montana student's name (it's buried there somewhere in a thick, scrawled-over yellow legal pad)" but he does remember what they told this person. It would be $25 an hour for this ghost hunter to use the building. After all, they would have to staff the building while he was there.

"The ghost researcher has not contacted the Museum to pursue the poltergeists." states the Dec 20 board of directors meeting notes. What a surprise. With a welcome like that I can't believe it! I'm not sure I would call some unknown college student who wrote a letter on a yellow legal pad a "ghost hunter", but I do know they seem to have a poor attitude for people who study the dead themselves.

Anthropologists and ghost hunters actually have a lot in common: most of their findings are a lot of "I think" or "it seems", "looks like" or "perhaps" gleamed from miniscule amounts of evidence with little hard scientific proof to back up any of their claims. Ghost Hunters claim to know all about the afterlife and museum people claim to know all about the past. But the reality is they all just do a lot of educated guessing because of inexact science.

If ever the Museum of Fort Missoula needs to excavate or investigate anywhere I know of, I'm sure going to encourage the owners of the property to charge at least $25 an hour for the privilege of their "scientific study" of digging holes, sifting dirt and looking at people's ancient trash.

Stephanie and her Ghost

2005-01-08T02:17:00.000-07:00

Stephanie is 31 and lives with her 14 year old daughter who claimed to see a "shadow man" in their new apartment twice a month, often just standing and staring at Steph as she slept.

Dismissing this as childish fantasy miss Stephanie was surprised when she actually captured the man on film and his voice on tape!

Creepy stuff at her site documenting what she has found at this apartment. Evidentally anyone can bring over any camera they want and capture orbs by the dozen as the CD player or vacuum start up on their own to cover the noise of the TV flying off the entertainment center!

She has some amazing pictures and a great page about her story. But we are here to listen to EVP and she has some scary ones.

"I've got to whisper through the walls" says one mans voice. Is it her neighbors spying on her or an evil spirit explaining his poor state of existence?

"No, see, I'd kill him. I told you. Please believe me" The voice of a ghostly little girl or a misunderstood cell phone transmision? You decide.

"I'm demonic" Is this the voice of the shadow man they see?

Check out Stephanies haunted apartment and listen to all her EVP. She's got quite a story and some pretty scary pictures too!

Why no Trucker CB EVP?

2005-01-08T01:49:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to some evp samples and I'll be posting later about a facinating site with a lot of creepy stuff for you to hear. But I had a thought...

I've listened to literally hundreds of samples by now. I'm starting to feel like Raymond from the movie, only with a smaller neck. As I hit one of them tonight I thought to myself "that sounds kind of like a trucker". Then it hit me. I can't believe I'd never thought of this before since skeptics often point to CB's as the cause of EVP.

Why don't we have more samples that sound like truckers?

I used have a CB in my car all the time back in the 80's. My friends and I would play hide and seek using them. Some of us would hide in a certain area in a car and the rest would try to triangulate our position by radioing each other with our signal strength after our broadcast every five minutes until they could figure out where the "mouse" was. It was a great way to spend many an evening and didn't cost us a thing but some gas. Sounds geeky, but it was a lot of fun.

But even as slang talking teenagers it was difficult for us to not use the famous "trucker" voice everyone seems to automatically go into on the CB. You know that twang if you've been around CB's at all. Sometimes it sounds as though everyone is from the south, even if you are in Maine! I spent many nights on the road during the 90's in semi trucks when I was in the music production business. I know what CB talk sounds like both in town and on the road.

Then why do you never hear any EVP say "there's a smokey on your six there big truck?" or "I just blew through the choke and puke at 95 and bears got his ray gun out. Y'all watch yourselves now, hear"?

Why don't most of the EVP sound like CB people do? How many non truckers or radio heads actually own CB's anymore? Can EVP really be CB radios?

White Noise Movie Review by Regman

2005-01-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe says White Noise is "a moronic exercise in supernatural claptrap" but Kirk Honeycutt of the Hollywood Reporter thought it sent "more than a few chills down the spine". I'm caught somewhere in the middle.

I went to see the film today with my friend's 15 year old boy to get the teenage perspective as well. There was a great trailer as Lou Lumenick reported in the New York Post "If only White Noise...were even a quarter as good as the coming-attractions trailer." yet I was surprised to see a couple of hundred people had turned out at 3pm on a Friday to watch a movie that was getting such horrible preliminary reviews. Maybe the critics were wrong and people will love this movie.

I'm sad to report that I and my young friend as well as many others at the theater today felt there was a lot missing from this movie.

I now know this is indeed a thinking persons thriller, a kind of "chic flick" with some scary parts but mostly a lot of watching and listening and trying to figure out what is going on. It's not your average scary movie so don't expect to see the same old thing but I think the main problem with this script is that they tried too hard to put the same old stock horror gags into all the wrong places and never fully developed anything.

From the very beginning the whole thing feels disconnected, like a bunch of scenes just strung together with something missing in between. It looked more like an almost done TV show or a concept presentation than a finished full length feature with a big star trying to make a comeback or a director trying to break into films.

British TV director, Geoffrey Sax, who is making his theatrical debut, never gives us a chance to really get to know or even like any of the characters including Johnathan Rivers, the architect Mr. Keaton plays with obvious skill but very little else. It's almost like everyone in the movie is in some kind of trance, unable to show any emotion at all. Even the little boy, when he is around, seems more like the neighbor's bothersome robot child than our hero's beloved son. I didn't have a stop watch but I'd be surprised to learn that any of the four main characters other than Rivers was on screen for longer than 5 minutes at a stretch or had more than 10 pages of dialog all total.

The story bounces from place to place but you are never quite sure where we are going or why we are here. Much of the movie is mostly silent as we watch Keaton drive his car, walk around his office, record EVP, listen to EVP, stand around murder scenes and then set up his ultra high tech EVP/ITC lab at his house. It's kind of like watching a cop movie, but spending the whole first half of the movie on the stakeout.

When you finally expect it to get good and the bad guys finally show up, it only gets hokey and tries to throw in as many horror movie cliches as possible to try and please the modern thriller audience.

There is little explanation about the three mysterious ghostly figures you assume are the bad guys other than a shrugged "they can't all be nice" from EVP obsessed Raymond, the man who gets Rivers started in all this in the first place and is the first to mysteriously perish. They look like aliens and trash houses better than the Mafia or the CIA looking for micro film. They seem to have the vocabulary of your average movie outlaw biker and may be related to the Dementors from Harry Potter's world. But you never find out exactly who they are or what they want. When they do appear you expect them and there is little surprise or suspense involved.

Once our hero starts getting images and audio on his computer from people who are not dead yet, the movie becomes a sort of cross between the paranormal batman and that old TV show Early Edition about the guy whose mystical cat brought tomorrows paper today so he could save everyone before they died. It almost feels like some studio executive finally said "enough with the EVP, what if he could save people with messages from the future?" so they wrote that in.

Then I think another exec said "but cop shows sell well, what if he were a sort of crime solving ghost hunter?" so our hero is off to save the missing girl. "But wait" said another desk jockey, "that's not scary, we need some psycho who looks all weird, maybe like that guy from Silence of the Lambs, he gave me the creeps" so in he goes. Then, I swear to God, someone must have said "but I loved the part in Harry Potter when the Dementors attacked Sirius Black. Can't we have something like that?"

So we get an ending that makes no sense, explains nothing, happens way too fast and isn't scary or suspenseful at all. It just seems like they decided to wrap things up and release what they had. It was very disappointing.

The film is not a total loss however. We are treated to some excellent lighting and camera work form Cinematographer Chris Seager and editor Nick Arthur's choice of angles and cuts helps to make this movie interesting and ominous, even if the script never delivers the goods. The choice of locations and the almost constant presence of running water is tastefully done and fits the story well. There are a lot of great shots in this movie. Too bad it didn't have the script to go with them.

As for new film director Geoffrey Sax, I feel for him. He does have some talent which is demonstrated in many places and it's sad to see his big debut into feature films fall so flatly on it's face. There is potential here, but I think too many studio folks held the reins and I don't think Mr. Sax had a clear course to follow. This movie just wanders around too much. I would not be surprised to learn the directors cut is 4 hours long; that would explain the obviously missing pieces.

As for Mr. Keaton, I don't think he really cares about White Noise. From the interviews I read and the performance I saw today it is obvious he never really got into this project and I'm wondering why he ever signed up for it in the first place.

Now don't laugh, I enjoyed it. I really did. It was a fun movie to see but will not be going into my list of all time favorites. I see this as becoming more of a cult classic like the Rocky Horror Picture show; there sure is enough silence to fill.

Maybe the audience could make it better?

See a real life ghost hunters review of White Noise
or read our first reader review and see what Chris had to say.

White Noise Press Coverage

2005-01-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

As is to be expected on opening day, articles and movie reviews abound in about every paper and weekly in the country. I get updates from several sources as these are released and I wanted to comment on some of my observations as I read what these people the rest of us trust have to say.

While much of the coverage is right on and I've found many movie reviews I quite agree with, I did find it interesting that most of the stuff you will read about EVP is just rehashed from the official press releases.

I even wonder if some of these writers actually read anything else about EVP before they wrote their piece. That's just lazy journalism. Count how many times you find this in your reading: "a process by which the dead communicate with the living through the static and white noise of modern electronic devices". Thank God for cut and paste, I guess.

I would also like to ask some of the reviewers if they actually saw the movie? I don't know how many times I've seen it reported that Ian McNeice plays a medium. The character has a whole long line about how he is not a medium or a psychic and the dead contact him when he and Rivers first met at his house. Were the reviewers getting popcorn during this part? Or did a press release get printed wrong?

I also see the "this is crazy" articles everyone expected. Not surprisingly, this point of view takes up three or four times the space devoted to believers, but I'm not sure I blame mainstream editors for this. Most readers want to hear "this is all crazy" anyway. Telling people they can talk to the dead might just kill your career.

Sometimes the news is less about the news and more about not upsetting anyone, particularly the advertisers. They just fill the space around the ads with whatever people want to read and don't worry too much about making us think or challenging our beliefs at all because most of us would just write mean letters or buy another publication. Besides, it's hard to prove EVP and most in the press don't like to do more than laugh at things you can't prove, especially ghosts. Again, you might end up having to contact your career with EVP if editors or readers think you are crazy.

So, if you believe, don't expect to see a sudden jump in the popularity of EVP with most sections of society or the press. If you are a skeptic take comfort in the fact it seems most of the world agrees with you and there is little motivation in the press to do more than laugh it off as crazy people picking up the radio on their tape recorders and believing it's ghosts.

Too bad many writers never bothered to look deeper into EVP or even took the time to get all their facts right. I'm coming to expect that more and more in mainstream media. It really is a shame.

A Ghost Hunter Review of White Noise

2005-01-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Matt Ferrell, founding editor of GHOST! Magazine and member of the North Florida Paranormal Research Inc and webmaster of the Ghost Tracker Investigations is a real life ghost hunter of some repute and I wondered what he might think of a movie about EVP. He graciously allowed me to share with you what he had to say on the GHOULI discussion board about the movie WHITE NOISE.

Last night I went to an advanced screening of "White Noise".
My review of the night? Went something like this:

My sister and I went, and she brought along a couple of her friends. Mel, who runs the magazine with me, was also there (www.ghostmag.com) and I ran into James there who is part of one of the radio stations here in town and has been on investigations with me, along with roaming around St. Augustine. Bart and Lori of Ghost Tracker (www.ghosttracker.com) were also there. Also ran into Deb Nichols, a psychic that I've investigated with at the St. Augustine, Florida Lighthouse in 2001, and my friends Helen and Dave of SPIRIT Investigations from here in Jacksonville were there as well. Dave gave a short speech before the show on their group, and EVP. He did a good job.

I'm not to big on movies.. so my review probably doesn't really count for much.. but for what it's worth, it was a decent movie. For the most part they stayed true to form as to the method of recording EVP and stuff like that. Although I think the data that was shown/captured was a bit more then what the usual investigator gets. Also of course there was some Hollywood stuff thrown in. For the most part nothing to big though (No 'Ghost Busters' type effects.. hehe), just shadows and figures here and there.. until the end when the Hollywood stuff went all out. But it is a horror/drama type film, so I expected the Hollywood stuff and scary moments and "evil beings" to be put in there.

All in all though, it was a good watch. I viewed it as entertainment, not as "this is how investigations and research is done".. so with that mind set, it was good. If you go in viewing it as "This better be EXACTLY true to form", you're probably going to get disappointed by at least SOMETHING. That goes for anything in this field though, including other groups' websites you may go to, TV shows and documentaries you may see, etc.

With such a controversial topic as ghosts, where everyone has their own ideas and theories, you know you're going to run into stuff that doesn't mesh well with your ideas, and you know that many people have different ways of thinking about the subject. Especially with Hollywood/Movies, you know they're going to throw the special effects and scary moments into a ghost film. You just have to watch it and deal with it. It's entertainment where someone merged their thought of how true research is done, with that of what they think is a good script.

If anything, maybe it'll spark more interest of the subject into people, and they'll go out researching and finding more credible info about the investigation and research side of things, rather then going by just what the movie shows. It's like the holiday Halloween. It's a quirky holiday where people dress up in costumes and everything else, but it sometimes sparks an interest in people and makes them think "What If?".. then from there they seek out and learn more about the unexplained, and sometimes even become some of the top names in paranormal research.

So watch it. Enjoy it. And don't take it too seriously.It's a movie made for entertainment.

Matt Ferrell
GHOST! Magazine

See my Review of White Noise
or read our first reader review and see what Chris had to say.

Subscribe to Ghost Magazine

WHITE NOISE now in Theaters!

2005-01-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY WHITE NOISE MOVIE DAY

Well, the moment we have all been waiting for is finally here! White Noise opens in theaters today all across the US and I believe Canada. What will people say about the movie? How will EVP be perceived by the public and in the media? Will the reviews be right and the movie is really slow or will people like the change of pace and flock to this thinkers thriller? We shall see.

I will be seeing the movie tomorrow, so watch for my review as well as late breaking movie news! Have a happy White Noise opening day, and thank you for your support.

Did you see the movie? Leave a review in the comments section below and share with the rest of us! Let the world know what you think.

Reflections in the White Noise

2005-01-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

As the release of the movie WHITE NOISE is almost here, it is time for some reflection and thought before finally seeing that which started me off on this wild adventure in the first place. I can't believe the day that once seemed so distant is already here; my journey to this point has gone by so fast.

Sick Thoughts?
I ran across a discussion post on a movie fan site listing me as the "Guy's sick blog about why it's not possible" and I thought WHOA did they miss something or did I? Are my thoughts and observations sick? I didn't mean to offend anyone and I never said it was not possible! After inquiring with a 15 year old member of the house, I was assured that "sick" means good and that they enjoyed the site. Cool!

