What are Your opinions on EVP?

[Dave67]

I was listening to an EVP website that had recordings taken at Cemeteries,Haunted Houses and other places. Some of those were very spooky,some weren't convincing at all.

[RollingThunder06]

I think each to be judged individually. There are to many to dismiss the idea that EVP's don't exist. The ones that spook me are children and the whispering voices.

[Dave67]

I think each to be judged individually. There are to many to dismiss the idea that EVP's don't exist. The ones that spook me are children and the whispering voices.

Those spook Me out as well! The spookiest one that I heard was just ghostly moaning.

[fangs]

I've heard some very convincing evp's. I even tried it myself and came up with some wierd sounds.

[Wookie McFly]

Yeah, EVPs are pretty convincing some times... As had been already said, they need to be reviewed on a case by case basis...

-Wookie

[jagerthorn]

EVPs are extrondinary. 'Tis interesting what technology can do...scary when you actually think about it.

[NoahJaymes]

Take each EVP with a grain of salt. The way I look at it, Is, If I wasnt there, I will review it, but not necessarily believe it. Too many factors play into the role of EVP. I mean hell, look at all these people supposedly manipulating photos. Im not saying there arent quality EVPS out there, but to be honest, If I was someone else, some of the EVPS I caught, I would be like um, ok whatever. Just because I wasnt there when the EVP was taken.

[Hazzard]

I agree with NoahJaymes on this, EVPs are most likely created by interference from nearby items that emit noise on low-level frequencies, such as CB radios or through cross modulation. Now that the phenomenon has a number of devoted followers some hoaxers have probably entered the fray.

Additionally, some of the "voices" people believe have been caught on tape are likely fueled by human natures propensity to try to make sense out of random patterns, called pareidolia, in this case, noise.

The face on Mars, hearing messages on records played in reverse and Electronic Voice Phenomena are examples of pareidolia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

Edited October 12, 2006 by hazzard

[Bogeyman]

I went through a phase a couple of years back when i became totally fascinated by EVP's .I looked at everything i could read and find on the subject.Obviously there are hoaxes but if you research the very beginnings of this and the people involved you will soon come to the conclusion that they are very very real.

There some good (Free) books on the subject and also very good research material here.

www.worlditc.org

There have been some really fascinating examples of this and also experiments carried out under stringent conditions ...including picking them up in Faraday cages where any outside influences can be ruled out.

One of the most fascinating cases is the one in the 60's (i think) where two priests were recording chants in the Vatican using an old wire recorder and one of the priests fathers was picked up on the recording - using the Priests childhood nickname.he asked

"is that you papa ?" and again the same voice was recorded saying"but of course it's me dont you know me ?".They brought this to the Pope who told them it was okay to accept it as genuine communication from his father......Anyhoo i digress...That site is a perfect starting point for anyone interested in the subject.

[Bogeyman]

examples of pareidolia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

I'm gonna look this up in the dictionary and there will be a picture of you beside the explanation.....It's your reason for everything

You're 100% wrong this time though and if you really cared to do the research you'd see this....but as usual you wont because it would mean having to drop the sceptical cloak for once.

[upperroom]

Does anyone have any links to any good EVP's sites, or links to what they feel are good EVP's that ahve been caught?

[Hazzard]

I went through a phase a couple of years back when i became totally fascinated by EVP's .

Based on your second post Id say that you still are "totally fascinated by EVP's", I mean to say that Im 100% wrong about the interference, pareidolia or cross modulation connection is quite a bold statement, dont you think.

Edited October 12, 2006 by hazzard

[jonb]

as well as interference causing noise on the recording, a lot of low quality sound recorders like dictaphones will have pretty a awful signal to noise ratio so when you listen to recorded silence it will be mostly audio noise. even worse are the digital recorders which seem to distort the noise and make a horrid sound which when it picks up a slight noise it distorts to a weird mushy noise which gives it character that some might consider a voice..

a lot of evps ive heard sound to me like slight movements creating sound and being distorted, especially the ones where people are asking questions first.

ive heard some of those older evp where the guy supposedly channels Gandhi, but i dont know what to make of that.. clever hoaxes perhaps

[coldethyl]

I would only believe in an EVP if it's a 2 way conversation.

