Pacific Paranormal Research Society

Ghost Hunting 101

EVP PAGE

EVP = Electronic Voice Phenomenon

What is EVP?

Humans generally hear sound waves that are in the 20 to 20,000 hertz cycling range. A typical EVP is a lower frequency, and this cycling frequency is NOT audible to our human ears. Nor does the human voice register that low. We seem to pick up a lot of EVP in the minus 40 to minus 90 hertz range.

Different types of EVP you could receive = Residual (imprints), Ghost, Spirit, Elementals. Residual imprints are the hardest to receive, as residual evidence is completely random in nature. They include things like the playback of different vocals almost like a ghost party, or physical sounds such as water splashing or beds creaking in an old hospital ward. Residual EVP's are extremely obvious to the listener, and do not normally need to be filtered or checked.

One of the more interesting things we've seen in our EVP research is the fact that the "frequency is the thang." In fact, MANY ghosts and spirits will use your own vocal frequency to create theirs. Users of Adobe Audition can actually watch one frequency becoming lower and used by another entity. How they do this, I don't know! But, since ghosts and spirits are mostly energy, then this energy must be able to produce frequency levels that they can manipulate. Apparently, this also includes our own vocal frequency levels.

Listen closely to the following EVP where the female ghost actually pulls my own vocal frequencies to create her final sentence of, "You like looking at me." You can actually hear the frequency being pulled from me in the background as I'm speaking. The frequency first resembles a scraping, scratchy sound, almost as if someone is dragging a chair across a wood floor. That is the actual sound frequency being used by the ghost to form her own vocals so we can hear them. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

"You like looking at me"

Most EVP's are generally a few words and/or a phrase rather than a complete sentence. Some words may be nonsensical, or resemble lyrical or sing-song words. We get these lyrical phrases from ghosts alot, and we don't believe they are always singing on purpose, it is just the way the frequency is picking up their vocals.

Here are the 3 classes of EVP's along with samples:

CLASS A
CLEAR AND UNDERSTOOD BY EVERYONE. LOUD AND CLEAR. DOES NOT NEED TO BE FILTERED OR AMPLIFIED. BASICALLY CLEAR ON WHAT IS BEING SAID.

Sample 1 - "You're trying to talk to me." (suicide victim - confidential apartment complex)

Sample 2- "Hey" (Ghost of John Jacob - Sublimity house)

Sample 3 - "Get my Rifle. Ha Ha Ha" (Unknown female ghost - Sublimity house)

Sample 4 - "Karen looks up to me. What will I do." (Murdered bride - Rutherglen Mansion)

Sample 5- (Banging) "Don't hit the kid" (Ghost - abandoned insane asylum - criminally insane section).

Sample 6 - "Okay, tape again" (Visiting spirit - our own home.)

CLASS B
CLEAR, BUT WORDS/PHRASES CAN BE SOMEWHAT INAUDIBLE. THESE EVP'S MIGHT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO OTHER PEOPLE LISTENING TO THE SAME RECORDING. THEY ARE MUCH LIKE A CLASS A, BUT THE WORDS MAY BE SOMEWHAT WARPED. INCLUDES RESIDUAL EVP'S. THIS IS THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF EVP CAPTURED. YOU WILL NOTE THAT SAMPLE 1 IS EXTREMELY CLEAR, BUT A COUPLE OF PEOPLE HAVE HEARD SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HEARD. SO THESE ARE ALMOST A CLASS A, EXCEPT FOR THAT REASON.

PLEASE NOTE THAT IN SAMPLES 1 AND 6, THE PHRASES ARE POLYGLOTS, OR SING-SONG PHRASES.

Sample 1- "Just passing through the walla-wall" (Child ghost - Sublimity house. Note the sing-song pattern at the end of the phrase).

Sample 2 - "Different Voices" (Mostly residual. Private Residence, Gladstone, Oregon).

Sample 3 - "And, the Doctor's in" (Suicide victim - Doctor who killed himself in the early 1900's. Restaurant, Independence, Oregon).

Sample 4 - "I'm up here" (Ghost - Private Residence, Ridgefield Washington).

Sample 5 - "Yeah you're f*cked, usually I don't need to tell them I'm going." (Angry Ghost - Private Residence, Ridgefield Washington).

Sample 6 - (2 voices both female) First - "7th and 8th" Second - "Not happy yet, brought me to light." (Female Ghosts - Confidential restaurant, Clackamas Oregon. Another sing-song pattern).

CLASS C
FAINT AND HARDER TO UNDERSTAND. THE WORST QUALITY OF VOICE. MAY SOUND MUMBLED, ROBOTIC, SCRATCHY, OR NOTHING BUT ELECTRICAL POPS THAT SEEM TO FORM SYLLABLES. THEY MAY NOT BE IN NORMAL HUMAN SPEAKING RANGE, BUT MANY OF THEM THEY ARE FAINT AND SOME OF THEM MAY SEEM FAR AWAY.

Sample 1 - "The Door" (Child Ghosts whispered reaction upon closet door opening. Yacolt, Washington).

Sample 2 - "Baker....Todd" (Unknown ghost responding to our introduction. Scratchy. Restaurant, NW Portland).

Sample 3 - "Turn it off." (Unknown ghost. Scratchy. Private residence, West Linn, Oregon).

Sample 4 - "Uhhhh, Sofie nice" (Teenage ghost. Clicks & electrical frequency pops. Private Residence, Milwaukie, Oregon).

Sample 5 - "Where'd they come from?" (Unknown. Very electrical. Portland, Oregon).

Sample 6 - Electrical Pops (From our wedding in Las Vegas. If you listen closely, the pops seem to form our names - "martina and todd".

SAMPLE EVP QUESTIONS

We've had good luck with these questions. We try NOT to ask, "Is there anyone here?" We gotten better results taking for granted that they are there!

Who are you?
I can hear you if you speak to me.
Why are you here?
Are you looking for someone?
Do you need help?
Are you just visiting?
What do you want?
How old are you?
Will you speak to me?
Is there anything I can do for you?

Sofware programs useful for EVP

Adobe Audition

Cool Edit Pro (As of 2003, is now Adobe Audition)

Audacity (free)

Acoustica (Demo available - expires in 30 days).

Goldwave (free demo. Will stop working after a period of use).

Final thought....

WHEN TRYING FOR EVP, REMEMBER TO ALWAYS STATE ANY OUTSIDE OR 'FOREIGN' NOISES INCLUDING WHAT YOU ARE DOING! AND NEVER WHISPER! THAT'S THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO!

*Did we just whisper to each other back and forth? Oops, stop!

*Did a group of people just walk by? Say it!

*Was there traffic or a train whistle? Dog barking? Children outside? Someone mowing their lawn? Say what you hear!

*How far off the road are we?

*Did you sit down in a chair that creaked loudly? Yep, I did that!

*Did you just sigh loudly, burp, or fart? Dammit, I better fess up!

You can laugh at some of these, but they WILL sound like EVP if you do not state them! If you do something that makes noise, you have to say aloud what it was, such as, "Martina, opening and closing door."

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Now, get out there and record those little ghosts & spirits!!! :)