But it got me to thinking about what I do believe is possible, what I now think about EVP and what people might take away from my thoughts and commentary here.

Studying the Electronic Voice Phenomenon and writing the EVP Recordings has changed my life to no small extent and continues to be a lot of fun. With the new year here and the release of the movie, this is a good time to think about why I did this, where I've been, what I think now and where this will all go from here.

Why did I do this?
Originally I did this to start my experience with blogging. I figured it would be a good way to keep notes for myself and give me an excuse to write while looking into something I find quite interesting; a few bloggers or some friends might swing by and find my commentary suitable to kill a few minutes or get a laugh or two.

I never dreamed it would turn into this! I now have a fascinating new hobby to pursue and many fine folks like you to join me on the way while adding their comments and thoughts for everyone to learn from. I never imagined the support I would get from around the world and I certainly never fathomed how engaging this whole EVP blog thing could be.

Where have I been?
I've been fortunate during the holidays to have the time to visit dozens of evp websites and listen to literally hundreds of EVP samples of various quality or believability. I've learned much of the history of Instrumental TransCommunication and Electronic Voice Phenomenon and about the many various theories as to the cause.

I've looked at all the available experimental data I could find so far and I've talked over the web with dozens of ghost hunters, evp researchers, people with real life experience and die hard skeptics alike. I've read many serious papers, books and articles and I've spent literally hundreds of hours over the last few weeks learning all I can about this strange phenomenon and the people who study or report it.

I tried ITC for the first time and saw something move in my video. Four others confirmed there was something moving, but it could just be pixelation from an inexpensive video camera stimulating our active imaginations. I've had strange things happen to my computer while listening to EVP samples or trying to post my thoughts but that's not uncommon when using Mr. Gate's monster. I've felt cool breezes and cold spots descend on me during some listening sessions and during others I've received unexplainable sudden feelings of horror, discomfort, contentment and joy or even gratitude that quickly came and then faded away. Could be the late hours in a cold office with nothing to eat.

Or it could all be spirits stopping by to see what I'm up to. Interdimensional web surfers, so to speak. I'm not one to get spooked easily or feel like people are looking over my shoulder when I'm writing or researching anything; usually the living have to poke me with a stick to get my attention when I'm working. But there were definitely times when I swore someone was out of bed and standing behind me or there was a group of people near, only to find myself all alone in an empty room.

So, what do I think?
I write my thoughts and commentary as honestly as I can while trying to examine everything presented to me with an open mind and a skeptical attitude. I've seen, heard and felt too many unexplainable things in my life to discount the paranormal entirely, but I have also had many "paranormal" experiences that later turned out to be nothing out of the ordinary at all. I guess I'm in the middle between full believer and full skeptic and that's fine with me.

I always treat the views of others with the utmost respect from a sincere desire to hear their honest thoughts and views so I can learn from them. We all have our own beliefs, theories and experiences to share. Yet I ask everyone to explain their theories or prove their claims and stand ready to debate on the issues if necessary.

I try not to play favorites with any point of view and seek only to learn the truth, not prove my own theories. As a fairly spiritual creature, I remain open to all the various possibilities and believe such fantastic things as ghosts, recording the dead or transdimensional communication may be possible.

I may use the terms "ghost" and "spirit", but I'm by no means convinced that is what lies at the root of EVP. I admit there are some recordings out there that give me the heebbie geebies and may be supernatural or alter dimensional in origin, but there are also other possibilities to take into account before running off claiming I know ghosts exist. I don't believe it's all demons and I don't buy what the skeptics feed me about radio waves and mass psychosis or that it's all simply impossible either.

Nothing is impossible. History documents many "impossible" things and their strange inventors thought totally batty by their contemporaries for the strange things they studied or dared imagine whom we now hold in high regard. Our religious texts also tell of amazing beings of light, angels from heaven and messengers of God sent to the world to help and advise us in times of need as do our ancient myths and the oldest stories of all civilizations. People everyday experience things that are unexplainable but quite possible when experienced first hand!

I just can't join the many who simply turn away or ridicule ghost hunters and believers in the paranormal because they don't share their convictions or find them unable to completely prove their experiences using modern science. We may not yet have the science. It was not that many years ago when splitting the atom or controlled nuclear power were thought impossible by many too; even those working to develop these very technologies.

If there is one thing my life has taught me, it's that we keep furthering human knowledge and sometimes that means rewriting what we may have already thought was set in stone. Many scientists today claim to be on the verge of altering our complete understanding of physics with such amazing things as string theory with it's many alternate dimensions and more than a few things have changed in the high school texts since I read them a short two decades ago.

Conclusions
So far, I see no proof either way as to the cause of EVP. It seems there is very little controlled scientific study going on. The information that is available is scattered and often hard to find, out of print or outdated to begin with. Research efforts stall because many skeptics claim there is no point in researching the impossible and many believers claim science can't explain it or don't have the skills or funding to collect serious data themselves. So, after three quarters of a century since it's discovery, no one really knows what causes this electronic voice phenomenon.

I find the people who study this phenomenon, those who experience it and the ghost hunters who attempt to document it to be fine people with little motivation to fool humanity. So far they have been very open to me and my constant questioning and I thank them for taking the time to help me out so generously.

The many stories I've read on websites and discussion groups or from people who have sent me samples seemed genuine and sincere. I've chatted with some of these people and debated with others for days on the many discussion groups about evp. I'm no stranger to internet communications and have learned to never fully trust anyone I have not checked out pretty well first. Most believers and skeptics are well respected in their communities, intelligent, educated and logical people with no obvious agendas or mental illness. I find their testimony to be valid and have no reason to doubt what they say in most cases.

The scam artists are easily spotted and the EVP community works quickly to debunk obvious fakes and ban those people responsible from all the many different online groups. They take their own reputations and that of the groups and communities they belong to very seriously. It seems everyone is really trying to find the truth with reason, science and logic. Sometimes their individual perception may be clouded by their strongly held beliefs, but that happens to the best of us at times, particularly when we are convinced we are right.

But the final conclusion boils down to this: I have no idea what causes evp or itc and have no clue how voices that respond to questions or very clear pictures of the dead can appear in modern recording devices. It's a fascinating mystery to me.

Where do we go from here?
Well, I'm not one to turn away a fascinating mystery so I'm going to stick with it and learn all I can! It seems I've just scratched the surface of this amazing phenomenon and there is much more to learn and experience. I think many of the theories out there can easily be proven or debunked with proper experimentation and cooperation while the answers may hold great meaning to our collective futures and mankind's understanding of the true nature of existence. The truth is out there. But can we find it?

I'd like to go on a real live ghost hunt and participate in a controlled experiment. I'd like to chat more with the experienced researchers and skeptics alike. I'd like to experiment on my own and further analyze some of the better documented samples. I will listen to more of the samples available and read the many books, websites and information I have not yet found the time to and the great many more I have yet to uncover.

My journey, it seems, has just begun.

I hope you will join me by bookmarking or subscribing to this blog in your news readers or online portals. I pledge to find you the best EVP samples and information out there from all the various points of view. I'll present what I find with my own honest commentary from an open mind and a little skepticism too. I'll ask the hard questions of those in the know and bring you what I discover each and everyday.

Save time and skip all the hours of searching, chatting and downloading of audio files. Learn all about the amazing paranormal world of the electronic voice phenomenon as you browse along with me after I find the best stuff out there. You can be the judge. You can listen to the evidence and look at the findings. You can contribute your own views and comments so together we can finally reveal the secrets behind EVP!

Bookmark me today!

James Alcock on Electronic Voice Phenomena

2005-01-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

Dr. James E. Alcock PhD., a professor of Psychology at Glendon College, York University in Toronto Canada and full time skeptic has many interesting views on EVP and some possible natural explanations. While I don't see any of his arguments as proof that EVP does not exist, he does bring up some valid points that anyone studying this phenomenon needs to think about. Dr. James Alcock on EVP

1- Cross Modulation as a cause. A common phenomenon where recorders simply pick up stray radio waves. Our planet is covered by transmissions on almost all known radio bands and many devices have been known to pick up these signals including Alcock's own record player in the 60's.

This is always a possibility and probably explains away many 'spirit voice' recordings. Alcock complains that early EVP researcher "Raudive dismissed this possibility, saying that it cannot be radio since one never hears music or other obvious elements of radio transmission."

Unfortunately I have to point out the various experiments conducted in the early 70's and later in the 80's that concluded radio waves could not have caused the voices they recorded and serious researchers can quickly debunk recordings that include any obvious radio intercepts. If the cause was cross modulation that would not explain why many of these voices respond directly to questions with appropriate answers.

2- Apophenia- Alcock describes it as

"a common perceptual phenomenon whereby we spontaneously perceive connections and find meaningfulness in unrelated things. In other words, it involves seeing or hearing patterns where in reality, none exist. A visual example is the Rorschach Inkblot test. A common example of apophenia occurs when people are in the shower, and mistakenly think that they hear their door bell or telephone ringing. The white noise produced by the shower contains a broad spectrum of sounds, including those that make up ringing bells. The ear picks out certain sounds from the spectrum, and we detect a pattern corresponding roughly to a bell."

This is a fascinating point and one I had wondered about. In testing some of the EVP I've been listening to, I would ask friends to listen to the recording and tell me what they heard. Often they were unable to distinguish a voice until they read what was supposedly said and then it became clear to them. Apophenia would explain why the voices can answer questions.

Alcock explains it like this:

"We are told that tape recordings made with no one around contain mysterious voices. This sets up a mental set that motivates us to try to discern voices. That is, we must presume that there may be something there, or we would not waste our time in listening. If others have told us what the voices seem to say, this expectancy influences our auditory perception, so that our brains match up bits of random noise to the words that we expect to hear.

Of course, if we play the same piece of tape over and over, as is explicitly recommended by some of the web sites cited earlier, and if we do everything we can to focus our attention on the "noise" (perhaps by listening through headphones, again as recommended by the web sites), then we not only increase the likelihood of discerning voices if they really are there, but we maximize the opportunity for the perceptual apparatus in our brain to "construct" voices that do not exist, to detect patterns that match up with our expectations.

Then, once we "hear" the voices, then it is easy, given the mental set that is usually involved, to attribute them to deceased individuals. This interpretation is likely to produce an impressive emotional reaction, and since we have now heard what we set out to hear (our expectancy is fulfilled) our belief in the reality of the voices of the dead grows, and this may be rewarding in various ways. Such an outcome is likely to heighten the expectation that we will hear more voices the next time we listen to such tapes. "

Of course, using headphones and listening over and over is standard practice for anyone searching for faint recorded sounds, including law enforcement and professional recording engineers. This is good evidence gathering, not something some crazy people with a website made up. Not to mention there are those rare few samples that any listener could easily agree on; the ones that sound as if someone was actually standing right in front of the microphone. Alcock responds

"First of all, of course, the extraneous voices, if really there, could be the result of intended or unintended background interruptions by real people the recordings were not made under any sort of controlled conditions. Secondly, it is fascinating just how easy it is for our brains to come to interpret certain noise patterns as words, once we know what the words are supposed to be."

My problem with this argument is two fold.

One, he is grasping at straws when he states that it "could be" background noise. Well, yes it could, but it could also be voices from the dead as supporters claim. There is no firm proof that spirits do not exist or that they do. He complains that many recordings were not made in controlled environments and I have to join him in this while also pointing to the many that were. "Could be" isn't going to cut it from skeptics and neither are sloppy collection methods from researchers.

My second problem is the way he describes perception:

"Perception is a very complex process, and when our brains try to find patterns, they are guided in part by what we expect to hear. If you are trying to hear your friend while conversing in a noisy room, your brain automatically takes snippets of sound and compares them against possible corresponding words, and guided by context, we can often "hear" more clearly than the sound patterns reaching our ears could account for. Indeed, it is relatively easy to demonstrate in a psychology laboratory that people can readily come to hear "clearly" even very muffled voices, so long as they have a printed version in front of them that tells them what words are being spoken.

The brain puts together the visual cue and the auditory input, and we actually "hear" what we are informed is being said, even though without that information, we could discern nothing. Going one step further, and we can demonstrate that people can clearly "hear" voices and words not just in the context of muddled voices, but in a pattern of white noise, a pattern in which there are no voices or words at all.

Given that we can routinely demonstrate this effect, it is only parsimonious to suggest that what people hear with EVP is also the product of their own brains, and their expectations, rather than the voices of the dearly departed.

Well, yes, and no. Isn't that what hearing and speech recognition is all about? My brain gets some input from my ears after they receive sound waves and then my brain runs through the huge database in my head to discern what these sounds are and who may have made them? I understand the point that often our brains are incorrect in their assessments, but if many brains all agree, then isn't it possible there is something really there? Isn't that basically the definition of how we agree on what is real and true in the first place?

Basically he is asking me to believe that when I hear a recording of any type, particularly that of noise, the possibility exists for me to hear things that were not originally recorded. I have to agree with that as a possibility but I would argue that saying it's all in my head when everyone in a room full of people can hear the same voice just does not convince me.

If most people hear a voice, even one they do not understand, we can usually agree there is a person saying something. Take listening to a muffled CD as an example: Just because I may hear a particular phrase that you may not does not mean that the Rolling Stones don't actually exist anywhere except in my head. If we all listen to a song we may hear different lyrics being sung, but the artist still said whatever they said and everyone can usually agree that something was said by somebody.

Some of the EVP recordings I've heard are too clear to be interference or all in my head. There is a sound there. I've even listened to some without reading the included text just to see if I heard the voice or it was in my mind. I heard voices. My computer software shows me voices in a visual way. I can see the waveforms and know there is a sound there. How can that all be explained by Apophenia or my faulty perceptions of reality?

It can't be explained. That's why it's been dubbed a paranormal phenomenon. That's why it deserves more serious study. That's why skeptics and believers alike should look for answers together and debate the issues to boil everything down to the truth.

But self named skeptics are rarely in search of the truth, no matter how much they say that is what they hold most dear. Alcock concludes with advice to his fellow members of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal:

"How can someone who has heard the voices be persuaded to be more critical and to examine more mundane possibilities?

A rational, deliberative discussion is rarely helpful because clear evidence or logic is not involved. Believers are reporting an experience that was highly meaningful and perhaps highly emotional to them not something that is easily challenged by logic. Moreover, there is a self-selection of people predisposed to believe the voices are compatible with their belief system."

Dr. Alcock, the same can be said of most skeptics too.

After stating "we must rely on science as the avenue to truth rather than personal experience or other people's anecdotal reports. Science, with its reliance on data and its insistence on looking for sources of error and for alternative explanations, provides the best method that humans have produced for protecting against error and self-delusion", the good Dr. claims "Electronic Voice Phenomena are the products of hope and expectation; the claims wither away under the light of scientific scrutiny."

