If you are a ghost hunter or have seen paranormal TV shows such as Ghost Adventures or Help My House is Haunted, you are likely to have heard of Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). EVP is a phenomenon where unexplained voices are captured on recording devices, but are they voices from beyond, or is there a logical explanation?
What Is a EVP?
An EVP is an unexplained sound or voice captured during an investigation on an audio recording device. These voices or noises can range from whispers to loud shouts and can be of any pitch or language. They may even sound non-human! Investigators rarely hear the sounds during a vigil and are usually only picked up on the recording when the audio is analyzed with headphones later.
EVPs can be recorded on various devices, including tape, digital, camcorders, and even the latest smartphones. It is important to note that not all unexplained noises on recordings are EVPs. Some noises can easily be caused by natural phenomena, such as wind or animal sounds, or dismissed as a fault with the device. However, some people genuinely believe that they are communicating with spirits.
What Are EVP Recorders?
EVP recorders are specialized devices that detect and record these mysterious voices. The machines are designed to be sensitive to sound frequencies outside the human hearing range, so the recorder may have picked something up even if the human ear cannot hear the voices in real-time.
The most common type of EVP recorder is a digital recorder. This type of recorder uses digital technology to record and store the audio meaning the audio can be analyzed almost instantly.
EVP expert and former Most Haunted team member Eamonn Vann-Harris told GhostMag his favoured method of recording EVP was using a laptop. In our exclusive interview Vann-Harris noted, “I know they aren’t the best in terms of logistics, but they are much more advanced than most recorders and less likely to suffer from intrusion. Technology is always improving though, and I guess it’s also which recorder a ghost hunter feels best suits them.”
Digital recorders are often used with other recording devices, such as EMF meters or thermal imaging cameras, which detect environmental changes. If a spirit is present and their voice is coming through on an audio recorder, other paranormal activity may also be witnessed.
How to capture Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP)
EVP recordings are usually done in dark and quiet environments. This is because these voices are usually heard in the background and must be isolated from other sounds.
EVPs are usually recorded in short bursts lasting between 10 and 30 seconds. In our experience, it is often best to ask one question of the spirit and leave a gap of silence for the spirit to have time to communicate or speak.
If you use a digital recorder, it is easy to rewind and listen to the audio for any signs of paranormal activity. While it is always good to re-listen to the audio post-event for anything you may have missed, we recommend taking a portable speaker or headphones on the investigation to listen back immediately!
Perhaps the spirit is trying to tell you something or giving answers to your questions, and any responses can help direct the rest of the investigation.
Another excellent way to try and record an EVP is to leave an audio device recording in a particular room or a haunted location while your vigils are taking place. Lock the room, if possible, to rule out any interference from a group member, and review when you get home!
Read more: Check out our expert tips for recording EVPs from EVP specialist and Eamonn Vann-Harris.
How to analyse EVP recordings
There are so many great programs that can be used to analyse audio recordings post investigation. Software such as Audacity or Adobe Audition works well and is used by many ghost hunting professionals.
Medium Chris Fleming, star of tv shows Spooked Scotland, Dead Famous and a regular guest on Ghost Adventures recommended Adobe Audition during an interview with GhostMag. Chris noted, “Adobe Audition is one of the best ones out there. There are some that are free, but you always want to be able to amplify, and filter through the noise levels.”
EVP specialist Eamonn Vann-Harris also recommends using some good speakers that cover a vast frequency range. He noted: “I have a number of different speakers that can sometimes produce EVP that different speakers couldn’t produce due to the frequency range”.
Best EVP Recorders
If you’re interested in recording EVPs, you can use a few different types of voice recorders.
When looking for an EVP recorder, it is essential to look for one sensitive to frequencies outside the human hearing range. This will help ensure that you can capture any potential EVPs. It is also necessary to look for a recorder that has noise-reduction technology to help reduce background noise.
We have collated our list of the best EVP recorders, along with evidence and comment from EVP researchers and experts in the field in our Best EVP Recorder: Top Picks for Ghost Hunters Guide.
If the GhostMag team had to choose one particular voice recorder to recommend, we’d opt for the Philips Voicetracer. The Philips Voicetracer is a tried and tested best-seller, and we believe it is still the best EVP recorder on the market.
We have recorded countless EVPs when using the device, including what we believe to be a spirit whispering ‘no’ into the microphone of a VoiceTracer, in the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham.
EVP Classification
Electronics Voice Phenomena (EVP) are sounds or voices captured on audio recordings which are believed to be from paranormal sources. EVPs can be classified into three main categories: Class A, Class B, and Class C. These classifications reflect the quality, audibility, and possible paranormal origin of the recordings.
