Voices from beyond (EVP work)
Voices From Beyond – EVP Work
– by Kirk S. McWhorter 8-30-2010
Electronic Voice Phenomenon or EVP is an integral part of
paranormal research. There are so many articles and research
papers
written on the subject that this will simply be an overview
for what many of you already know. If not – then we’ll consider
ourselves brilliant to tell you now.
EVP stands for “electronic voice phenomenon”. It is the imprint of
a voice on a recording device that is not experienced at the time
it was recorded, but is only audible upon playback (for a more
detailed explanation of what I think EVP really is, refer to my
article titled “The Way I Hear It” from TAPS Paramag, Volume 2
Number 4 - Dec. 2006, available through
www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com.
As we all know, to conduct an EVP
session one must first have a recording device. These can range
from the inexpensive (for instance an old cassette recorder you
have lying around), to the very expensive (ie. a high end digital
recorder that will produce zero noise floor, CD quality in four
channel surround), and everything in between. When I first
explored EVP I was using a simple digital voice recorder that I
bought at Radio Shack for $40.00. Some of the best EVP’s I’ve ever
captured were caught while using this recorder. I have since moved
on to a more impressive unit…but that in no way diminishes the
validity of the evidence that is in the files of S.P.I.R.I.T.
A few things to put into practice before starting an EVP session
that you should be aware of:
Try to keep your sessions to 15-30
minutes at a time. Simply announce into the recorder that you are
stopping the session, then stop, and restart, remembering to
announce where you are, time, date etc. at the beginning of each
session. That way, you can listen to the evidence in smaller
time increments rather than trying to keep your place (and keep
awake) during a marathon 8 hour recording.
When dealing with a large group – take the time to record
everyone’s voice at the start of the investigation, both in full
voice and whisper. Go around the group one at a time and have
everyone state their name – first in a normal speaking voice then
in a whisper, so that upon analysis of the recordings, if there is
a voice that you’re not sure of, you can refer to the recording to
verify that it is or is not a spirit voice. This has come into
play on many sessions that S.P.I.R.I.T. has conducted and on
several occasions we have had to dismiss what we thought was an
EVP because we discovered that it was one of our team making an
unrelated comment.
However…there have been times when the spirit voice will mimic one
of our members’ voices. This can be very hard to discern. This is
why it is important to know the behaviors of your team. Many times
I have heard what I thought was the voice of one of my team
members only to remind myself that they would never react that
way, or say that, or use that tone of voice during an
investigation. Through this practice I have obtained many
legitimate EVPs that other teams might dismiss.
We always say on an investigation – no matter where you are – that
you should always use you “library voice”. Don’t speak too loud,
but also try not to whisper (not that it ever happens…we always
catch ourselves too late.) This way another team member who may be
doing an EVP session of their own in an adjacent hallway won’t
confuse your voice with what could be a whispered EVP.
Also, make sure to “slate the tape” and keep a running commentary.
That is to say: “Eastern hallway of third floor. With me are, Bob,
John, Ellen and Ruth.”
Then keep a spoken record of everything that happens around you:
“Is there anyone hear?”
~noise outside of a truck going by~ (SAY ON TAPE: “A truck just
drove by”. )
“If anyone is here, please make a noise”
~ you hear a team member whispering~ (SAY ON TAPE: “ Bob was just
whispering in the hallway” )
Again – common sense comes into play. Be aware of your
surroundings, document everything on tape while running the
session, and use
your ears. They’re with you all the time and can pick up things that no recorder can!
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