But all I see here are theories and "could be". I find it disappointing to have no quoted research whatsoever by this committee for scientific investigation. Where is the investigating? Show me the data when you "routinely demonstrate this effect" of apophenia in your lab using EVP examples. Show me the data proving any sample is actually a stray radio broadcast. Show me one single experiment your committee has done to prove your theories correct.

I'll end with a quote from the good Dr. Alcock which I wholeheartedly agree with:

"There is a lesson in this for all of us, for we just as surely may be mistaken in some of our own deeply held convictions."

Reporter gets EVP at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

2005-01-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

Mike Szymanski, a reporter for Zap2it.com reports hearing the barking of his dead dog Pepe at a recent press conference for the movie 'White Noise' held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Famous for hauntings by Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift, the hotel was the setting for an EVP demonstration by Tom and Lisa Butler of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon to promote the new Michael Keaton movie in theaters now.

Skeptical reporters were asked to sit in a circle and say the names of someone they had lost in an attempt to capture the voices of these spirits. After an hour of recording a few phrases sounding like "hello" and "it's fascinating" could be heard on the tape. Szymanski had said the name of his dead grandmother, but when the tape was played back he only heard scratchy sounds and no messages from grandma.

However, someone else had stated the name 'Pepe' and when that part of the recording came on, Szymanski says: "there was a distinct grumbled barking that couldn't have been recorded 14 floors up in the hotel. I didn't tell anyone at the time, but I gulped because the dog sounded very distinctly like my irascible dachsund, Pepe, who died a year ago."

Read about the amazing
EVP reporters captured at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel now.

The Big Circle - Bridge To The Afterlife

2005-01-04T15:36:00.000-07:00

Martha Copeland, AA-EVP member and soon to be author has formed a most interesting group. Called "The Big Circle - Bridge To The Afterlife", these people get together all over the world and record for EVP from their loved ones at the same exact time, every other Thursday at 8pm EST (GMT -5).

The concept is an interesting one. A group of "bereaved parents, spouses, siblings, and friends, whose mission is to build a channel, a Bridge to the Afterlife" so they can contact the specific people they want in the hereafter. They post Bios, photos and stories of their loved ones who have passed on and everyone tries to contact those specific people during each EVP session.

It's not scientific; so don't expect a lot of jargon here. They are strongly centered on the spiritual and grief management aspect of Electronic Voice Phenomenon. But if there is an ”energy" needed or you require a lot of "will" to make EVP possible, these folks are on the right track.

The group was started by Copeland after her daughter Cathy died in a car accident in 2001 and began sending messages to the family, including the dog, over the computer or digital and tape recorders. Her first "I'm still Here!" is the title of Martha's upcoming book about their experiences and those of other members. You can get on her mailing list to be notified when it is published at http://www.evpcommunications.com/ or read about her recordings here.

In Martha's dreams and some of the EVP, it seemed Cathy had "spirit friends" who were helping her. Some EVP researchers have reported similar groups trying to contact the living, some even having formal names like the Spirit Group Timestream. Martha wondered if this was possible. When she asked Cathy the response was: "Yes, the 'Big Circle'" and thus the group was born.

I encourage everyone to listen to their EVP recordings and learn more about this fascinating group of people. Join them if you have Thursdays free and help build a bridge to the afterlife with the Big Circle.

Do you hear voices in the White Noise?

2005-01-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

The new Michael Keaton movie White Noise opens on Jan 7 and is sure to scare audiences with its spooky theme centering around voices of the dead caught on tape and weird ghostly images appearing on TV screens. But, as audiences leave the theater, many will be wondering if this is a real phenomenon or just a Hollywood creation. The surprising fact is that people have been capturing these strange voices since the early 1950s, yet very little is known about where they actually come from.

EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon is a way some say you can communicate with the dead using average household electronic devices like portable tape players and digital voice recorders, your video camera and even a coffee pot or your computer. Some say you need white noise such as a fan or running water to record properly and give the ‘spirits’ something to create their voices from, but many claim all you have to do is tape yourself asking questions of the dear departed and when you play it back you might just hear them respond.

Supporters like Tom and Lisa Butler of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon, or AAEVP, say that just about any recording device will do and they have thousands of samples taken by people of all walks of life from around the world. Skeptics claim it is all simply intercepted radio transmissions or active imaginations. While radio transmission is a prime suspect in this world of over crowded airwaves, there has been scientific research conducted to explore this possibility with some startling results.

In 1971, engineers at Britain’s Pye Records decided to set up an experiment with the famous European psychologist and EVP researcher Dr. Konstantin Raudive at their special studio that blocked out all radio and television transmissions. The conditions for the experiment were quite strict and Dr. Raudive was not allowed to touch any of the equipment or make any modifications whatsoever. The good Dr. was allowed only to speak into a microphone during the 18 minutes of recording. Everyone present agreed they had heard no voices or any unexplainable sounds at all during the experiment, yet when they played the tape back, over 200 voices could be heard.

Also in 1970 another British researcher, David Ellis who researched EVP as his degree project at Cambridge University wondered about the possibility of radio interference. Setting up an experiment in a radio wave blocking room made of copper sheets called the Faraday cage, Ellis sought to prove once and for all if radio waves could cause EVP. Researchers at the University agreed; if he didn’t capture a voice it would prove radio waves had been the culprit all along. To everyone’s surprise, Ellis captured a definite voice. Since the Faraday cage does not block sound waves, a stray voice from outside was blamed and further study was canceled. EVP enthusiasts still ask why there was not another experiment to confirm these unexplainable results at such a prestigious university.

In 1982 Scottish researcher Alexander MacRae, a college lecturer in microelectronics and NASA voice recognition researcher, heard strange growls and groans as he worked on his biometric invention, the Alpha. MacRae used a tape recorder to take his notes and was surprised to hear voices, including that of his father when he played them back. After years of research and thousands of collected samples using the Alpha, MacRae concluded “All the utterances are short; and each one begins at its beginning and ends at its end; each utterance is complete. Now that cannot be random. I have worked out that the odds against all the phrases being short and the right length happening by chance are of the order of a trillion to one.”

Sound engineers and scientists in a specially designed studio, a noted psychologist, researchers at Cambridge and a NASA voice expert all concluded radio waves were not the cause of EVP. So what could it be? Are these really spirits of the dead contacting us through some inter-dimensional phone system?

Dr. Robert Carroll, noted skeptic and author of the “Skeptics Dictionary” and SkepDic.com, says no; it’s all in our heads. The human brain is simply making sense out of the chaos of noise and people hear what they want to hear. He quotes psychologist Jim Alcock: “Perception is a very complex process, and when our brains try to find patterns, they are guided in part by what we expect to hear; The brain puts together the visual cue and the auditory input, and we actually “hear” what we are informed is being said, even though without that information, we could discern nothing.”

EVP researchers say that while this does often happen, real EVP is much different and most people can agree with what is being said by many voices they tape. Yet, it seems the now famous recording of deceased Ruth Baxter supposedly taken in 2003 saying “I shall see you no more” was actually taken many years ago by EVP guru and founder of the AAEVP Sarah Estep in a lighthouse used as a civil war hospital and prisoner of war camp. For years EVP enthusiasts agreed this recording said, “I was seeing the war”, yet Hollywood now has everyone convinced differently.

Is it the giant letters on the screen telling us what is being said that makes us hear these voices? Could it be radio or TV interference or even cell phone conversations that are mysteriously recorded somehow? Or can you really talk with the dead over your voice recorder or television?

The simple truth is that no one has any proof, not the skeptics or the believers. It could be ghosts, it could be radio transmissions or it could just be in your head.

What do you hear in the white noise? I hear voices.

American Paranormal Pages Blog

2005-01-03T14:02:00.000-07:00

Susan Dancy, Editor of American Paranormal Pages
the very popular 'E-zine of American Paranormal Researchers' has joined the world of blogging. Welcome Susan and I hope to quote you quite often!

For those of you not familiar with Susan, this M.E.N.S.A member's interest in the paranormal started at a young age with a near death experience in 1968 causing her to throw out her conventional beliefs and explore the world of the unknown with her unique natural skepticism. Since then she has done much to explore the world of the paranormal and currently serves as editor of the American Paranormal Pages which she founded along with Rachel Britt, a medium and Jennifer Burcham, a videographer and webmaster of their invesigator group website at americanparanormalresearchers.com.

American Paranormal Pages is a wonderful online magazine full of great articles and reviews, photos and some very interesting editorials and investigation reports by her and the other members of her team. Featuring superb articles by staff writers Christine Holleyman, Dee Wilson and Mitchel Whitington and expert protection by Rachel's husband and staff bodyguard Scout, this is one ezine you really will want to bookmark.

Welcome to the Blogsphere you guys. Check them out here.

My Response to the Skeptics

2005-01-02T19:33:00.000-07:00

As the White Noise movie promotion machine works it's magic, the topic of EVP is being discussed more and more in paranormal and normal discussion groups all over the Internet. One thing that surprises me is how many people instantly dismiss the phenomenon as "impossible", "demons" or caused by "radio, phones, satellites or something explainable" without any sort of proof or even serious study. Here is my response to them.

"I can say I was like many of you, I thought at first this must be someone just hearing things or some people making things up. This upcoming movie must be a smart hollywood writer taking one or two things some whacked out ghost hunter thought he heard and running with it. There can't really be any good recordings of 'ghost' voices from a simple tape recorder with a lot of white noise on it!

After all, It's not far fetched to see how people can hear voices out of all the frequencies contained in white noise. I can understand how our brains want to make sense of all that jumbled audio information and so we make ourselves hear the people we miss most saying the things we want to hear them say. Especially if someone is encouraging us to do so.

Scam artists of all kinds have been working this whole 'communicate with the dead' angle for centuries because it's fairly easy to do. It's human nature to want to know there is life after death and to tell those who have gone to the other side all those things we should have told them when they were here. Much of our religion, philosophy, art, science and culture developed out of our yearning to understand the unknown and our desires to communicate with the dead.

Yet, actually coming into contact with the unknown is perhaps mankind's most primal fear. Most people are instantly frightened or somewhat titilated at any hint of it. We love to creep ourselves out and it is usually not very difficult to scare or fool people if you put them in the right frame of mind and then give them what they expect to see and hear. My friends and I do it every Halloween, Disney does it every day and scam artists do it too. It's a possibility EVP & ITC are no different.

As I began my research, the EVP samples I found right away in the search engines sure didn't sound like anything to me other than some garbled noise. I found the same old samples at all the popular sites and started to think that was all there was; but I found more as I looked a little deeper than the first few search results pages from Google.

I found many examples to support the 'people only hear what you tell them it says' theory. The White Noise movie trailer has two sound bites that are real recordings that I know of. But there is some controversy over whether the one supposedly from Ruth Baxter says 'I was seeing the war' (since it was taped in an old civil war hospital/prison camp many years ago) or 'I will see you no more' which fit more with the theme of the movie and so Universal writers made up a story about a 2003 recording of a woman who "died in 1987".

When listening to many EVP samples, I heard something very clearly until I read what the voice was "supposed" to say; then I heard that instead. This seems to support the theory that if you tell people what to listen for, they will hear it.

But before everyone jumps to 'they are just hearing things' or 'I can't hear that the voice really says anything so it must be fake or bs' we must admit that people often have trouble making out certain song lyrics (and I know the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan are real live people), not to mention the millions of misunderstood cell and regular phone conversations around the world each and everyday, so I do have to wonder at the possibilities and can't just jump to any conclusions.

I also have to point out: if this really is a newly discovered way to communicate with the other side, the technology would be similar in it's development to the earliest telephone systems which were notorious for misunderstood voices and garbled communications, sometimes depending on the weather or sun spots. So the poor quality of the recordings could just be caused by the crudeness of the method or inexperience on the part of the participants and not actually indicate there is nothing really there. There is also evidence to support this point of view.

Poor quality does not equal imagination. When your cell phone drops your call, your friend on the other end doesn't cease to exist, even if you can't understand what she is saying. We don't think for a moment our friend was all in our imagination or is a demon trying to turn us to the dark side because they sounded scratchy or like some evil robot from a movie and we couldn't make out everything they said. We know cellular communication is a young technology and it will get better as time goes by. We accept these amazing "Star Trek" like communication devices with their often poor reception as normal everyday objects and almost everyone has at least one now.

It's not magic or demons, just simple modern technology. But, take a cell phone back in time as little as a hundred years and they would burn you as a witch or a demon for even claiming it could do all the wonderful things modern phones do. Imagine what the people of that time might say: "pictures and voices traveling through the air on invisible waves? Sending strange cryptic messages to friends pocket? It's surely Satan's evil magic and you must be his servant!". Using the "magic" of a cell phone doesn't make you the servant of an evil supernatural creature, even if the people around you don't understand the technology yet. Many humans just tend to associate "unknown" with "evil", especially when someone starts hearing voices. I've seen no proof and little evidence of demons or evil spirits hurting people with EVP.

I have spent much of the last few weeks listening to EVP samples and learning all I can about this amazing phenomenon. I have heard some examples I didn't believe and I have heard some that will make you jump out of your seat. Hear "The best evp ever" and "a conversation with a ghost" or my favorite so far "Marine staff sgt" and you might think twice too. I have.

Do I know it's not demons or radio waves, pranksters or some other explanation? No, I don't. Do I believe these are recordings of ghosts, imprints from the past or people from an alternate dimension? Truth is, I don't know what it is.

I do know I've accidentally taped cell phone conversations and picked up radio transmissions on some weird devices not intended for that purpose before, but I never had any of these recordings answer my questions, tell me where their will was or say my name with my mom's voice! There is something going on here and it is pretty freaky, but I can't say what the cause even might be at this point in my studies. There are just too many possibilities and too many competing theories.

But I don't believe the ghost hunters I've met and come to know or people like Rich Smith, Sarah Estep (who gives her book away for free for pete's sake) or Tom and Lisa Butler spend so much time, energy and personal funds on their study of EVP and ITC just to fool some people with very little, if any, monetary compensation to be expected from their efforts. None of these people live in mansions or drive fancy cars because they helped found the AA-EVP, WorldITC or wrote a book or two. Wouldn't you do a prank with some money in it or at least something more popular like aliens or vampires? I would.

And for those who say "these people just love the attention": I'm not sure anyone actually enjoys being called crazy for a living or as a hobby. I don't think people study this for attention, but I could be wrong. I just think there are better ways to stroke an ego than risk life and limb hanging around cemeteries or old haunted houses and then having to listening to hours and hours of recordings while being ridiculed by the general population for it. Most ghost hunters are not well known as such publicly and they prefer to keep it that way. Doesn't sound like people out for attention to me.

