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by Ian · Published July 28, 2008 · Last modified December 30, 2018
by Ian · Published September 12, 2008 · Last modified November 19, 2018
by Ian · Published August 14, 2008 · Last modified October 30, 2018
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I’ve heard some interesting
I’ve heard some interesting results from EVP, but I’m not convinced as to what it is. Most of the supposed "ghost voices" are of such a poor quality that it’s very easy to simply hear whatever you want to in there. I’m sitting firmly on the fence, but I could well see how EVP could be the orbs of the audio world – technology producing a strange glitch that’s then interpreted as being paranormal.
Is it possible to pick up
Is it possible to pick up EVP on digital technology? I’ve only ever seen/ read about it on cassette tape recorders.
wombat wrote:Is it
[quote=wombat]Is it possible to pick up EVP on digital technology? I’ve only ever seen/ read about it on cassette tape recorders.[/quote]
Absolutely! The essence of EVP is that it is a recorded ‘voice’ that was not heard at the time. Any sound recording device, including video cameras, will do. Some people even conduct ‘conversations’ with their tape recorders, leaving silent gaps for the ‘answers’. If you’re wondering why I’m putting things in quotes, it’s because certain sounds can appear like voices due to the way the human brain works. For some demos of this idea, try http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Analyzing%20EVP.html which goes into full detail.
EVP was researched extensively in the 1970s and 80s but then fell out of favour until the film ‘White Noise’ came out. It is now, however, a favourite feature of ‘ghost hunting’ expeditions.
Back when I was a child my
Back when I was a child my parents had an argument about EVP. My father wanted to try recording them "for laughs" but my mother strictly forbade him " to try out that thing in our home". Same thing when a few years later he heard about that man who recorded video messages of the famous deceased (Albert Einstein, Edith Piaf etc) on his television set. I have often wondered why my father couldn’t pick less controversial hobbies.
To get back to the subject at hand I remember one member posting a most interesting message about what goes on the airwaves (Secret Service sending code messages to its agents etc). Problem is I do not remember who he was. There’s also the issue of soundwaves behaving bizzarely and traveling much further afield than they are supposed under some particular circustances. Hearing a distorted radio broadcast from, let’s say, Poland in Peterborough can be pretty damn weird.
“I have often wondered why
"I have often wondered why my father couldn’t pick less controversial hobbies."
lol – very funny.
mystery shopper- the demos were great, thanks! I’ve seen bits and pieces of people trying to tape EVP but never could tell what sorts of devices were being used, hence my question. I tend to ask lots of questions – hope I don’t get to be too annoying.
My problem with EVP is that
My problem with EVP is that I have only met two people who were really interested in it and keen to experiment with it. After meetin them I fear they were both clinically insane. This may have no baring on EVP, but whenever someone mentions it to me I run for the exit….just in case .
EVP is a very romantic
EVP is a very romantic notion – the use of relatively simple technology to transcend the material and communicate with the dead – but I think it’s one hell of a leap to assume whatever is being picked up by this equipment is from the "other side" as it were. If this is a genuine means of communication, why isn’t old aunt Elsa popping over from the other side to play havoc with the Archers every day?
Surely it’s a statistical certainty that if you record for long enough you’ll get a sound that can be interpreted as a human voice, and that this is the likely cause of much (if not all) EVP?
Curiously, if you look at a
Curiously, if you look at a large sample of the supposed communications through EVP (just trawl through a few websites) you notice some odd things: the messages are typically short, cryptic are rarely relate to ‘survival’ issues. or any questions asked (except by stretching logic). It’s just not the sort of stuff you imagine the ‘departed’ would waste their time on.
Matt – perhaps Aunt Elsa
Matt – perhaps Aunt Elsa doesn’t want to pop back every day? Assuming that EVP is real, presumably the participants are those who want to participate, rather like joining a bridge club.
Hi Wombat,Presuming there’s
Hi Wombat,
Presuming there’s a spirit world, then it seems fair to assume that there’ll be plenty of spirits wanting to send messages back to the living. So what makes someone standing in a haunted house with a dictaphone any more likely to pick up EVP than someone listening to Radio 1 at home?