Class A EVP
Class A EVPs are the highest quality and most easily understood recordings. They are clear, loud, and distinct, with a high degree of intelligibility. These EVPs often have a strong paranormal context, and can be considered strong evidence of paranormal activity. Due to their clarity, listeners typically agree on the content and meaning of these EVPs, making them a valuable asset in paranormal investigations.
Class B EVP
Class B EVPs are a step below Class A in terms of quality and audio clarity. They are generally softer, less distinct, and might require multiple replays or some audio enhancement to be understood. While Class B EVPs can be considered significant evidence of paranormal phenomena, they are typically more open to interpretation than Class A recordings. Listeners might not always agree on the content or meaning of a Class B EVP.
Class C EVP
Class C EVPs are the weakest and least clear recordings and are often difficult to hear or understand. It can be challenging to determine whether these sounds are even of paranormal origin or merely audio artifacts, background noise, or human-generated sounds. Due to their poor quality and ambiguity, Class C EVPs are commonly deemed unreliable and inconclusive evidence of paranormal activity.
ITC and EVP
ITC stands for Instrumental Transcommunication. This relatively new form of communication uses technological devices to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. It is often used in recording Electronic Voice Phenomena on an investigation.
ITC devices are usually sophisticated computer programs or apps. They have risen in popularity recently due to their use on televised ghost-hunting shows such as Help My House is Haunted.
While there are physical (and expensive!) handheld devices such as the Ovilus or HexCom available, the most accessible type of ITC is mobile apps. Echovox, Paratek, and Necrophobic apps are widely used by investigators, including Barri Ghai from Help My House is Haunted.
These apps generally include a bank of words, phonics, or sounds that a spirit is said to be able to manipulate to deliver a message to the investigator.
Barri, who is the technical expert on the show, claims on his website that Echovox, in particular, produces “incredible results on any investigation.”
Undoubtedly, ITC has become an essential and much-used tool in the paranormal community. However, I remain skeptical of such apps and would always find an EVP on a digital recorder more credible evidence.
Spirit Boxes and EVP
The world of paranormal investigation is full of controversial devices, and the spirit box is another piece of equipment that certainly falls into that category. These devices are said to allow you to communicate with spirits by broadcasting radio waves and allowing the spirits to respond through the speakers.
The most popular type of spirit box is called a “Frank’s box” and uses radio frequency sweeps to allow spirits to communicate. However, there are many other similar devices available.
The Best Spirit Box on the market is the P-SB7 Spirit Box, which is used regularly by experts such as Barri Ghai and Zak Bagans.
The S-BOX runs the SB7 a close second and allows you to record the entire Spirit Box session, while an in-built microphone will also pick up any EVPs!
Using a mixture of ITC, Spirit Box, and recording for Electronic Voice Phenomena on a ghost hunt will cover all bases. If the responses begin to corroborate, it will undoubtedly start to strengthen your evidence!
Is Electronic Voice Phenomena Real?
The existence of EVP is still largely debated. While some believe these voices are from spirits trying to communicate with us, there is still no scientific evidence to support these claims.
That said, it is challenging to ignore some of the extraordinary evidence that has been captured by ghost hunters worldwide. For the GhostMag team, a Grade A EVP should come second only to capturing a full-blown apparition on camera as the holy grail for any ghost hunter!
EVP Frequently Asked Questions
Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) consist of voices or sounds, often interpreted as communication from the deceased, recorded on electronic devices. The science behind this phenomenon is not well-understood, as most research has been unable to replicate these occurrences consistently. Studies that have attempted to explore EVP have yielded inconclusive results, leaving the origins and validity of these events debated among enthusiasts and researchers.
There are several well-known EVP cases, including the Raudive recordings by Dr. Konstantin Raudive. In the 1960s, Raudive captured over 100,000 recordings, some of which were considered responses from deceased individuals.
Yes, some EVP cases have been debunked or explained by natural causes. One such investigation, the “Failure to replicate electronic voice phenomenon” study, found that participants could not consistently identify EVPs in controlled situations, suggesting that the phenomenon may be a product of expectation and noise rather than paranormal activity.
A variety of paranormal equipment can be used to record EVPs, including digital voice recorders, analog tape recorders, and even smartphones with voice recording apps. Some researchers also employ modified radios or white noise generators referred to as “ghost boxes” or “spirit boxes,” which they believe can help facilitate communication with spirits.
There are several possible natural explanations for EVPs, such as radio interference, confirmation bias, and the brain’s natural inclination to find patterns in noise or chaos (pareidolia). While it is difficult to prove or disprove the existence of spirits or paranormal activity, it is essential to consider all plausible explanations before drawing conclusions about the origins of recorded voices or sounds.