Is EVP and ITC ghosts, demons, time travel, aliens from another dimension or just plain old radio waves? Who knows? But jumping to conclusions since "it's demons trying to trick you" or " you could fake it so easily with a computer" (which won't fly because half the great EVP out there was recorded before the PC or digital processing was even invented!) or "I listened to some samples and I didn't hear anything so it's all crazy talk" is just silly, disrespectful and rude.

Until more people are willing to look into strange phenomenon and reach for the unknown instead of just making fun of those who do, we shall never know the truth about anything. People laughed at Mr. Bell when he said he could send voices down a wire too. Now we carry this crazy man's impossible magic invention in our pockets and the voices travel through the air and sometimes outer space to keep us in touch with those we love and miss.

So here is what I ask each of you to do:

If you think it's demons or cell phones ask yourself: What evidence is there? Can I explain why I believe this way?
If you say you can't hear any of the voices ask yourself: Did I really listen to the samples with an open mind and look for the better quality ones?
If you think it's ghosts, can you explain why other than a feeling?
If you think ghost hunters are all crazy, can you name any you have actually met and talked with?
We should all ask ourselves: Do I really know enough about audio recording technology, radio transmissions or the physics of sound to even decide if this could be a human voice or something else and how it might have gotten onto this recording?
And who really does understand quantum mechanics, string theory or psychic ability which some claim is at the root of these strange happenings?

If you are honest in your answers, then I'm sure you realize you know about as much as I do regarding the true cause of Electronic Voice Phenomenon or Instrumental TransCommunication. Nobody really knows or it wouldn't be a mystery.

So let's all work together exploring the various possibilities and presenting the available evidence all sides will gather for review and comment by everyone. A discovery, or lack thereof, of any obvious natural or man made causes would surely be forthcoming if everyone seriously discussed the issues, shared their specialized knowledge and conducted experiments to learn the truth. But the question for you is: Can you handle the truth?

I intend to do all I can to help discover the cause and learn the truth. I'd like to know one way or the other and I have to remain open to all the various possibilities presented to me until I see them proven wrong. I can't just discount this fascinating phenomenon because I don't understand it.

I hope you won't either.

Lets Talk Paranormal with Tom and Lisa Butler

2005-01-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Long before all the attention from the White Noise movie, Tom and Lisa Butler, electronic voice phenomenon experts and authors of "There is no Death and there are No Dead", appeared on the popular cable tv show "Let's Talk Paranormal" to discuss their experiences and give out some valuable EVP recording tips.

When host Tracie Austin asked what someone at home wishing to try EVP would do to get started, Lisa gives the lowdown on how to capture your own ghost voices.

"Use whatever recording equipment you have." Any tape or digital recorder and even computers will work. Someone just starting out need not spend any money on fancy equipment until they know they will enjoy their new found hobby.

Lisa shared the story of a novice named Carol who decided to try EVP for the first time while finishing up an exercise routine. She used her Walkman and the backside of her exercise tape to record a spooky voice as it exclaims "Carol"!

Next you start recording and simply ask a question, then wait for a reply with a few moments of silence. While it sounds too simple to be true, the Butler's say this is often all that is needed to hear what the spirits are saying.

Tom Butler then explained about IC or Digital Voice Recorders and how they have revolutionized the ghost hunting world by making evp recording cheaper, faster and more portable than ever before. With no tapes to worry about, these modern recording miracles also add the ability to quickly upload your suspected spirit voices to a computer or other electronic storage device making analysis and sharing with others a snap.

While warning that all EVP samples are not as clear, Tom and Lisa played the famous "I was seeing the War" recording taken by Sarah Estep which is currently featured in the White Noise movie trailers as the voice of departed Ruth Baxter. The debate over what this strange voice actually says is sure to heat up as millions of movie goes swear they can hear "I shall see you no more" as was spelled out in giant letters on the screen. (more on the White Noise movie controversy)

Finally Tracie Austin asks the question evp researchers always dread: "Do you ever get weird sensations in the room?" Laughing nervously, Lisa admits she is glad she can't hear some of the ghostly voices as they are being recorded. She explains "sometimes they tell you to get out"!

Check out the video clip of the interview and hear it all for yourself when you View the show on Let's Talk Paranormal

Previous coverage of Tom and Lisa Butler:
EVP starring Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra?

Suggested Reading: "There is No Death and There Are No Dead" By Tom and Lisa Butler.

Call for Articles, Reviews and Books

2005-01-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Tired of finding the same old thing with search engines? Me too. But I had a thought:

Now imagine a website...
all about Electronic Voice Phenomenon, Instrumental Transcommunication, Ghost Hunting and other related paranormal topics with the very latest information, fully searchable archives, available 24/7 to everyone everywhere and written by YOU!

Wouldn't that be cool?

Are you a paranormal expert with lot's of great advice?
Are you a ghost hunter with something to share with new people?
Did you write a book, pamphlet, discussion post or article that might be of interest to anyone studying supernatural events?
Need to report some hot paranormal news or a recent investigation or discovery?
Do you have a strong opinion about communicating with the dead or have you experienced this strange phenomenon first hand?
Can you visit a website or read a book and write a short report about it?

Then I need your help!

Submit your own news, opinions or articles and help build the world's largest virtual library and news outlet covering the history, study, research, investigation and interpretation of EVP and ITC on the planet.

Sound interesting? Get all the details here:

EVP & ITC Articles, Books and News Area

2005-01-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Announcing the Grand Opening of the Articles and Books section of the Electronic Voice Phenomenon. This area is specifically devoted to research information, paranormal books, articles and news related to EVP and Instrumental Transcommunication.

Top 10 things you can do in this amazing new area

Search for published research information by keywords, title, author and ISBN.
Browse, buy or even read the best EVP and ITC book titles.
Find informative articles by people in the know.
Learn about the science and various theories involved.
Discover new ghost hunting and evp recording techniques.
Read visitor reviews and opinions of each entry
Or write your own reviews and editorials.
Link to the best paranormal websites
and see what people have to say about them.

And last but not least: Submit your own articles!

Check it out now and discover what everyone else has to say about this strange phenomenon or tell the world your own thoughts and experiences. Start learning from the experts or sharing your own knowledge at EVP Articles & Books today!

A Happy EVP New Year

2005-01-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

White Noise Movie Review by Chris

2004-12-31T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got the first review of the new Michael Keaton movie White Noise from a visitor named Chris after seeing a sneak preview and it doesn't look good.

A TV commercial for White Noise is what got me interested in EVP in the first place and I doubt I'm alone just from the amount of you searching for "Ruth Baxter" in the last few days. I'm sure many of you are here now because of the same spark of interest when you saw the commercial for the first time. I'm sorry to report, it seems the trailer may be better than the movie.

Chris' review did not surprise me. I fully expect White Noise to be a "boogy man" type movie, after all it's Hollywood making movies for the modern audience and recording scary voices will only go so far. In their defense, it is a film and you do need some visual action to scare people. We have become so accustomed to things jumping out at us, that it's almost required in any thriller now days. Perhaps sad, but very true. This is no documentary after all.

Would you sit for two hours watching a guy talk to himself and then listen to hours of recordings over and over again in the hopes of capturing a voice? No, just like we won't watch cops sitting in a car eating donuts and coffee on stakeout. We want ACTION for our overpriced movie ticket!

The reality of EVP research seems actually a lot like that of real life police work: 99% BORING and 1% HOLY CRAP! I expect little in the way of actual facts and science. But the White Noise producers have been working closely with the AA-EVP, a recognized authority on the subject, so there is hope that it will be somewhat accurate in it's presentation of this as a seriously studied phenomenon.

However, Chris reports the movie is not quite what he expected, even as a skeptic. Here is what he had to say:

"Although I enjoyed your site, I disagree with your views on EVP. After viewing the movie White Noise in a sneak preview, I was ready to walk out.
It started out being a movie on EVP and ended up being a movie about unearthly beings that didn't even seem/look/act like ghosts. I was very discouraged and disappointed and I think anyone that sees this movie should realize it's not all about EVP or anything close. Basically Michael Keaton goes nuts using the ITC thing (which I don't buy anyway) and a "Poltergeist ~ "they're heeerreeee" TV look into the TV thing.
Very, VERY disappointing. I thought it would be a good movie on EVP like "The Others" was to ghosts."

Well, there you have it. Don't forget you heard it here first! The first review of the White Noise Movie: thumbs wayyy down.

Thanks for the feedback Chris!

See my Review of White Noise
or read what a real life ghost hunter had to say.

After Death Communication Star's EVP

2004-12-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

After death communication comes in many other forms than just EVP. Some see faces on their TV, others see apparitions and yet a few more actually get written messages from the dead. But how does one report such an experience without sounding crazy? Wouldn't it be nice if we could see all the experiences people have had on one simple to search website?

The After Death Communication Research Foundation is an organization founded by Jody Long J.D and Jeffrey Long M.D. dedicated to the study and reporting of all kinds of ADC or After Death Communication experiences. On their website they have a report form where you can document your own ADC experiences with many detailed questions. They now have thousands of reports online.

This is a valuable resource for those studying the paranormal and also for those who have just lost a loved one and might want to learn more about the grieving process and have their questions about life after death answered. Visit them at http://www.adcrf.org

I suggest checking out Star's EVP experience with her son Brad. After his death, Star had a dream where a woman sat on her bed and explained she was Brad's wife. The next day she was talking to Brad while driving and asked him if this was true or if perhaps the devil was playing games with here.

Upon returning home she discovered a phone message waiting on her answering machine. It was Brad. He said "Must be true". Over the next few weeks she captured many EVP recordings of her son. Read about them all now at Star's EVP After Death Communication

Adolf Hitler on an EVP recording?

2004-12-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

Perhaps Hitler did get his just desserts in the after life if a reported EVP from new year's eve 1960 in chapter 11 of "Voice Transmissions With The Deceased" is true. Author Friedrich Juergenson, reports a remarkable electronic voice phenomenon encounter with the infamous dictator where a polish jew woman is heard making fun of him!

“We lived in the deepest confusion…” began the voice in German, “…to oppress the people and to enslave them…the others withdrew, not me… that’s why I’m…” The words that followed were drowned out by our own voices. After a short pause, the man began to speak again. He added only one more sentence with a strange content, “We lived in a bad compote (fruit stew)”, then the voice broke off.
Right after that, the female voice that had said ”Federici is so sweet” became audible and called out mockingly a stretched “Heil!” In the next moment she added excitedly: “…that was Hitler…he’s not ashamed…he was here…” Though the woman spoke German, you could clearly recognize a Jewish accent, particularly that of a polish Jew. Again her voice sounded, this was right before the tape came to an end: “That was Hitler…he sees you!” She called out loud and exited, then added with a change in her tone of voice, embarrassed: “I tell Hitler…he loves me!”

Perhaps his suicide didn't free him from the mocking after all!

Read all about the Hitler EVP : http://www.worlditc.org/c_06_juerg_ch11.htm

Friedrich Juergenson

2004-12-30T13:52:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning with a dead man, Mr. Friedrich Juergenson. His "Voice Transmissions With The Deceased" has taught me a great deal about EVP and it's beginnings as a studied phenomenon.

I spend mornings with the dead quite often, but it's not what you are thinking. I read books, most of which represent the knowledge and experiences of those who have already gone before us. It's the nature of modern learning to learn from the dead, after all, but can you speak with the dead too? He says he did; many times and over the course of many years.

I have found a kindred spirit in Mr. Juergenson; a man who heard strange voices in his bird song recordings that should not be there, became fascinated at the possibilities and decided to investigate further. A man astounded that his tape recording could capture voices that seemed to be talking directly to him. He was quite honest in his observations without any preconceived notions as to the origin of the voices and explained with great detail his own uneasy feelings and numerous failures as his EVP experience unfolded over the course of many years. In chapter 8 of his book he says:

"I wasn't satisfied with any explanations that are given by parapsychologists,
spiritualists, occultists, ufologists and God knows how many other 'ists', because I wanted to know for sure, and convince myself through personal experience and not be satisfied with the explanation of others."Juergenson Chapter 8

At a time when he had stopped his recordings because he was questioning his own sanity for hearing "voices", and thought he might be hearing aliens or becoming schizophrenic, this man managed to put aside his worry about what others might think and plunged ahead to explore the actual cause of the strange ghostly voices he captured on tape.

The most amazing story he tells is of his first "public" gathering to hear EVP where he invited many guests to come to his house including the famous swedish radio producer Arne Weiss and noted psychiatrist and parapsychologist Dr. Bjorkhem. The results are marvelous and Mr. Weiss may be the first person ever to have an argument with a spirit via EVP.

"Arne grabbed the microphone again. "Where is Tanner?" he asked a few times in his clear strong voice. "I Sverige!" (In Sweden!), came a quiet answer. "I don't believe anything about you!" added Arne energetically, who had not heard the answer yet. "You don't exist at all! How can you answer when you can't possibly give an answer?" "Nonsense!" replied the same voice from the tape"

Over the course of many years, in a time when recording technology was in it's infancy and fancy effects and digital processing were unavailable, he continued his research and recordings. He became a revered "founder" of the EVP sciences and set the stage for those who would follow in his footsteps.

His personal stories are well written and wonderful to read. The book takes you along on his journey into the paranormal and his excitement and wonder at this mystery still come through his writings today. If you are interested in EVP at all, you have to read this book.

Read it for free : Voice Transmissions With The Deceased
http://www.worlditc.org/c_06_juerg_intro.htm#TOC

I'll have more when I finish the book.

EVP is Real says Dwayne Claud

2004-12-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was wondering if the new movie would generate real interest in the press about EVP or just more laughing and no real stories other than "look at these fools" like you normally might see the paranormal being treated. Perhaps we may see some more serious reporting of the scientific findings of researchers now?

PRESS RELEASE: Electronic Voice Phenomenon Is Real

“Electronic Voice Phenomenon has gained notoriety in the media recently with the release of Michael Keaton’s movie White Noise’”, states Dwayne Claud, Director of WNY Paranormal.

(PRWEB) December 27, 2004 -- “Electronic Voice Phenomenon has gained notoriety in the media recently with the release of Michael Keaton’s movie White Noise’”, states Dwayne Claud, Director of WNY Paranormal. Electronic Voice Phenomenon is the process through which researchers have been able to capture unexplainable voices or sounds on a recording device. According to Claud, “this isn’t fiction, recordings like this happen all the time – even locally.”

In the movie “White Noise”, Michael Keaton plays an architect whose life has been shattered by the unexplained disappearance and death of his wife. Keaton is contacted by a man who claims to be receiving messages from the dead wife through Electronic Voice Phenomenon, the process of recording a spirit’s voice. “Although the plot of the movie may be far fetched, the concept demonstrated in the movie of capturing unexplained voices on a recording device is not” states Claud.

