Haunted Missouri Paranormal Studies

Electronic Voice Phenomena is not something with which I have had great success as of yet. Because I am either to discerning about my recordings or I'm no ghost magnet! That's just fine though because I know some people who just may be as close to experts in the field as we get; Haunted Voices. To supplement what my knowledge lacks I have gained permission to post these articles on the topic of EVP's. I hope you enjoy them.

Should Software Be Used?
Written by: Todd Bates

We have all sat back and wondered just how or why voices from the other side would want to talk with us. Is this just some kind of interference or some kind of hoax? No one knows the true answer to these questions but we do know that voices have indeed been recorded. Many researchers have captured voices and we are able to hear them just fine, but there are some spirits that for some reason cannot communicate as clear. I feel that these spirits have a right to be heard and treated just the same as others. This is where the use of sound editing software comes into play.

Now, I do agree with most of the comments made about using software to enhance or clean your recordings, but I feel some are simply missing the big picture. Editing software should only be used if necessary and not as a standard crutch. If you are serious about your research and communicating with spirits from the other side then you must treat all recordings or E.V.P. as equals. There is a classing system for these recordings with A being the best/highest and C being the worst/lowest grade and this is a great system to work with. I have captured a lot of faint voices on my recordings and feel they are just as important as the class A’s that I have received. Like it or not this is communication with the other side even though it can be faint. Using software to enhance this just makes them easier to understand, and who knows, one of these faint voices just may answer a few of our questions if we take the time and effort to listen.

There are many recordings that I have heard that are, to put it lightly, “butchered” due to over correction. It is those recordings that have given the use of enhancement software a bad name. Most of the others choose not to use it in fear of what others may say about their evidence or credibility. I for one use my own thoughts and approaches and I am not in competition with anyone. I am merely seeking answers like everyone else. With the use of software you are able to hear what the human ear normally couldn’t and this, to me, is a breakthrough for us. Unfortunately, the use of software is often abused. For those that don’t take the time to learn how to use it correctly, you are not helping the field of paranormal research, but hurting it. For those that do choose to use the software correctly, thank you for taking the time and effort to make even more communication with the other side possible. 

I have been working with editing software for several years now and I can honestly say that I have never faked or altered any of my recordings. I have only cleaned and enhanced them, as this is what the software should be used for. Let’s take a couple of E.V.P. for example here and compare a few things. First, for those of you that follow the studies of reverse speech this would be for you.

I have captured several E.V.P. noting that a majority of these recordings have what Dr. Jimmy Lowery has coined as “reverse vocal impressions”. Could this be subconscious*? Sure it could, do I believe it is? No, I do not. Lets take for instance one particular E.V.P. that was recorded with a reversal E.V.P. from one of my investigations. The recording was heard with a forward meaning of “Please help me” and in reverse it stated “into the light”. This was to say the least, an eye opener for us and would have not realized this had occurred without the use of editing software.

After realizing what we had stumbled on, we then began to try a few experiments using this theory and placed 3 recorders in one area and conducted a question/answer session. After listening to the recordings we found that on one of the recorders the E.V.P. was in forward speech and on our other recorder the same message was recorded in reverse. This was fascinating to me, while at the same time confusing. One thing it did prove to me though was the possibility that “reverse vocal impression” does occur and is an added bonus phenomenon in E.V.P. research. Second, how many of us have heard a faint voice captured on our cassettes or digital recorders but just can’t seem to make it out? There are so many researchers that will simply toss these aside or simply delete and move on because: 1. They are too lazy to make adjustments needed or, 2. They fear what others will say about them

This is a terrible problem and no one should fear what others are going to think when it comes to research because we simply don’t know, no one does. The only concern you should have is, how are we going to find out if we don’t try everything we can? The simple tool to use for hearing those faint recorders is called amplification and this is not in any way altering the E.V.P. All amplification does is push any vocals recorded to the front. For example, when you hear a good song on the radio but you are in the other room, what do you do? You want to turn that song up don’t you? In my opinion this is similar to enhancing your E.V.P., now are you altering that song when you turn it up? No. You are just making it easier to hear.

