White Paper on Electronic Voice Phenomena

White Paper on Electronic Voice Phenomena
AA-EVP

A note about Wikipedia

The Wikipedia entry for EVP changes as passing editors contribute corrections and different points of view. It frequently has many errors and has contained terminology designed to cast doubt on the subject, rather than to simply inform. Versions of the article with these errors have been copied onto other websites, which perpetuates the spreading of misinformation.

In an effort to counter this problem, we offered an early version of the following white paper as a draft from which editors could build a more complete article that included the theories explaining EVP without overly characterizing them pro or con, since each theory has some truth. We found most of the Wikipedia editors were not interested. More than a year later, the article is still unstable and knowledgable editors have been driven away.

Concerns with Wikipedia
The policy of Wikipedia is to exclude subject matter experts from editing articles in their field, and as such, our attempts to contribute to the EVP article have been answered with libelous accusations and insults. The best explanation for this "poisoned atmosphere" appears to be that the rules in Wikipedia favor majority groups of editors and the skeptical community, characterized by an ideological need to resist new thought, have control. This is true for nearly all of what we refer to as "frontier subjects." This applies to all subjects associated Etheric Studies and subjects that are simply not part of mainstream culture ... yet.

Wikipedia has become first choice in Internet searchers for just about any subject. This means that people determined to discredit virtually all paranormal subjects and the people who study them have a very important platform to push their opinion. If you have children who might use the Internet for homework, be aware that they will probably get their education from Wikipedia first.

Concerns with Wikipedia, was written to explain why this it is important to everyone involved with frontier subjects to work for balance in Wikipedia articles. It offers suggestions for moderating Wikipedia's negative influence.

You are encouraged to put this logo on your website. The more links from other websites to Concerns with Wikipedia, the better chance there is that the public education article will be read.

Overview

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) are voices detected in electronic devices that cannot currently be explained with known physical principles. The voices typically constitute short utterances of just a few words, often in direct response to questions or comments about occurrences in the environment. Reports of these voices have involved virtually every known technology that is capable of supporting human voice. EVP are typically recorded using audio-recording devices or audio-recording computer software. In their basic form, EVP are not heard at the time they are recorded, but only on playback of the recording.

As the field is evolving, real-time, two-way conversations are being reported. The introduction of speech synthesis has also introduced a new direction of study. (See note about other forms of ITC below.)

EVP is a well-established fact; however, the source of the voices, how they are formed and why, remains an important question that requires considerable research. As will be explained in Characteristics of EVP and Theories, the theory most commonly used to explain the voices is the Survival Hypothesis; (See article) however, two alternative explanations that remain viable in the face of research results are that the voices are initiated by the etheric (nonphysical) (See article) self of the EVP experimenter or that one aspect of a living person is a biologically evolved awareness that survives physical death as a residue of energy which is able to be detected by electronic instruments. This last theory is commonly referred to as the Quantum-Holographic Hypothesis.

Speculation about EVP can be traced back to the 1920s. In a Scientific American28 interview, Thomas Edison was quizzed on his views regarding contacting the dead. Edison said that it might be "possible to construct an apparatus which will be so delicate that if there are personalities in another existence or sphere who wish to get in touch with us in this existence or sphere, this apparatus will at least give them a better opportunity to express themselves than the tilting tables and raps and Ouija boards and mediums and the other crude methods now purported to be the only means of communication." There is no indication that Edison designed or tried to construct such a device.

From the National Park Service website for the Edison National Historic Site:

Did Edison make a machine that could talk to the dead?

This seems to be another tall tale that Edison pulled on a reporter. In 1920 Edison told the reporter, B.F. Forbes, that he was working on a machine that could make contact with the spirits of the dead. Newspapers all over the world picked up this story. After a few years, Edison admitted that he had made the whole thing up. Today at Edison National Historic Site, we take care of over five million pages of documents. None of them mention such an experiment.29

In 1936, Attila von Szalay, A Californian, started capturing paranormal voices on phonograph records and then in the mid 1950s he was joined by Raymond Bayless. Together they acquired many evidential EVP on their new tape recorders and they published their findings in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research.30

In 1959, the person credited with bringing EVP to the public, Friedrich Jürgenson, a Russian born Swedish film producer, after recording birdsong on his tape recorder, heard on playback what appeared to be a human voice. Subsequent recordings contained a message which seemed to be coming from his dead mother.31

Konstantin Raudive is credited for learning about EVP as a student of Jürgenson and with the actual introduction of EVP to the English speaking world by Colin Smythe32 with the publication of Breakthrough.

Colin Smyth is credited with coining the term, "Electronic Voice Phenomena" (EVP) as a more inclusive alternative to “Raudive Voices,” as the voices recorded by Raudive were referred to.33

Types of EVP

Transform EVP: Traditionally EVP formation has involved the transformation of available audio-frequency energy into voice, which is thought to occur in the electronic equipment. The resulting signal is seen as a simulation of human voice which may very closely mimic the physical voice of the person thought to be speaking. This includes nuances of voice, such as accent, age, sex and attitude. Analysis of the resulting voice usually shows novel arrangement of formants (frequency grouping by octave of the voice box frequency developed during passage through the mouth35) and fragmented voice box frequencies (Formant 0).13 Transform EVP was traditionally accomplished by using radio static (a readily available source of sound in the early days of EVP study) as background sound. Current Best Practices involve the use of unmodulated noise, such as supplied by a fan, but most EVP are recorded today using a digital voice recorder, and the device tends to provide ample noise for voice formation during normal operation.