The credit for discovering this phenomenon goes to Fredrick Jorgensen. Jorgensen was recording bird sounds in the Swedish countryside in 1959. It wasn’t until he played back his recording from that day that he heard the voice of a man discussing nocturnal bird songs in Norwegian. “It has since become a very important tool in the study of paranormal phenomenon, and is one of the most difficult forms of evidence to disprove” explains Claud.

The process by which someone can record an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) is quite simple. It requires an audio recording device, preferably that uses a standard analog tape, an external microphone, headphones, and access to someplace where the investigator feels spirit activity may be present such as an older home or building, cemetery, or even a public historical site. It’s important to go with an open mind, and ask a series of questions pausing between each for a response. By using the external microphone you eliminate any motor noise from the recorder that you are using but still maintain the “white noise” generated by the tape itself. “You won’t hear anything while you’re recording at the location, but when you listen back in your headphones – you’ll be very surprised” expresses Claud. The voices that appear on the magnetic tape are often recorded well above or below the human hearing frequency – but are still in the recordable range.

“You won’t get something every time, so persistence is important” urges Claud. He records in ten minute segments and then listens to the recordings carefully through a set of headphone turned to a high, comfortable volume. He explains that it’s important to listen to the background for responses to the questions asked. Often times, it will be simple words that are spoken quickly or that sound strained - but sometimes they will sound like someone speaking directly into the microphone.

“Don’t expect long conversations. Often it’s simple answers to questions because it takes so much energy for these entities to verbalize a response” explains Claud. Many movies are based in reality and “White Noise” is one of those movies. To hear actual EVP’s and learn more about recording and the analysis of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) visit http://www.wnyparanormal.com .

Dec 26 Tsunamis Disaster in Asia

2004-12-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

As the waves crashed over what at first looked to be a large concrete barrier near the beach, I realized that it was a two story building being engulfed that filled my TV screen. The full power of the ocean was summoned on Dec 26 by an unexpected earthquake off the coast of southeast asia and the resulting devastation will resonate through both this reality and the next for a long time to come.

While I never trust initial estimates, the death toll estimates are too staggering to believe. 100,000 presumed dead. That's a lot of people folks. All wiped out in an instant without any warning by a terribly powerful act of nature no one could do anything to stop.

I want to take this morning to stop myself for a few moments and realize this could all go any minute now. Poof! Hear the Regman on your IC recorders only from now on.

I know there are many among us, both in the here and in the here-after who are still reeling from this sudden tragedy. I would be scared if suddenly thrust into either situation and the living need food, water, medical attention and shelter now. It simply is not available anywhere in the region. The dead need burying and for those of you so inclined, perhaps a little guidance and explanation would be in order right about now for any of the lost who may be confused and shocked.

If we all work together we can help them all get through this. They need us or more will die.

I hope each of you can find the spare change and the spare time to donate what you can to the Red Cross and their relief efforts, or any other charity of your choice that is mobilizing to help. There is a long list of very brave souls and their organizations standing by to rush to the aid. You won't have to look far to donate somewhere. Please do what you can.

I'm including this donation box and encourage you all to please let me know if there are any others I can post here. Rest assured, I get nothing from this and neither does anyone else but the Red Cross.

Please help. And give those you love a hug or two as well.

Radio Transmissions or Cell Phones can cause EVP?

2004-12-29T06:27:00.000-07:00

Since day one, I've wondered if many potential EVP recordings are really radio transmissions, CB radio or cell phone broadcasts that the recorder picks up. I've seen it happen many times in all types of sound systems. My friends and I used to be plagued by a guy with a booster on his CB that would come through your radio, TV, even the answering machine.

I was glad to find there is a lively discussion over at the TAPS paranormal discussion board about this very topic. But it seems they have not really discovered any "new evidence" and one must still judge each EVP on it's own merits.

EVP can be cell phone or radio transmissions:

Cell phone and radio transmissions can be picked up by ordinary tape recorders if you set them up in the right way and under the right circumstances.

One poster at TAPS suggested sticking a recorder in a can and recording like she did. It even spied on their neighbor 6 doors down and across the street selling phone sex! Wow, what a great ghost website EVP that would be! GhostPorn.com? Glad she nailed that down before we thought it might be real.

Electronic recording devices are able to pick up radio transmissions including the millions of phone calls, radio shows and other noise that constitutes our earthly airwaves. Some evp samples do end up being attributed to this fact and many more may in the future.

How do you explain the clarity?

But what about those EVP that are so clear? If my cell phone were ever that clear I'd faint! (Yes, I had Sprint. You could hear a pin drop but you never heard your dropped call end and I stood there talking to my hand one too many times and got rid of the stupid thing all together. I've never been happier; particularly now that I know people with a tape recorder and a can will be spying on me!)

Even the most hardened skeptic must admit much of the Class A EVP samples available are too clear and too precise to be radio or cell transmissions.

Besides, these voices talk back to you

The other argument is that some of these recordings actually respond to what the interviewer is saying. There are many samples of entire conversations. I found some in past posts. How could these be radio shows or cell phone conversations and give logical answers?

Now that's the million dollar EVP question, isn't it?

Check out the discussion and learn even more at The Atlantic Paranormal Society's EVP Discussion: http://www.tapsforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=17374

EVP Gallery

2004-12-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

EVP Gallery

Another great GHOULI page to help us compare the quality between Class A EVP and Classes B and C. Lot's of samples of all three levels for you to listen to.

Real White Noise Movie EVP!

2004-12-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

In an interview with Michael Keaton and Paul Brooks of White Noise, writer Mark Walters uncovers a facinating EVP experience during one of their press events!

PAUL BROOKS: We had an extraordinary occurrence ... where in a room full of journalists the E.V.P. folks asked if anyone wanted to try an experiment... a kind of cynical journalist said sure. They put the tape in, ... and she asked to speak to Uncle Paul. They played it back and a voice came through and said "Beck, it's Paul." The whole room freaked out, and she's like "You have to be kidding me."

Read about the movie and what Michael Keaton and Paul Brooks have to say about EVP at http://www.bigfanboy.com/pages/interviews/michaelkeaton/keaton.html

Conversation with a Ghost?

2004-12-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

Case Studies from South Jersey Paranormal Research Singing (recorded by Lois Weber)

This is the first EVP recording I've heard where there was a good ghost voice and a two way conversation that lasted more than a second or two.

On an investigation at the Masonic Lodge, Lois Weber, a researcher with the SJPR, hears a singing voice and records as IT asks "I hear you...are you here?". He then asks why she is here, (in a mostly male club) and she responds "singing", a second later another voice says "we like to sing". Silly living, they just never understand the dead!

Amazing this! From the same SJPR page as the previous post, but I thought this was so incredible an EVP to deserve it's own post for the archives.

Do We Talk Back?

2004-12-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Case Studies from South Jersey Paranormal Research:

"Do we talk back (recorded by Susan Bove')"

Amazing evidence that spirits are as confused about this technology as we are? More evidence that spirits travel in groups? Could be!

Investigator Susan Bove was instructing a couple in the ways of EVP recording for an interview they wished to have with their ghosts when they record the ghost voice ask
"Do we talk back?"! Amazing stuff you have to hear.

And you have to listen to her next recording of her friend hitting her leg as a ghostly voice sarcastically replies "How'd that feel, Deb?". This one is very clear.

The EVP samples on SJPR's page are almost all Class A EVP recordings. These will amaze and startle you. Guaranteed.

The Other Side - EVPVOICES.COM - EVP Recordings

2004-12-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

On my next stop, evpvoices.com. I'm warmly welcomed by our friendly host Melissa who introduces me to her band of ghost hunters: Mandy, Charlotte, Greg and Heather who all hail from Missouri and have been researching the Electronic Voice Phenomenon for a few years now.
Boy, let me tell you, have they got some great EVP recording samples to share with us.

My favorite is the one where Melissa is teased by some motherly sounding ghost as she complains about her loud neighbors upstairs. The ghost whispers "Melissaaa" and a little girl there mimics the voice exactly seconds later as she pronounces: "Mellissaaa! I'm freaked out!"
Check out Mellissaaa for yourself

Ever hear a Marine sound off? It's the same with all of them, that distinct cadence and tone as they announce their rank and name to a superior. Only a true Marine can sound off like that.

Want to hear the ghost of a fallen soldier sound off when asked his name in a northern Missouri cemetery? This one is clear as a bell and gave me the chills.
Check out ""Marine Corps Staff Sergeant"

Imagine recording in a local cemetery and later hearing on the tape the name of a friend of yours at work! Upon asking your friend about the cemetery, she tells you she knows two little girls who lie buried there. This one is creepy too!
Hear the "Nancy Beagul" EVP

This one makes me laugh. My friend can't hear it, but if you listen as Greg inquires about why a rock is black, you can hear a smart ass ghost tell him "It's painted". Silly living people.
Check out the sarcastic ghost

After more than a few unsuccessful tries at EVP, the girls were astonished to hear "I am Talking. I'm saying Uncle Roger!" on a recording of them begging for someone to please come through!
See if you hear uncle Roger's ghost getting frustrated

And finally, imagine how surprised ghosts from the past must be when they learn for the first time that the living can record them. Listen as this surprised entity announces ""Play Me That Tape" as the girls are recording in a cemetery.
Play the tape yourself and decide

What a great bunch of very clear EVP. They have some that are not so clear, of course, but these are all pretty good examples. I do have to admit the little girl on the Mellissaaa sample doesn't really sound that freaked out to me, but children often don't when they say they are, so I don't know. There is not enough of the conversation after the evp on the tape to hear what happens next.

But all 5 pages of their samples are great and each comes with a fascinating story to go with it. It's definitely worth your time to check out evpvoices.com.

Best EVP Recording Ever?

2004-12-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

G.O.U.L.I - Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigations says they have the "best damn EVP ever". Well you just know I have to check this out!

It seems there once was a man who started a trucking company. He worked day and night at his business and it became very successful. But he was a workaholic who eventually had a heart attack and died right there in the building while conducting his business.

This man also had one pet peeve: Smoking. He hated the smell of cigarette smoke and loudly cursed smokers for the foul stench they created. The strange thing is that people keep smelling his most hated aroma in an office of the building far away from any outside smoking areas.

Tammy O, a member of GHOULI, visited this building to try and determine if it really was haunted by the cigarette hating founder. From the evidence she collected, it seems he is still there, watching over his beloved business and chasing away the foul stench of unseen smoking cigarettes.

Listen to this EVP and you will actually hear the voice of a man who sounds like he is standing in front of the microphone cursing "God Dammed Cigarette smoken" as soon as the investigators notice the mysterious ghostly smell!

This just might be the best damn EVP ever!

Ruth Baxter from White Noise in NM!

2004-12-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

Watch WHITE NOISE on a Big Screen at home!

By now you should already know the EVP sample attributed to Ruth Baxter in the White Noise movie trailer is a real EVP recording, but it does not belong to a woman named Ruth Baxter who died in 1987.

That particular sample was taken in a lighthouse on the east coast of the United States and has long been believed to be of a civil war era ghost saying "I was seeing the war".

However, in May of this year, while investigating the old New Mexico State TB Sanitarium in Escondida, the southwest ghost hunters association may have found evidence that this ghost really gets around and now she's a movie star too! Who says you can't make it after you are dead?

Listen to the last sample on this page titled "I won't see you anymore" and tell me that does not sound just like our friend "Ruth Baxter" from the movie trailer. Maybe she was out here rehearsing for the movie?

Ruth Baxter visits the Ghost Hunt of the New Mexico State Sanitarium?
Freaky stuff White Noise movie fans must listen to!

The fastest way to download movies! | See the Ghosts in your Computer.
Make your TV as large as a Theater Screen. It really works!

NM State Penitentiary Riot Ghost Voices

2004-12-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, today on my hunt for amazing EVP messages from the dead, I'm visiting the site of my home town ghost hunters, the Southwest Ghost Hunters Association, based right here in wonderful Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have a beautiful site and a lot of EVP and paranormal science info.

I'll have more on them later. But first some creepy EVP examples and a ghost door on video from one of their most gruesome investigations!

On February 2nd, 1980, New Mexico was in the news all around the world. While one might expect it to have something to do with aliens or nuclear weapons, no... this day was to go down in history as one of the worst in american history and would forever change our correctional system.

"Shortly before 2 a.m. inmates at the Penitentiary of New Mexico near Santa Fe overpowered four correctional officers ... and, within minutes, ... smashed their way into the main control center (and gained) access to every part of the main penitentiary building where 1,157 male inmates were under the custody and care of 25 correctional employees." From the Attorney General's Report

This was human beings at their most violent. Thirty three inmates died horribly at the hands of their fellow prisoners that day. Most of the carnage took place in cell block 4, the protective custody block where snitches and cops gone bad were kept. Some were tortured and then beheaded with power tools, others were hung by sheets and the poor unfortunate few deemed worthy were burned alive with propane torches. Their charred outlines still remain today.

I remember that fateful day well, you see Feb 2 is my birthday and I was turning 11 years old. My brother was a news photographer for a local TV station and was called up there to report the story. It turned out to be one of his biggest and a large help to his successful career. Since then, my brother has seen a lot, from gangster hits to real live war. I have never seen him as shaken as when he returned from this ghastly story.

At eleven, I was unable to grasp the full horror of what had occurred there as he described some of what he saw at the time, but spared me the graphic details. I asked him about it when I got older, but he doesn't like to talk about it much. The most haunting image I will carry from his brief and dismissing descriptions is the four inches of human blood they had to wade through to get into cell block 4. They were among the first on the scene to witness the debris and human body parts still floating on this crimson pond of horror.

The members of SGHA investigated the old penitentiary along with local radio station KZRR 94rock and some winners of a "Fear" type contest. The voice EVP they gathered are somewhat disappointing, but the pictures and video are really interesting. Ghost Hunt of the New Mexico State Penitentiary

All their EVP samples have been modified, which is something I'm learning to
hate in my studies. (but seems to be the norm for samples on the internet due to internet bandwidth or storage space concerns? or just the fact they went through software to get to the internet in the first place?). I wish everyone would post the enhanced version and non enhanced version or at least tell us what software they used and what enhancements were made. I'd like to be able to make up my own mind and at least hear the original sample. Once you modify something without the original to refer to, there is too much chance for error or interpretation and I can't be sure there even was a voice to start with.

When asked if he would like to be somewhere else, one ghostly resident may have responded "playing golf". Yeah, I'll bet!

Another was asked his name, but you can't make it out. There is a sound there though.