So why does everyone fear or dislike using software? I truly cannot answer this question and it brings up more questions than answers, as you can see from above. This is why you use it as a tool and not a crutch (as stated earlier). I personally just think that editing software is getting a bad name in paranormal research for the wrong reasons. I have even come up with a name for it, “Spirit Prejudice”. All spirits should be treated as equals just as we like to be, no matter how faint or brief their messages are to us. To me they are all a puzzle piece and we cannot complete the puzzle without all of the pieces. Some just choose to put together an easier puzzle then others.

In closing, if all of us work together were going to accomplish so much more than we would alone. We should all be trying not to make fun of or badmouth others for their theories and ideas, but respect all of them as if they were our own. This is not a popularity contest or a mad dash for a Pulitzer Prize here, but research, and with research there are ups and downs as well as the good and bad, but lets not make it worse than it already is. There are plenty of people out there that choose to humiliate or ridicule us for what we believe in and do. Why some people make it worse by purposefully causing conflict within the field is beyond me. Are they that insecure with their own beliefs that they have to make fun of others to get the extra step up on the paranormal ladder? I surly hope not. I also hope that we can all finally start to work together as one and perhaps solve this possibly infinite investigation into the paranormal. For as I have said, and will continue to say, it is only through sharing that we will learn and get anywhere.

*Some people believe that E.V.P.’s are actually a form of the person recording sending out telekinetic messages that get recorded. This however does not explain the change in voice from male to female (and visa versa), foretelling of events to come, direct answers to questions there is no way anyone present during the recording could know, as well as several other facts that have been recorded.
 
Copyright © 2005 by Haunted Voices. All Rights Reserved.

 reprinted with permission from Todd Bates of Haunted Voices. Haunted Missouri Paranormal studies thanks you, your wife, Kris and all of your fine staff for the support and help!

EVP Protocols by Jeremy Pippin



There are a few rules that EVP and paranormal researchers should follow when attempting to record disembodied voices. Most of us make the mistake of not following some of these common sense rules and end up making chaos out of a fairly simple process. Remember, every little noise can sound like an EVP. You could be walking on a creaking floor and swear that you hear, "Help Me." Or be using a low bias tape and hear things that aren’t there because of the hiss that low quality tapes put off. If you follow these protocols and practice the following rules on a regular basis there should be no need to mistake a false positive for an EVP.

Always do things that work best for your group. This article is just a suggestion to all investigators to help better their chances for capturing EVP’s and to weed out the false evidence that we sometimes mistake as one.

The first and foremost rule I'm going to talk about is the importance of respect. Always respect the spirits. Never demand them to speak, as this could get you into trouble. Always ask for their permission and thank them when you are done. Look at it like this, if someone where to walk up to you with a voice recorder and demand that you talk into it, what would you do? You would more than likely turn and walk away. You should treat spirits as you would want to be treated; they were once a living, breathing human being and deserve just as much respect as anyone else.

Another tip is to always say good-bye and reschedule a visit with them (be sure to let the recorder keep going for a short time after saying goodbye as many spirits will say goodbye back). If they think that you are interested in what they have to say, they may show back up to speak with you again.

The second rule is that during a recording if you feel you have to say something always say it out loud, don't whisper. Your voice or a team member’s may sound like an EVP. Also, make notes of any noises that could come across on the recording. Always state the time, date, weather conditions, solar activity (if known) or any other info that may be useful when looking for patterns or certain times when spirits are more active.

If you are using the stationary method note what surface the recorder is being placed on. When doing the Q&A method either designates a single person to ask the questions or take turns, making sure you leave between 15-30 seconds after each question. An EVP may be lost if another investigators questions are asked to quick, or by more than one team member. Also remember not to ask over 10-12 questions at a time because a spirit's energy--
drains fast and your extra questions will most likely not be answered.

 A good hint is for everyone to say his or her name at the beginning of the recording. This will help identify team member’s voices if they get recorded onto the tape accidentally, so it won’t be mistaken for a false positive EVP.

This next rule is also of high importance. Keep your recording down to a minimum of 3-5 minutes for Q&A and 20-30 minutes for stationary. When you playback the recordings you must listen to every second of it.

Sometimes it’s worth going back and doing it twice. If you recorded for too long it can play with your mind and you may start hearing things that aren’t there, otherwise known as matrix-ing. This is besides the fact that you will have tons of material to go through.

Make sure that everyone can agree on what is being said. A lot the times two investigators hear different things. One may hear "Come In" while the other hears "Let Me In." If you record EVP’s for long enough you will develop and ear for EVP’s and can pick them out from background noise or other disturbances. Please take note that only Class A EVP’s have phrases that are agreed on by anyone who hears them.

