Jul 26 2009
What is an EVP
Happy weekend, dark passengers. Since we’ve been taking a look at how paranormal investigators think and work, it’s time we learned a little more about the tools they use to determine paranormal activity. You may already know about EVP detectors, but do you know what an EVP is?
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)
Have you ever been listening to a recording that you would just swear had something going on in the background that shouldn’t have been there? Or maybe you’ve put the television on a channel that was out of service or knocked out by the weather. Perhaps in the midst of all that snow you could actually hear someone saying something.
Or do you imagine it to all be in your mind?
Paranormal investigators use EVP in a number of ways, but there is one tried and true method they seem to rely upon. The most popular way is for the paranormal investigator to turn on a voice recorder (preferably digital) and ask the alleged entity questions, pausing to allow ample time for any spirits or entities to answer. While the investigator cannot hear any answers, they continue on with the questions, assuming they’re receiving answers.
Later, once the investigation has concluded, the paranormal investigators can begin the arduous task of reviewing what may be hours of EVP work. More often than not, nothing’s in the blank space between questions. But sometimes…Ah, sometimes a whisper can be heard. Perhaps the whisper is in response to the question. Other times it may be an ominous warning. As long as there’s something in that silence - even an unnatural kind of static - it can be considered a win for the paranormal investigators.
Of course, it could also just be interference from someone’s cellphone signal.
Or maybe it’s little more than a case of paranormal investigators hearing what they want to hear.
What do you think? Are EVPs real evidence of paranormal phenomena? Or are they a lot of hype? You tell me.
Jen
“Let your dark passenger come out to play…Be your own nemesis!”
Well, Cellphones cant be responsible for all EVP’s since they have been documented since at least the 1920’s. I certainly think residual energy from past lives influence some. Weather these voices come from sentient things, I can’t say.
A few days ago I was talking to my father in my room, when his cellphone started ringing. He looked at the display to see who was on the caller I.D. and his own cellphone number showed up. He says “Wow, that’s weird…” and answers the call. When he does, I can hear the sounds from where he is standing, he’s making a confused face. I ask him what is happening and he hands me the phone. It sounded as if someone was playing a tape player backwards and putting their phone up to a speaker.
I would like an explanation for it, really. If it had been a prank call, how did they do it from my father’s own cellphone number?
The house we live in is very old, I know that much. Maybe it’s haunted.
Andrew - Okay, obviously I wasn’t blaming cell phones for EVP interference for all known EVPs since the beginning of time. I was talking about since paranormal investigators started carrying them during paranormal investigations.
Carrie - If you want it to all be in your head then I’ll leave you be…
But, just in case you hadn’t thought of it, it might not be a spirit, but your own electronic signal interfering with the microwave.
Delila - Haunting could be one explanation, but I’m going to say there are other, more practical causes as well…I just don’t know how plausible they might end up being. The first is that it was a cell phone malfunction of some kind. Technology does weird things sometimes.
The other suggestion is that it’s someone playing a prank on him - sort of a mean prank, but a prank all the same. I know it’s possible to “ghost” phone numbers…I just don’t know how to do it. *shrugs* Got me stumped…Ghost in the machine?