And finally when asked "are you alone" a voice may respond "twenty". It seems clear, but it's filtering gives it the trademark "evil alien" voice, so I just don't know if it says twenty or not. Perhaps he was trying to say 23, the number of inmates killed in famous cell block 4?
Decide what they say for yourself!

Now, are you ready to be scared? Proceed with caution if you frighten easily.

Their first video features a sound like a door shutting (yet all the doors were locked and confirmed so by a state employee) as an orb goes rushing by on some urgent errand!

Their second video actually shows a closed cell door mysteriously open as the investigators pass. CREEPY and Guaranteed to make you jump!!! Check them both out!

I'm wondering if there is another investigation planned for the 25th anniversary of the Santa Fe Prison Riot in a few weeks? I'll find out and let you know!

The Ghost of Christmas 2005

2004-12-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Rich Smith's Christmas Morning Ghost click here to see more

An EVP Christmas Message

2004-12-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas to everyone, Everywhere!

I sincerely hope that you are all enjoying this Christmas day, no matter your beliefs, and find the time to cherish those you love both here and beyond on this special day and every other.

The holidays can be a lonely time for many of us, even those enjoying large family gatherings on this special day. When we finally find the time to all get together, we are reminded of those who have gone before and wish they could be here with us now to enjoy the festivities, see the children grow or all those hundreds of other wishes we all keep close to our hearts.

With so many people thinking of those who are not with us and the fact that many of us will record most of the day in some fashion, I thought there must be a much larger than normal collection of EVP samples taken on holidays such as Christmas. But, if there are, it seems nobody ever reports them!

There is a lively discussion at the Ghost Hounds website on this topic, Where PatrickRsGhost raises the interesting hypothesis:

"I also believe that the reason why the activity tends to be higher around this time, is because during the holidays we tend to recall memories of holidays past, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter or any other major holiday dealing with family get-togethers. When we recall these people, it's sort of like saying "hey, we still think about you, come and join in the festivities."

So invite everyone to enjoy in your holiday festivities, no matter where they might come from!

I thought it would be fun to share with you the few Holiday Season EVP I have found in my travels so far. Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!
(But stay away from too much rum punch and eggnog or you might just hear: "that's not aunt Mable's ghost you see, it's just the other two of me!" as you experience your own inebriated christmas 'evp'!)

Our first sample, "I should have seen, I didn't know", comes to us from Susan in Jacksonville Florida who received a new tape recorder on Christmas, 2002. She writes to ghosttracker.com

"take into consideration that we were not trying to record EVP's at all. After listening to this voice over and over I believe it to be a very dear friend of mine who died suddenly in a motorcycle accident..." Listen to
it at Ghost Tracker / Private Home EVP - JR's Voice

Well, it wouldn't be the paranormal if we didn't have at least one scary example, now would it? This sample was taken in the Old Valpriso Jail Museum on dec 7, 2002 in a room once used as a solitary confinement cell.

ME: "We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you'll wish us one too. Thank-you" Spirit 1: " Thank You" Spirit 2: "SHUT THE HELL UP !

The really strange thing about this one is that every time I open it, no matter how low I put my audio settings in windows or in my audio player, every time it starts over it plays at full blast and almost blows my speakers! Open with care!

A ghostly christmas visitor appears in family photos! A picture on Ghost Study.com shows a womans face in a turned off TV screen. The donor writes,

"This picture was taken in 1986 on the night we put up my mother in laws
Christmas tree. Christmas carols played on the stereo all night long and the TV
was never turned on. I didn't notice the face until later when my mother in law
told me she had a picture of a ghost. " Check it out here

And, as always since everywhere this man goes is haunted, Rich Smith of ParaTexas brings us this picture of his yard featuring some friendly ghost

taking the opportunity to wish from all of us in the Southwest:

a MERRY CHRISTMAS to Y'ALL!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (EVP Version)

2004-12-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

'Twas the Night Before Christmas we had EVP

A parody
(and my ghost hunter gift wish list in a different window if you click the links;)

by Regmanabq

loosely based on a poem once thought by

Clement Clarke Moore

which seems to actually be a poem by
Major Henry Livingston Jr. (1748-1828)
Read about the controversy over who actually authored 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Only spirits were stirring, except me and my mouse;
night cams and strong mics were all hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

Adobe Audition was on the 'puters flat screen,
My night-vision goggles surveyed the whole scene;
My mics and my headphones were turned up to their cap,
I had just settled in to spring an electronic voice trap,

When out of the speakers there arose such a clatter,
I instantly sprang to see what was the matter.
But it was just windows with an update for flash,
I tore my poor hair out and cleared out my drive's cache.

The goggles were cool with their weird greenish glow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my techno green eyes should appear,
But a miniature ghost sleigh, and eight spirit reindeer!

That transparent old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles was my record button aim,
Digital cameras, recorders and tape players the same,

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! and out through that wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

My hardware was smoking as I reviewed all the tapes,
I could see on the monitor where he went right through my drapes!
So straight to my blog, the proof files they flew,
of my ghost sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, my computer, it CRASHED!
All the files and proof were about to be trashed!
As I clicked with my hand, and things were turning around,
Down the chimney went my hard drive with a bad crunching sound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
His clothes filmed, all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
My AVIs showed this peddler just opening his pack!

I swear! -- his eyes twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, my crashes are rarely!
My night goggles and cameras were all set to low,
But the beard of his chin looked just like widescreen TV snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
But some smoke now encircles my drive like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
Yet my proof is as worthless as a bowlful of jelly.

He looked chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed cause I saw him, in spite of myself;
With a wink of an eye and a twist of his head,
I think St. Nick caused my crash! I can't talk to the dead!

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
Voice recorders caught nothing as he turned with a jerk,
And laying a finger aside his white nose,
He gave me a nod, then up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, his ghost team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, then they *poofed* with a sizzle!

I'd prove he exclaimed, if my drive weren't a sight:

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-FRIGHT!"

Happy holidays to everyone, Everywhere.

Due to popular demand: Please feel free to distribute this in your newsletters, emails or post on your websites. While I'd prefer you include the first one or two paragraphs only and then provide a link so everyone can enjoy my latest EVP discoveries, if you really want to post the whole thing, all I ask is that you credit me as the author and provide a link to http://evprecording.blogspot.com.

and if you really like it, why not subscribe to this blog and follow my furthering white noise adventures into the paranormal each and every day? I, or shall I say we, would love to have you along!

Evil voices in my sink?

2004-12-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

I think I've been researching EVP a little too much the last few days.

As I was brushing my teeth I began to think of how EVP researchers use running water as a background noise to help the spirits they contact form words when recording these strange voices. I wondered if some ghostly spirit might contact me during my oral hygiene. I thought to myself: I'd be the one to hear "get out".

I ran my tooth brush under the running water and "GET OUT" the water literally spat at me! "GET OUT NOW" it spat again. The water shooting out with each word like the spit from an angry football coach yelling at a referee! I was like a deer in the headlights standing over this angry sink as it took a deep breath and the water almost stopped.

"OUT OUT OUUUT NOWWW" came again the raspy voice-like sound from the faucet as the very pipes rattled the wall.

I jumped back and almost dropped my toothbrush into this obviously not too happy sink!

That figures, the first spirit I contact hates me right off. Where am I supposed to go to the bathroom now?

The running joke around here is that our first time out ghost hunting with a recorder somewhere scary we will hear something say "get out". My friends and I are always whispering in each other's ears or playing jokes on each other with that infamous ghostly phrase. Perhaps a prankster spirit was playing with me instead? Giving me some of my own medicine?

I don't think so. You see, last night the cold water knob on the shower broke. It forced us to turn off the water to the house. I was the first person to run the water in the bathroom and it seems there was some air in the pipes.

Funny how your mind will scare the crap out of you when you least expect it. I think my brain enjoys doing that sometimes. Looking for an adreneline fix, I guess?

If this was my first unaided EVP experience, this spirit has a good sense of humor. Or he's mad and wants me to get out now. I'll try not to think about that last possibility; it's almost nap time!

Spirit Hacking at Para Texas?

2004-12-22T07:48:00.000-07:00

"Spirit Hacking" is what one ghost voice called the process of EVP recording when Rich Smith played back a tape of a recent paranormal investigation.

It may not be uncommon for the spirits in the afterlife to move in groups and interact with each other much as you and I do. Rich, an accomplished paranormal researcher and author of "Everywhere I go is Haunted", was attempting to "interview" another spirit regarding a case he was working on when it sounds like a surprised other worldly on-looker could not contain his amazement anymore and blurted out this startling phrase.

Perhaps we shall hear more "Geek speak" from the spirits as more and more of us from the technology age pass on.

9-11 WTC ghost voice?

2004-12-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

White Noise is Real claims to have an EVP taken at the WTC two years after the 9-11 accident. The ghost voice you hear is very disturbing.

Richard Smith, author of the EVP book "Everyplace I go is Haunted" (buy it) gave two EVP recording lessons to his brother Mike and his girlfriend Alica before they captured this ghostly audio of a woman screaming for help at the WTC disaster site. There was, of course, no live woman screaming at the time.

A chilling EVP that makes me wonder if there are not more WTC samples out there.

Coffee Pot Ghost

2004-12-22T05:28:00.000-07:00

"29% of people recommend KRUPS Crystal Arome Plus Time Coffee Machine"
(presumably, to make coffee with)
Ghosts on the other hand, recommend the KRUPS Crystal Arome Plus Time Machine 10 to 1 over conventional methods of scaring the crap out of people!" Coffee Pot Ghost

Charli thinks her coffee pot is haunted. After hearing her evidence, so do I.

With a nack for finding the funny in the fantastic, CoffeePotGhost.com is a website full of humor and some pretty interesting EVP samples too.

It seems back in May of 2001 "they" started talking and now a Krups Coffee Pot may be the Earth's preferred method of communication with the other side. Are we going to see infomercials with ghosts advertising Krups coffee pots on TV come January?

There is a lot here on EVP and ton's of recordings. While Charli's design is a little scattered and it's really weird to go from " Grandma got run over by a reindeer " to listening to EVP voices, her content is excellent. Great writing and lot's of wonderful EVP samples.

More on the Coffee Pot Ghost will obviously be forthcoming!

Possible EVP off Guitar Amp

2004-12-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Zack, a guest at the white noise movie discussion board, has a possible EVP sample that sure gave me the creeps. Universal Pictures :: View topic - Possible EVP off Guitar Amp

He was recording with a mic in front of his humming guitar amp for about 30 seconds just to see what happened. After reviewing the tape, he found an interesting noise about 20 seconds in that was different than the very steady buzz of the amplifier. If you listen carefully it really does sound like a faint voice saying something.

Since he was curious he ran it through Adobe Audition audio software and amplified it and reduced some of the noise. The audio he captured made me jump out of my seat!

"How are you" the voice says. After going back to the original recording, I do believe I can hear that same phrase without amplification. Or my mind is playing tricks on me.

Check it out for yourself.

EVP Samples from Europe

2004-12-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

Tina Laurent's EVP Voice Example asks a question many have wondered for ages. Do spirits pray?

Tina, a long time EVP researcher, experimenter and lecturer who lives in Wales, dared to ask if the spirits pray to God. Using a french radio program for background noise, she could hardly expect the clearly english response "Of course I pray, the very idea".

This EVP is very clear at the begining. I find it interesting how the english words do seem to form from the french sounds in the background. But being unfamiliar with french, I cannot say for sure if these words might naturally form in an english speaker's mind when listening to background voices using sounds found in french or if it a supernatural phenomenon.

I do have to disagree with the interpretation here. I hear more clearly, "what a silly idea" than "the very idea". But if the speaker has an english accent, this might explain it.

Linda Williams of Scottland has captured some interesting EVP with a heavy accent. While her carreer seems to have started battling a "negative entity" she has since captured many interesting recordings. While none of these is very clear to the american ear, I blame much of that on my lack of experience hearing Scottish accents.

"I need a match" is said to be heard in her first sample which she believes is her grandfather who was always without a light. You can clearly hear the word "match" but I can't be sure of the rest. This recording could also be of past events.

Her next examples "I see her" and "good luck" also make me wonder about bands of ghosts traveling together. Could the spirit have been refering to actually seeing Williamson? Then why would she say "I see her" as if talking to yet a third person?

Well, it seems there are a lot of interesting EVPs being captured on the other side of the pond.

EVP Samples by Martha Copeland

2004-12-21T04:34:00.000-07:00

Martha Copeland's EVP recordings show personalities may make it to the other side completely in tact. Perhaps we don't stop worrying about the living when we go and may even get testy at times once there.

Martha's daughter, Cathy, died as a young woman. One day her dog "Dojo" was accidentally left in the house by himself with a voice activated digital recorder. It seems Dojo was a bad dog and tore up the house while everyone was gone. When they played back the tape, they could hear Cathy saying "Dojo No!".

The questions this sample raises are two fold:

1- Can dogs hear these voices? Either Dojo did not hear Cathy, or he chose not to listen since it seems there is very little she could do in the way of discipline. He may have also heard her and been so excited, he just tore up the house.

2- I'll bet Cathy had said hundreds of times "Dojo No" when she was living. If EVPs are recordings of the past, this could be a sample.

Her next EVP is actually kind of funny. Perhaps even ghosts get testy or decide to be sarcastic.

Martha kept recording the voice of a grumpy old man. She thought it sounded like her grandfather, but was unsure. When she asked "can you tell me the grump's name" during and EVP session, an old voice sarcastically replies "Tell her it's Satan!"

I thought this one might be somewhat scary. But no, it does sound like an old man being sarcastic or encouraging someone else to play a practical joke.

This clip raises the questions: Was grandpa sarcastic like that in life? Could it be from the past and are there other spirits with him encouraging him to joke like a pack of school boys? That's funny.

Karen Mossey EVP Voice Examples

2004-12-21T04:21:00.000-07:00

The AA-EVP Voice Examples continue with two from Karen Mossey.

Mossey, as well as many friends and relatives recognize this voice as that of Karen's father. He was a legislator in life and it seems perhaps in death too.

"I love you" is clearly heard and does sound like a man's voice.

"I'm gonna pass a law... to pay you" is not so clear. You can clearly make out the "pass a law" and then "to pay you", but the beginning is not clear to me.

I am curious as to what kind of laws they might have in the after life. What could he be referring to as a "law to pay her", a living person here on earth?

These samples also make me wonder about the EVP theory that what is captured is not spirit in nature, but residual energy from our own pasts. Both of these phrases would have been spoken by him in their home hundreds of time. If this theory holds any water, samples such as this would be expected if recorded there.

Sarah Estep's EVP Recordings

2004-12-20T08:46:00.000-07:00

As founder of the AA-EVP, an organization created in the early 1980's dedicated to the study and research of Electronic Voice Phenomenon and the author of the bestselling EVP book 'Voices of Eternity', I have to assume Sarah Estep will have some of the best EVP recordings available and I'm right.