When going over your recordings try not to tell another what you heard before they listen. Instead, try the tip of each person writing down what they hear. Compare notes after each section has been gone through to decrease confusion on who heard what and when.

An external mic is a must for recording with cassette recorders. An Omni directional microphone is the best choice as it collects sound from a broader range than a Uni directional microphone does. It can greatly reduce motor noise from the device. Place the mic as far away from the recorder as you can and it may even help to sprinkle baby powder around your devices to prevent someone from tampering with it.

For digital recorders always use the highest quality settings. Most will have a conference function on them, which let's you record at a higher volume and can pick up more activity than using a lower setting. There is no need to use an external mic with digitals (this is not to say that you can’t however). The internal mic will do just fine because the digital produces less noise than a cassette.

Something else to try would be to put your cassette recorder in a box and run the mic out of it. That way if the cord is short on the external mic it will block out some of the noise and not interfere with other recorders being used at the same time.

Along with external Omni directional mic being a must have for cassette recorders, I would also have to say that using High Bias tapes is another. Low Bias tapes can technically be used for recording, but they leave a lot of background noise and interference. I find it best to use the High Bias because of their almost CD quality sound. When using any cassettes you can prevent a lot of questions later if you use a new tape only 
once and only record on Side A. Never go to side B or record over anything that has been previously recorded. The reason for this is again to decrease the odds of false positives. Bleed through can occur if a tape is used more than once and recorded on both sides.

The last rule is in regard to audio editing software. For those of us that use it we know it can be either very helpful or frustrating. It is important not to add a bunch of effects to your recordings. I would recommend only using the ones that involve cleaning the tape.

 There is no need for using the flanger, echo, reverb, or delay. They are not intended for cleaning or enhancing EVP’s. Using these, along with using too much noise reduction, can ruin a great EVP. Never use a USB cable to transfer recordings to your computer. If possible send them directly into the sound card using a patch cord. Using a USB cable will result in a loss of sound quality and can create noise that wasn’t in the recording before.

Listening to every EVP in reverse is also a great idea. You will find that by doing this a lot of them can have a whole new meaning, sometimes two. Like I said above, these are just a few steps that you can take to keep those EVP’s coming and cut down on false positives.

If you practice using these protocols you are sure to get more and better results. There is nothing worse than releasing false evidence to the public. Also, try sharing your findings with others. We all need to work together. It seems like the more paranormal research expands, the further it grows apart. Help out your fellow investigator and share your evidence. If we work together we can accomplish anything.
Written by: Jeremy Pippin, Founder of Haunted Communications
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Electronic Voice Phenomena
Otherwise known as E.V.P.
Written by: Todd M. Bates



The mystery of Electronic Voice Phenomena has been around for many years. There are quite a few paranormal investigators out there that refuse to work with the phenomena due to its complications. I personally feel that it is very much worth the extra effort.

E.V.P. is a great communication tool for the other side and the phenomena itself can answer some of the questions that we have all asked ourselves over the years. Simply put, it just makes sense to experiment with E.V.P. during your investigations. It is not at all difficult to capture these voices from the other side. It also takes very little knowledge and equipment to do so. There are to many investigators out there who are (or feel) intimidated by this phenomenon. Many do not take the time to research or educate themselves or their group(s) on the subject. This is one reason why I choose to volunteer my time and services to anyone who wants to learn about this field. I will not go into that right now because this isn’t an article about ME but for YOU, the investigator, to perhaps learn from and use for your future investigations. I will try and touch on a brief history, some current theories about this topic, a few tips to help you on your way and still throw my own two cents in.

Thomas Edison was the first to look into electronic voice phenomena in the early 1920’s. After his mother had been sick for some time (and was on death’s door) he decided to try and find a way to communicate with her after she passed. Shortly after he started work his mother did pass on, leaving Thomas with a more urgent need to find a way to communicate with her. After the planning phase, he began construction on a device with his assistant Dr. Miller Hutchison, which was later to be called the TEC (Thomas Edison Communicator). Edison didn’t get to complete his work before his own death in 1931. But since that time it has been completed by others using his notes and is being experimented with today. This device is basically like a giant microphone for the dead. It seems to be able to pick out their voices from the air. Very little is known about how this device actually works. Such groups as the International Ghost Hunters Society have been able to use it though and claim to have good results. These may be available to the market soon but I am sure they will not come cheap. One could only hope that Mr. Edison is very proud that his invention was finally completed. Even though it is to bad that he wasn’t able to use it to communicate with his mother as he had intended.