[NoahJaymes]

I agree with Jonb. When doing a recording, you would have to basically remain still, leave the recorder untouched on a hard surface. Then ask questions without touching anything, or moving. Only then, if you happen to pick up anything, is it reviewable. Not saying anything else ISNT reviewable, everything is, but hard to debunk moreless.

Voice Recorders are very very sensitive. They pick up the slightest noise that most wouldnt hear, hence picking up voices of the dead so to speak. So when a cricket farts, you have a sound you cant seem to make out. Basically when I do EVP, I do not collect random noises as data. I only collect voices, is this wrong? Perhaps, but any bump, brush or tap can seem paranormal on a recorder.

[Hazzard]

as well as interference causing noise on the recording, a lot of low quality sound recorders like dictaphones will have pretty a awful signal to noise ratio so when you listen to recorded silence it will be mostly audio noise. even worse are the digital recorders which seem to distort the noise and make a horrid sound which when it picks up a slight noise it distorts to a weird mushy noise which gives it character that some might consider a voice..

Exactly.

This background noise is recorded, and replayed. If something "interesting" is heard, the sound sample is isolated, filtered, enhanced, and otherwise changed as much as necessary in order to make the "interesting" sounds into something vaguely intelligible. And when I say vaguely, boy do I mean it!

Edited October 12, 2006 by hazzard

[Bogeyman]

Based on your second post Id say that you still are "totally fascinated by EVP's", I mean to say that Im 100% wrong about the interference, pareidolia or cross modulation connection is quite a bold statement, dont you think.

Yes i am i spose ,and where i might concede ground on other issues on EVP i wont.

Yes there are hoaxes ,Yes there are inaudible excuses for EVP ,Yes some of it is background pick up...........BUT EVP is a very real phenomena .Now where do the voices come from ? That is the question .....is it heaven,limbo ,hell ? I dont know .What i do know is that genuine researchers pick up voices which answer direct questions and some serious researchers who never made a penny from it have received extraordinary results.

People like The Fischbachs of Luxembourg.

Marcello Bacci the Italian who still comforts grieving people to this day ...look his work up.

Sarah Estep who's written several books on the subject.

Friedrich Jurgenson a Swedish documentary producer who accidentaly stumbled onto the phenomenen while recording bird song ...he heard his mothers voice talking to him on playback ...he went on to become one of the worlds foremost researchers ....even though he could have made more money and had an easier more famous life by sticking to producing.

Sonia Rinaldi ..The Brazilian who got physicists,Scientists and Engineers involved in her work ...and whose credentials have never been doubted

I could go on and on......google any of these names to begin with and start the research...it's fascinating

[Hazzard]

Im not convinced, pareidolia and cross modulation seems like the most logical explanation.

Another possible explanation is that people may have used old tapes, knowingly or not, for EVP sessions, and that the voices they hear come from previous recording "bleeding through".

To bad that Meek and ONeil, Spiricom, who promised direct two-way communication with the dead, shocker, never made it. How cool would it be to call up my dead grandmother, but then again, this is exactly what keeps this idea of EVP alive. The -What if.....

Edited October 12, 2006 by hazzard

[Bogeyman]

Im not convinced, pareidolia and cross modulation seems like the most logical explanation.

Another possible explanation is that people may have used old tapes for EVP sessions, and that the voices they hear come from previous recording "bleeding through".

To bad that Meek and O’Neil ‘Spiricom’ who promised direct two-way communication with the dead, shocker, never made it. How cool would it be to call up my dead grandmother, but then again, this is exactly what keep this idea, EVP, alive. -What if.....

Well Haz you're just proving my point arent you ...you say that pareidolia and cross modulation are the most likely explanation.....do you think that everyone else are fools and they dont try to eliminate these occurrences ?