I was disappointed there are so few EVP samples on her website and it seems the six tape audio series she authored is no longer available. Perhaps that will change as interest in this amazing phenomenon grows in the next few months. I'd like to hear it.
See Sarah Estep's EVP recordings page at the AA-EVP

I started with track #32 of the Spirit/Space Tape, Side 1 entitled 'We're down beside ya'.
I picked this particular example because it has to be run backwards to hear. I am always skeptical when listening to backward ran recordings. It's easy to hear things in a voice run backwards. I used to have a blast in school playing with the reel to reel and have heard some of the funniest things doing this. But this recording is different.

It seems Sarah was sitting in her office reading one night when she noticed a black and silver object several feet from her that was spinning a foot off the floor. As is normal in the paranormal, it only lasted for two seconds and she was unable to identify it. When she recorded for EVP the next morning she asked about the strange object. When the tape was played backward they heard a male voice say "We're down beside ya".

Got the creeps yet?

I sure do. The male voice is very clear and articulate and comes well after Sarah's voice in the recording. (Or would that be before her voice since it's run backwards?) It doesn't sound threatening or menacing in any way. Just what you might expect if someone was letting you know where they were.

I have to say I don't have a problem with this sample being played backwards simply because we are not listening to any other voices at the time the EVP comes through. This is obviously a Class A EVP and I am amazed at the clarity and emotion found in the voice.

I quickly move on to Track #20 of the same tape entitled 'Death no more a Casket'. I think the horror fan in me just wants to finally hear something really spooky, but this EVP is anything but spooky. In a sing-songy kind of ghost voice you can hear a man say what does sound like "Death no more a Casket". But I'm not sure about the casket part and if you play it over and over it sounds russian or something. My brain just runs it all together.

Next is track 19 on tape 1, side 2 entitled 'That is your girl'. This EVP is also from a backwards playing of a recording. It does sound like a woman's voice saying "That is your girl". It is very clear and there is little recorded sound around the sample.

The most "heavenly" example of an EVP I've heard yet is track #14 from tape 1 titled 'I found you there'. When Sarah asks "Were you aware that I was on the porch last evening when I went out there?", a singing voice, sounding like a choir of angels, responds "I found you there". Heavenly, but definitely gives you the chills. Very clear and creepy EVP recording.

It seems Sarah Estep is quite talented and skilled at capturing EVP ghost voices. Her samples are clear and she is obviously eminent in her field as a researcher. She also seems to have great luck capturing voices that have to be played backwards to be heard. I bet I'll run into more of her stuff on my Journey and perhaps even get to ask her to tell me some stories herself.

Books by Sarah Estep

EVP Ghost Voice Interpretation

2004-12-20T07:08:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, The Electronic Voice Phenomenon: Are the EVP Ghost Voices in the White Noise Movie Real or Fake? I found the controversy over the "Ruth Baxter" recording's interpretation to be quite interesting. I expected hollywood to change names and such, but I was pretty sure the voice on the White Noise movie trailer said "I will see you no more" until I heard it while reading the text 'I was seeing the war'. Now I'm not so sure what it says.

I was wondering how seeing text or being told what a poor quality recording of a "ghost voice" is saying might influence what we hear. As I mentioned in Listening to EVP Recordings, I've seen many people argue over what recording artists are singing on their albums. I've even worked concerts where I misunderstood the band and they were right there live, amplified and digitally processed for clarity. Check out the Yahoo misunderstood lyrics page for a million examples. EVP recordings might not be much different.

Amiright.com features over 825 submissions from people who hear the Beatles singing different things. In the song Time, by Pink Floyd, I myself thought for years the lyric was 'Taking away the moments that make up a dull day', when in fact, it is actually 'Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day'. Sometimes we might hear what we want to hear, especially when asking a question or longing to speak with a departed loved one.

But, in all fairness, wouldn't a ghost or other entity say things that might be appropriate to an asked question or a particular place or action on the part of the living? It only makes sense that if you are communicating with someone in another dimension via a crude listening device, you may have to infer their meaning based on your familiarity with this person or the conversation's context rather than what you actually hear.

Think of it like this: If you were talking to your significant other on a bad cell phone connection when they asked "did you take the trash out to the dumpster?", I doubt you would take all your cash out to the trash even if that is what you heard you were to do. You would assume she meant the trash because you were talking about the chores you had not done lately and not your huge amount of expendable cash laying around that is taking up too much closet space.

Sprint has made a fortune from the funny cell phone commercials where the people hear things wrong and get saved by the man in black. See their latest commercials.

So, I have to conclude that the question still remains: Are these real voices or just our minds playing tricks with sound and creating what we think we want to hear? Right now it could go either way since misunderstood conversations happen often with the living. I shouldn't expect the dead or multi dimensional to speak any more clearly than we do.

Are the EVP Ghost Voices in the White Noise Movie Real or Fake?

2004-12-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Learn to Astral Project in 8 minutes?

I quickly find the answer to the burning question I and everyone else will have:

Are the EVP recordings from the movie White Noise real or a hollywood fake? We have the answer to at least the one attributed to 'Ruth Baxter who died in 1987'.

It turns out this one is actually both real and a fake! Sarah Estep, founder of the AA_EVP, recorded the voice when visiting an old lighthouse that was once used as a civil war hospital. She believes it says "I was seeing the war" and no one has any idea who Ruth Baxter is.
"I will see you no more" or "I was seeing the war"? Listen and decide

A notice on her evp recordings page explains the whole thing.

It is interesting that we have had several messages from visitors to this site that have wanted us to know that they hear the EVP we call, "I was seeing the war," in other ways. For instance, "I was seeing the water" or "I will see you no more." We can understand how these alternative interpretations are possible. Sarah was in a lighthouse that was used as a Civil War hospital, and it is natural for her to have been looking for a Civil War related interpretation. Someone listening to the EVP in a different setting could very easily hear the utterance in a different way. Sarah has given her permission for Universal to use this example with the interpretation that better supports the story in White Noise. We do not know who the person is to which Universal attributes the voice.

And that answers that. At least this one, and I suspect a few more, of the EVP voices from the movie White Noise are real. Just expect hollywood to embellish a little bit with the details.

Check this out: Evidence Ruth Baxter may have rehearsed for the movie in NM?

Download the Latest Movies and TV shows?
Can you control people with your Mind?

Learn to Astral Project in 8 minutes?

What is EVP?

2004-12-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

EVP or Electronic Voice Phenomenon is when you record mysterious voices from people not present at the time, yet appear when played back later. EVP recordings are usually made on regular digital voice or tape recorders and can range from very faint fluctuations in backgroud noise to clearly defined words and sentences. The amazing thing is, these voices can answer questions and might even make fun of you!

The EVP phenomenon began as modern electronic recording devices became popular. People around the world reported hearing strange, ghostly voices in the background of their tape recordings. Easily dismissed as interference or imagination by most, a small but dedicated band of researchers have been investigating for over 20 years with some fascinating findings.

Using simple tape recorders or IC voice memo recorders, EVP researchers have made startling recordings of ghost voices that respond to their questions, tease them or give advice. Some have even captured conversations between unseen entities who seemed unaware they were being taped.

Imagine taping yourself asking for the names of who is here in a deserted Gettysburg cemetery and hearing five different voices sound off with "That'll be Tim, George Pickett, Elizabeth, Bobby Olson, Un- Huh, ...B. Olson." when you play the tape back!
listen to "Spanglers Names" for yourself

How does it work? Truth is, no one knows. Some think these are communications with spirits while others believe we simply capture residual psychic energy and record events that have occurred in the past. Another theory is that a persons consciousness can hang around for years after death and EVPs are recording those energies.

Of course there are those who say it's all imagination or subtle suggestion. While detailed research is ongoing, there simply is not enough data to make an educated guess or provide any firm scientific proof at this point.

The upcoming hollywood movie "White Noise" is anticipated to bring broader awareness and increased experimentation in EVP during the next few months. The EVP community anticipates a massive influx of samples and experimentation as more and more people try their hand at contacting the dead with this easy to use technique.

But beware! This is not for the faint of heart, those with mental illness or the easily creeped out. You may actually hear some very disturbing things that may change the way you view reality and the after life.

Be warned, be skeptical and most importantly remain open minded. This could be an earth shattering discovery that will forever change humanity and finally prove life after death; or it might just be a fun parlor trick.

Let's find out, shall we?

EVP Voice Examples Starring Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra?

2004-12-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

I do have to admit Tom and Lisa Butler of Lake Tahoe have captured some very interesting EVP recordings and amazingly enough they might just be of famous dead movie stars!
EVP Voice Examples featuring movie stars?

It seems they were out investigating a haunting in a cabin used by Marilyn Monroe at the Cal-Neva Resort once owned by Frank Sinatra. They called to Marilyn to speak with them and recorded a voice that clearly sounds like "Wanna see a movie?" Wow, this recording is clear and easy to make out!

At the same resort they were given a tour of Sinatra's old dressing room in the theatre which the employees felt was definitely haunted. When they asked to see inside the lighting and sound booth, the door of which reportedly would often slam shut unexpectedly startling everyone working on stage, the employee declined saying that she "would never go up there". At that Lisa kindly thanked their guide and left.

When they got home a polite voice could be heard in the background at that exact moment saying "please don't come". This EVP is not as clear as the previous one and the voice might be interpreted as "You're welcome" if you listen to it right.

But the creepiest EVP recording they have is definitely the one from Alcatraz. While investigating the cell blocks of the infamous Rock, they may have captured one of it's resident tortured souls. When Lisa advises any spirits present that they "can speak on this device", an eerie reply is heard to say "That's right, we know". Very scary recording. Gave me the instant chills.

It would seem these lakeside researchers have not only captured some amazing EVP samples, but have also managed to record in some rather interesting places.

I hope they will tell Marilyn I'd love to go to the movies with her. Perhaps we can even find an old Sinatra reel playing somewhere!

EVP Books by Tom and Lisa Butler

Listening to EVP Recordings

2004-12-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

Before listening to EVP recordings it seems there are some things you should know.

First, it takes some practice to train yourself to hear the voices. It seems the ghost voices are created from the static noise picked up by the recorder. White noise, running water and radios tuned off station are commonly used as "sound energy" sources during EVP experimentation. You have to learn to listen through this noise to be able to hear the recorded voices.

I have to admit this makes me instantly skeptical. How can you tell me there is a voice if I have to train myself to hear it? I remember the days of back-masked records and the subliminal message fears. I never did hear the devil in a Beatles album played backwards or instantly crave popcorn or an A&W root beer at the drive in.

I have some extensive experience with sound working as a stage lighting designer and sometime sound designer/audio engineer for almost 20 years now. I've done audio work for theatre, bands and special events from boxcars in a field to the Georgia Super Dome so I have a college level understanding of the basic physics of sound. As a writer and a public speaker, I am more than familiar with the concepts of phonics, proper pronunciation and the psychology of language.

I could see how the mind could try and make sense of random or white noise and create 'words' out of it. You see people misunderstand speech all the time; from arguments over Rock and Roll song lyrics to radically different legal testimony. Sometimes people will hear what they want to hear.

But I still remain open minded and fortunately Sara Estep, founder of the AA-EVP has developed a system for grading EVP recordings. Samples seem to vary drastically in quality and there are three basic levels.

A Class A EVP is a message that can be heard without headphones and that people can generally agree on its content.
A Class B EVP requires a headphone to distinguish message content and not everyone will agree on the message.
A Class C EVP requires headphones, often needs amplification and filtering and will seldom even be heard by others.

I think it might be a good idea for a novice like me to start with the Class A's and work my way down. I want to hear some clear voices not lose interest or become frustrated straining over unintelligible audio that only someone else can hear a voice in. I'm looking for amazing proof of life after death after all!

Another thing one must know when listening to an EVP recording is that the voices may sound distant, strange or seem to be singing. Sometimes they will have an unusual cadence or consonants and vowels will be compressed or elongated in an unusual way. The theory is that the "entities" can only use available audio energy to form the sounds of words in a recording device and are unable to create sounds on their own. Sometimes the needed sounds just are not there and they must make due.

This would explain some anomalies or why the voices may sound similar to the speaker in the tape. It seems logical that one cannot form a vowel or consonant one does not have a "template" for when communicating like this. It would be a lot like trying to write a letter to someone in English without the letters L, R, N, T and A!

I would think it would also be particularly difficult to exactly mimic one's earthy voice when deprived of those all important word forming flesh and bone organs. Without the lungs, vocal cords, tongue and lips how could you sound like yourself?

The last and final thing one must know before listening to your first EVP recordings is that volume is always an issue. These ghost voices never come through at the same level as a person speaking and often times can barely be heard. It's not uncommon for parts of a message to be recorded under live speech on the tape, making it even harder to make out.

So, get out your headphones and let's listen carefully, realize the voices might sound a little strange or be hard to hear and finally listen to some real live EVP recordings!

The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena - AA-EVP

2004-12-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

AA-EVP.com, The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena is the first site that I find in my search for EVP knowledge. Seems like a good place to start.

They describe themselves as:

The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) is a nonprofit educational association that is dedicated to the support of people who are interested in or who are studying Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC). This web site offers examples, techniques and concepts concerning Electronic Voice Phenomena and Instrumental TransCommunication.

Bingo! Just the type of site I was looking for. Although some of it is member's only, there is a plethora of information for the public as well. These seem like level headed people using care in their research of a paranormal phenomenon. This is no alien abductee site or a bunch of hoaxters out for publicity.

They struck me more as a group of serious scientists trying to explore a newly discovered phenomenon without any religious or cultural preconceptions. Some of their basic precepts are stated on the about us page:

Members understand that this "objective evidence" must be based on good science. As such, you will see that great care is taken by the members
to maintain an objective view of the phenomena. Yes, the evidence does
strongly indicate that the messages are nonphysical in origin; however,
members recognize that there are other possible explanations.

So they seem open minded and without some hidden agenda or epidemic mental illness. They go on to describe themselves as a well rounded group of people with three main hypothesis:

Most members have come to believe they are communicating with people who have transitioned out of physical life.
Some believe that there is a good possibility that the voices they record are little more than residual energy from the past imprinted into the fabric of the physical world. Or else we somehow trancend the limits of time and space and may actually travel back in time to some extent when recording voices or seeing apparitions.
A few think the idea that the messages are nonphysical in origin is all nonsense, and are trying to prove this by determining their physical source.