Perhaps my favorite E.V.P. mentor was the now deceased Swedish film producer, Friedrich Juergenson. He captured the phenomena without even knowing it while trying to record bird songs. This was an accident that changed the paranormal arena forever. When Juergenson played the birds songs back he discovered that he had recorded voices from the other side. Phrases such as, “bird voices in the night” and even his own mother (who was then already deceased) contacted him by saying, “Friedrich, you are being watched”, “Friedel, my little Friedel. Can you hear me?” This of course amazed as well as relieved Juergenson. He then began a recording frenzy to try and get in touch with his mother and all other spirits. He died in 1964, but not before he had contacted and confirmed life after death. He was given the title posthumously of, “The Father of E.V.P.”

I am sure you are asking yourself, “Ok, so what is E.V.P.?” Well I really wish the answer were so simple and easy to explain. Of course, then it wouldn’t be called the “unknown”. Let me first tell you that there are quite a few theories on how the phenomenon actually occurs. Some believe that the spirit itself simply walks up to the microphone or recording device and “speaks” into it. I personally find this very hard to believe. How could a spirit that is made of pure energy (as far as we know) simply speak without vocal cords? The theory that I tend to go with is that the spirit somehow imprints its “magnetic image” onto the recording device. Now there are some that believe that a “residual” effect that takes place when some of the energy that is stored in the area of the known haunting is released. This is very possible and I feel that such objects like limestone can hold this kind of energy for long periods of time. I also think that if you are at the right place at the right time you may just capture some voices of the past. The Catacombs located in Paris, France are a great example of how this may occur. There are thousands of corpses located beneath the Paris streets and they are far from being at rest. This energy could very well be stored in the actual catacombs walls (made of limestone) themselves. Residual energy, by the way, is spirit energy that is constantly replaying itself over time and not an interactive ghost. Another popular theory is the spirit will speak to us using telepathy or use our own voice and resources to break the communication barrier from their world to ours. After you have experimented with electronic voice phenomena and gained more knowledge and experience with it, then perhaps you can come up with your own opinions on the matter. The key is to not be afraid or intimidated by them but to respect and learn from them.

Secondly, E.V.P. can be captured in a few different ways. There is no right or wrong way to do it. Numerous groups and investigators claim that their way is the best, or the only way, to capture E.V.P. I have found that this is completely incorrect though. If there were an “expert” in this field then we could all put our equipment away because it would no longer be considered the unknown. No one knows all of the answers and those that claim they do need to find another line of work, or take this one more seriously. You can use a standard cassette or digital recording device, but in my opinion, it is hard to compare with the ancient and bulky Reel-to-Reel recorder. This recorder is what started it all and it has its good and bad points. I don’t want to get too technical here, so if you would like to read more about the Reel-to-Reel recorder you can do a simple search for it on the Internet. When I go on investigations I choose to use both the cassette and digital recorder, as I feel they both back each other up. I will caution that you should be sure to use an external microphone with your cassette recorder though. Not to help hear the spirit better, but to reduce the possibility of wheel noise generated by the recorders internal parts. I personally do not use a microphone with my digital recorder because I feel that the internal mechanisms are not loud enough to disrupt the recording. You may feel differently and choose to use one if you wish. I have received numerous questions asking what kind of tapes I buy for my cassette recorder. Well the answer is, try them all. If you plan on or know how to use audio editing software then this really doesn’t matter. Some feel that the metal content in the tape helps and it is very possible that it may, but for those of us on a strict budget this could get quite costly. I have heard some outstanding E.V.P. captured on “Dollar Store” brand cassette tapes, so that was proof enough for me. Sure you have the background hiss with these tapes but this can be reduced and cleaned with software (if used).
In closing, if you use some common sense and some general knowledge of electronic voice phenomena then you should have no problem capturing your own E.V.P. I do hope this helps some of you out there and I cannot stress enough for all of you to give it a try. You just might be surprised at what you record.

If any of you would like more information or have questions please feel free to contact me via email at: hauntedvoices@mchsi.com . Or visit my website at www.hauntedvoices.com where lessons and more information are available to you.

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