I have given you names to research ...Including those who have been investigated by scientists,Engineers and Physicists .....and what do you say.....Nahhh i dont think so !

If i cant get you to do the research well then theres no point in continuing the debate is there ?

I can prove that the research and methods are sound and you just draw down the sceptical cloak and say nahh ....so be it .....

[Hazzard]

Well Haz you're just proving my point arent you ...you say that pareidolia and cross modulation are the most likely explanation.....

More likely than the dead talking to us on a tape recorder, yes.

do you think that everyone else are fools and they dont try to eliminate these occurrences ?

No I dont.

I have given you names to research ...Including those who have been investigated by scientists,Engineers and Physicists .....and what do you say.....Nahhh i dont think so !

I have known and read alot about this guy Friedrich Jurgenson back in the good ol days. Everything, if not all the explanations I gave are more realistic than "the dead" calling us.

If i cant get you to do the research well then theres no point in continuing the debate is there ?

Believe you me, and Iv said this before, I used to believe in EVERYTHING paranormal, and then some. As far as continuing the debate, I sure wont do it with out you.

I can prove that the research and methods are sound ....

I wish you could prove that this is real science and not just science fiction, I would gladly travel, the hundred kilometers or so, to Stockholm to congratulate you to the Nobel prize.

Best of luck.

Edited October 12, 2006 by hazzard

[Bogeyman]

More likely than the dead talking to us on a tape recorder, yes.

No I dont.

I have known and read alot about this guy Friedrich Jurgenson back in the good ol days. Everything, if not all the explanations I gave are more realistic than "the dead" calling us.

Believe you me, and Iv said this before, I used to believe in EVERYTHING paranormal, and then some. As far as continuing the debate, I sure wont do it with out you.

I wish you could prove that this is real science and not just science fiction, I would gladly travel, the hundred kilometers or so, to Stockholm to congratulate you to the Nobel prize.

Best of luck.

Well i'm sorry you brush it aside so lightly......For everyone else i can reassure you that This has been investigated by some of the best brains available to the researchers.

Trials have been done in Faraday cages

New Tapes are always used by serious researchers.

You've been told the sound is isolated, filtered and enhanced to make it sound as interesting as possible ...again not true in the case of serious researchers...i mean whats the point of that ?

Those that doubt this is real are mistaken.....and the ultimate test of EVP

Try it yourself ......If theres nothing to it what have you got to lose

[Hazzard]

This has been investigated by some of the best brains available to the researchers.

Any names with that, a link perhaps..?

[Bogeyman]

Any names with that, a link perhaps..?

Go here and look up the researchers work - on the left hand side

http://www.worlditc.org/h_sub.htm

Check out the work of Sonia Rinaldi ,Marcello Bacci and Konstantin Raudive ....Check the tests that were done on Jurgensons work

Heres a Laboratory that specialises in testing phenomena such as this ...It's in Italian but they've got an English section

http://www.laboratorio.too.it

Edited October 13, 2006 by Bogeyman

[Wookie McFly]

Well-

I've always been on the fence with EVP. Like Noah said, if I'm there, then I'm much more likely to believe. I think, as with most things in this field, that there are a lot of fakes or random things which are perceived as truth or something (pareidolia).

However, to rule the phenom. out completely... It's just too strong a viewpoint for me personally. Mostly because I have heard some extremely good EVPs in my life.

As always, the middle road is the safest in terms of paranormal research. Is everything paranormal? Not by any means. Is it likely that some of it is paranormal? Possibly.

-Wookie

[Jsilvestro]

I was listening to an EVP website that had recordings taken at Cemeteries,Haunted Houses and other places. Some of those were very spooky,some weren't convincing at all.

I was not a big fan of them until I had a real experiance with it. We stayed at the Myrtles Plantation last month the room next to ours had a lot of activity in it the couple that stayed in it actually came to our room in the middle of the night and asked if they could sleep on the floor in our room because they were so afraid of the room. We caught a few things on the recordings that we took in that room with them that really made me a believer.