And, as I suspected from the tone of the site, they claim many of their members (and it seems quite a few EVP researchers in general) are skilled scientists conducting serious experiments and not a bunch of wackos with no experience:

It is interesting that several AA-EVP members are research scientists. You will
not see their titles on our member lists, though. Just as you may be feeling
considerable doubt about this phenomena, and therefore our sanity, so too do
many institutions feel that a true scientists would not associate with
organizations like AA-EVP.

As usual with anyone interested in the paranormal no one wants to talk in public for fear that people will think them crazy. It's understandable. I don't think I've mentioned my real name yet either. Thank God for Internet nicknames, eh?

Well, it seems I've found a great place to start my exploration of EVP. I'm curious to hear what an actual EVP recording done in a somewhat scientific setting might sound like. I can't imagine them being as clear as the ones for the White Noise movie.

I'm anxious to be creeped out and amazed by some actual samples; aren't you?

The White Noise Movie Site

2004-12-16T03:50:00.000-07:00

The official White Noise movie website (see it here) is typical of the modern pre-release hollywood site. Lots of Flash and cool fancy graphics on the splash page with a list of needed plugins. But bandwidth issues will not deter me and I'm sure I have the latest players so I bravely venture on.

As I watch the countdown while the Flash player loads, I wonder again if this is another Blair Witch Project. I spent a night on their website the first time I saw the TV ad too and at first glance their "found footage" seemed pretty real. Their website had lot's of "evidence", a great story and a few experts to boot. For the first week I, like everyone else, thought this looked real until the story broke it was purely well crafted fiction and a clever marketing department.

At first glance though, you realize White Noise will be different. This is obviously a movie where paranormal activity is simply used in the plot to help give everyone a good scare. There will be no "actual footage" here and with Michael Keaton as the lead, it would be hard to pass this off as any type of "reality movie".

Michael Keaton plays architect Jonathan Rivers who is devastated by the disappearance and death of his wife, Anna (Chandra West). Jonathan is contacted by a man (Ian McNeice), who says he is receiving messages from Anna through EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon), the process through which the dead communicate with the living through household recording devices. At first skeptical, as any lawyer would be, Jonathan is soon convinced the messages are genuine and becomes obsessed with contacting his wife on his own. As he explores further into the world of EVP, he of course opens the door to some other dimension where something evil is lurking to scare us all to death. Standard horror movie fare.

I'm no expert, but I have always been interested in the paranormal and was surprised I had never heard of EVP before. Ok, I figure, a few ghost hunters said they recorded some things and some aspiring script writer took the idea and ran with it. The three samples on the White Noise movie site were very clear and must have been manufactured by a special effects team. There is no way any real recordings of the dead, if even possible, could be that clear.

I would soon learn otherwise as I continue my journey into the paranormal possibilities of regular old white noise.

The White Noise Movie Trailer

2004-12-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

Don't waste your bandwidth visiting all the EVP websites you find on the search engines. Most of the recordings are inaudible and you will spend hours finding the best paranormal researcher websites. Many of the sites out there have little to do with EVP and only offer the same old samples over and over again.
But I can help. Join me every day as I scour the Internet to bring you the best EVP recording samples, researcher case files and paranormal resource websites out there.

My journey begins, as it will for millions of others in the next few weeks, when I see a movie trailer for the upcoming Universal release WHITE NOISE. I was not really paying attention to what my friends were watching until a spooky voice called out from the TV "I love you". The voice sounded so weird that I had to turn and see what was going on.

Chills ran up my spine as more creepy voices followed with "Get out of my house" and "you will suffer". They definately had my attention. Good trailer for a movie that was sounding pretty scary so far.

See the official white noise movie trailer or watch it and see production pictures at the White Noise movie page at Yahoo

The voice over announces that "the real life phenomenon is the most disturbing movie of the year" and I had to learn more. I love scary movies and this one was sounding really good. Everyone in the room was creeped out just from a 30 second TV spot! I jumped online and went straight to their official site to learn more.

As I watched the full theatrical trailer, I became more and more enthralled. I had heard of recording ghosts before, but these recordings were amazing. I figured this was another Blair Witch Project and Hollywood was once again fabricating media loosely based on a real life phenomenon to pitch a scary movie.

What I found on their site was much more than simple theatrics. It sparked something in me and I have to learn about this amazing phenomenon. The more I learn the more facinated I become. This really could be proof of life after death, time travel or alternate dimensions. I intend to find out if it is all true and do what I can to figure out what the answer might be as to how it all works.

I invite you along. I guarantee I'll find the best EVP on the internet and bring it to you each and every day right here along with my own commentary and experiences as I explore this strange new world of the Electronic Voice Phenomenon. I'll scare the hell out of you and have you rolling on the floor laughing, guaranteed or your money back.

Most of the EVP recordings on the Internet are barely audible and many EVP websites you find with the search engines are not worth the time to visit or have nothing to do with EVP at all.

Don't waste your valuable bandwidth searching through the thousands of EVP examples out there. Let me do the work and just check in when you find the time and I'll show you exactly where to hear the best EVP and learn from the people who really know how to do it.

I look forward to your company on this wild and wonderful journey and please be sure to leave your own comments for me and the world to ponder as you read each post! (email not required!)

Announce your Paranormal Event

2004-12-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

Having a Paranormal Event?

Does your ghost hunting group have an upcoming meeting? Are you planning a ghost hunting trip to capture some EVPs and want some company? Please feel free to use this space to announce group meetings, gatherings, festivals or any public event having to do with ghosts, ghost hunting or EVP.
(Please no psychic, alien or magic events. Ghosts only!)

Add your comments below and include:

Name of event:
Date of event:
Location City and State:
Exact Location address:
Contact Name:
Way to contact you for further information:

and a short description of what the event is all about.

Or find your own local Paranormal Group or Ghost Hunter Gathering at Meetup.com

EVP Press Relations Office

2004-12-10T01:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome members of the press and publishing media as well as webmasters and E-zine editors.

It has been man's dream to talk with the dead. Now you can.

"All you need is a regular tape recorder" say researchers of the electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP, and you can record ghostly voices that answer your questions, call out your name or even tease you a little. Featured in the new Michael Keaton movie 'White Noise', this is no hollywood creation. People have been recording these strange voices ever since the invention of sound recording equipment and the popularity of digital and PC recording has produced a dramatic increase in the number of high quality samples taken by people around the world.

Experiments were conducted in special radio proof rooms during the early seventies at both Cambridge University and Pye records in England which suggest these are not stray radio waves inadvertantly picked up by the recording equipment. After listening to thousands of samples taken during his own research, noted ex-NASA voice recognition expert Alex MacRae concluded some are indeed recordings of actual voices, even though no one present during recording heard any voices at all. Supporters claim they communicate with the dead who respond to direct questions while skeptics struggle for a more plausable scientific explanation.

This is a story for you.
Talking with the dead via tape recorder is an attention grabbing subject. Stories featuring people's personal experiences or ghost hunting reports, the history and science of evp, short biographies of the famous researchers, how to do it yourself or even debunking will keep your readers attention until the very last word.

Why now?
With the new Michael Keaton movie White Noise in theaters, interest has never been greater and your readers are demanding for the first time to know more about this strange paranormal phenomenon. EVP is a hot topic in the major press and broadcast media as well as the internet. As one web surfer put it "there are more discussion topics on the internet about EVP than Jesus right now."

But where do you find quality content your readers will enjoy when most freelance writers think evp stands for Executive Vice President? (contact me)

I can get you a great story before your deadline.
Don't waste time bringing someone else up to speed or sifting out the junk on the internet. I am familiar with the subject, it's history and the people involved. I know where the good resources are, where the best samples can be located and I can get interviews with people who have first hand experience or the ghost hunters who document them. I can quote various sources on just about any point of view.

I have quality content ready for you to cut and paste from my website or you can access each article via XML for real time use in your own website or newletter.
I can custom tailor an article or sidebar under 1000 words in usually less than 24hrs. Longer articles or those requiring extensive research or interviews will take longer. How long would it take your staff writer to start from scratch? (contact me)

What treatment do you need?
Let me know what you need or query me for suggestions. If you have back issues online, I can quickly work with you to develop story ideas suitable for your audience and the space you have available. You can see samples of my work by browsing this website or request articles similar in topic or style to those you find here. (contact me)

Possible story ideas include:

"The haunted coffee pot"
Charli's Krups coffee pot is haunted, not by just one ghost but hundreds who stop by to say hi and have a chat. It's become the prefered inter-dimensional phone booth!

"My daughter yells at the dog from the dead"
Two years after her death, Martha Copeland recorded her daughter Cathy yelling at their dog as he tore up the living room. It prompted her to found an international organization dedicated to contacting the dead with a tape recorder on thursday nights.

"Ghosts in your TV?"
Can evil beings come through your television like in the new movie white noise starring Michael Keaton? No, say professional ghost hunters, very few evp experiences are from evil spirits and spirit beings don't generally come out of TV's.

"What is in the White Noise? Scientists trying to prove it was the radio failed."
An experiment was conducted at Cambridge University in 1971 to prove the electronic voice pheonmoneon, featured in the movie white noise, is not a method to communicate with the dead using ordinary electronic devices, but only stray radio signals picked up by crude devices. Scientists failed in their attempt and abandonded their research.

"Hearing voices in white noise."
White noise is literally all the various frequencies the human ear can hear at the same time. Why do people hear voices in it? Psychologist Jim Alcock says “Perception is a very complex process, and when our brains try to find patterns, they are guided in part by what we expect to hear; The brain puts together the visual cue and the auditory input, and we actually “hear” what we are informed is being said, even though without that information, we could discern nothing.”

Contact me

via email: regmanWHITENOISEabq@yahoo.com
(I'm avoiding spambots, so please take out WHITE NOISE before sending)

or via yahoo instant messenger as: regmanabq

or leave your comments below and I will be emailed immediately.

EVP, Paranormal and Ghost Website Links

2004-12-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

This is a list of some of the better websites I've seen in my travels with little notes about each. If you want to suggest a link, add your comments below and I'll visit soon!

EVP Websites / Paranormal Websites / Ghost Websites
Paranormal Investigators & Ghost Hunters / White Noise Movie Related Sites / Paranormal Radio, TV and Magazines

EVP / ITC Websites

AA-EVP The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomenon - is a nonprofit educational association that is dedicated to the support of people who are interested in or who are studying Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC). This web site offers examples, techniques and concepts concerning Electronic Voice Phenomena and Instrumental TransCommunication. (description from website)
EVPVOICES.COM - Join your host Mellisa and her merry band of ghost hunters as they bring some amazing EVP to us from north-central Missouri. This award winning site has lot's of EVP samples, some pics and a little astrology too! (mellissa, I'm freaked out!)
EVP - Voices.com - This dutch website is quite interesting. While they could use a better english translation, it's not so bad you can't follow along (and doesn't matter if you happen to read dutch) and there is a lot of info here. Check out their "20 voices from the beyond" and see some great pics too.
Haunted Voices - One of the world's largest website and community about EVP. Great info, free training, a busy forum and weekly chats make this site a must see!
The Coffee Pot Ghost - A lady from the east-coast named Charli communicates with the dead through her Krups coffee pot! A hilarious ride awaits this site's visitors as they enjoy some wonderful EVP samples with a side dish of humor. see my first visit

Paranormal Websites

Paranormal Phenomenon at about.com - About.com describes their site as "THE starting place for exploring paranormal phenomena and the unexplained" and that claim might not be too exagerated! From anomalies to zombies, they have it all.
Truth Seeker TV: hosted by Jimi Petulla, this is an all new Reality Show that dares to go where other shows fear to tread.

Ghost Websites

All About Ghosts - A little of everything and a lot of great links, this is a good resource for everything ghastly and ghoulie out here on the net.
American Ghosts- Your online travel guide to haunting around America!
Everything Scary - This site has a little bit of everything scary. From horror movies to haunted houses, you'll find something of interest at this site.
Ghostvillage.com - Ghost Research, Evidence, and Discussion
Ghost Study - Hosted by the world famous "Ghost Master", Jim Eaton, this is one great site with a little bit of everything. A rather large collection of pics and a chance to show off your own as well as plenty of ghost stories!

Paranormal Investigators & Ghost Hunters

GhostVox - Paranormal Phenomenon Research in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. These folks captured some great EVP recordings in their local cemetary and have some pretty cool pictures of all sorts of freaky things.
G.O.U.L.I - Ghost Haunts of Oklahoma & Urban Legend Investigations- These guys really have it all together. They do investigations and offer tours of OKC's most haunted locations! They also have a very lively and informative discussion group and lot's of great EVP and pictures to see.
Paranormal Investigations of Texas - "Thar's Ghosts in them there hills!" Discover the haunted hills of Texas with Ghost Hunter, author and now paranormal film maker Richard Smith, his wife Mary and their merry band of Lonestar ghost hunters. Lot's of great EVP samples, info and some great ghostly pictures! Watch for their new movie: "Everywhere I go is Haunted"!
Spiritseekers of Ohio - Our organization was founded in May 2001. Our main focus is to document and present credible evidence to the public of spirit activity. In our website you will find articles and tips on ghost hunting as well as some of our case investigations, photo's and evps. (description from website)
SpiritSearchers - A husband and wife ghosthunting team located in Central New Jersey founded this website to present their findings to the world. Never asking for money, all they ask is that you keep an open mind...
South Jersey Paranormal Research - A group of paranormal researchers from all walks of life who have captured some of the most amazing EVP ever. Hear an actual conversation with a couple of singing ghosts and the first human and ghost co-ed orientation lecture on how to do evp ever recorded! Listen as the ghosts even ask questions!
Southwest Ghost Hunters Association - This group of believers and skeptics alike based in the southwest US, are all about research, not necessarily to prove the existense of ghosts, but to investigate all possibilities of a "haunting" and draw sound conclusions. Great documentation and some interesting investigations of the "Old West".
Skeptic Sites
Skeptic.com - The Skeptics Society is dedicated "to the promotion of science and critical thinking,and to the investigation of extraordinary claims and revolutionary ideas". You really have to prove your case to these guys!

White Noise Movie Related Sites

Official White Noise Movie Site - Check out all the latest and see clips, trailers and learn more at Universal's website for the upcoming blockbuster movie White Noise. Scare your friends and email them an EVP recording!

Paranormal Radio, TV and Magazines

FATE Magazine - provides a one-of-a-kind reading experience. Published continuously since 1948, FATE is the only publication to consistently supply its loyal readership with a broad array of true accounts of the strange and unknown.
Ghost Magazine - Ghost! Mag caters to researchers, ghost clubs, ghost groups, and those who just want to learn about the technology, and or travel to haunted locations around the world.
Truth Seeker TV: hosted by Jimi Petulla, this is an all new Reality Show that dares to go where other shows fear to tread.

Haunted House and Halloween Sites

Haunted House.com - The best haunted house site on the net. Check out real haunted houses or find an attraction near you!