Opportunistic EVP: This technology is usually accomplished by sweeping a radio dial and recording the resulting sound stream composed of short segments of radio programming. This source for voice formation is referred to as a "live voice" technique. The concept is that the fragments of programming provide the necessary sounds to form the desired message. In its purest form, this technique produces a staccato audio stream that is said to include recognizable utterances that correctly respond to questions. Since the technique requires a recording stage, the audio stream is often found to be transformed into voice via the transform method.

A second form of opportunistic EVP formation is represented by EVPMaker.36 The computer program fragments a live voice file, and based on a random process, selects the fragments to form a new sound stream. This is liek tearing up a letter, putting the pieces in a basket, shaking up the basket and then blindly picking pieces out to form a new letter. In this form, the utterance is thought to be formed by the selection of opportunistically available sound fragments.

Environmentally Stimulated EVP: A recent effort to improve the quantity and quality of EVP formation has been introduced by Digital Dowsing with a device called the Paranormal Puck.37 This device uses detected changes in the electrical environment to stimulate a speech synthesizer.

Characteristics of EVP

The following list is extracted from the book, There is No Death and There are No Dead, 3 with additions based on more current work.

The following list of characteristics will provide a sense of how EVP sounds and the nature of the phenomenal voices.

Transform EVP

The first group of characteristics are specifically for transform EVP, which are thought to be formed by the transformation of audio frequency energy into a simulated voice.13

EVP are Distinctive: EVP have a distinctive character of cadence, pitch, frequency, volume and use of background sound. The voices have a distinctive sound to them that is difficult to describe. For instance, EVP messages often have an unusual speed of enunciation; the words seem to be spoken more quickly than normal human speech. Regarding this peculiarity, Konstantinos2 wrote, “The best way I can describe it is that it’s almost as if each word is spoken quickly, yet the pauses between the words are of a natural length. The combination of these two speed factors makes for the peculiar rhythm and perceived speed.” You may also notice that the paranormal voices often have a hollow and/or monotone quality.

Frequency Range: EVP are sometimes received at higher or lower time base than normal speech. The enunciation of words is not just faster, but the frequency range of the phrases is sometimes higher than normal human speech.

Missing Frequencies: Italian researcher, Paolo Presi,4 has reported that spectral analysis of EVP samples has shown that the fundamental frequencies of voice associated with the human voice box are sometimes missing in EVP. He describes the typical EVP as a “thickening” of the background noise to form the voice.

Precursor Sounds: Sounds are often heard prior to an occurrence of EVP. Although these vary in nature, they tend to be within tenths of a second of a phrase and are a “popping” or “clicking” noise reminiscent of the “squelch” sound caused when the automatic gain control engages as the “push to talk” button is depressed on a Citizens Band radio.7

EVP Show Evidence of Being Limited by Available Energy: Alexander MacRae5 has noted that the utterances tend to have about the same amount of audio power in their associated sound wave from one EVP sample to another. That is, a short EVP will tend to be louder than a long EVP. A very long phrase might be composed of two or more average-length phrases separated by minor pauses. Also, an utterance may trail off at the end, as if the energy is being depleted before the message is delivered. Again, this is as if the communicator is attempting to manage available power as “packets” of energy. The evidence is very strong that EVP are energy-limited phenomena.

EVP are Complete Words or Phrases: Researcher Alexander MacRae has also conducted considerable analysis of EVP messages, determining that a message is typically one to two seconds in duration and is not truncated at the beginning or end. If EVP were crosstalk, they would often begin in the middle of a word. EVP messages are usually complete thoughts, as well.

EVP are Found by Playing the Soundtrack Backwards: One of the more bizarre characteristics of EVP is that it is possible to discover an EVP that seems to be garbled, but that makes perfect sense when the soundtrack is played in reverse. By this, we mean to say that the sound track is played so that the voice of the experimenter can be heard speaking backwards, but the EVP can be heard speaking forwards.11

As with the ability of communicating entities to anticipate questions by placing answers into recording media before the question is asked, the phenomenon of reverse track EVP provides important hints as to the nature of time.

Sidebar: EVP Found on the Reverse Direction of a Sound Track

Please use the technique of looking for EVP on the reverse with care. EVP seems to be formed in noise wherever in the spectrum the experimenter might look for the voice. That is probably why some researchers have theorized that EVP are always ultrasonic or infrasonic. However, in reversed sound track EVP, the presence of the voice seems to be more of a demonstration that the communicators are able to do something that is simply not explainable with known physical principles. Also, EVP is considered communication and leaving a message in a place that most people would not consider looking, or do not have the tools to look, is not realistically considered an attempt to communicate.

Many offered examples of EVP found on the reverse turn out to be nonsensical, and one of the Best Practices in EVP is that, if the message is not meaningful in some way, it should be set aside until supporting material is available. There is also a problem with the value of utterances found on the reverse as evidence. Knowledgeable researchers understand that there are many words that, when heard in the reverse, naturally form other normal words. It is also disconcerting for a researcher to recognize the staccato cadence of reversed-voice speech in someone’s offered EVP example and reverse it only to discover the person speaking in the forward direction. Considering these issues, it is often recommended that researchers use the technique of reversing a sound track in search of EVP sparingly, and avoid offering examples that are clearly a forward-speaking voice played in the reverse.


The Voices in EVP are often Recognizable: It is common for an EVP to contain the recognizable voice of the discarnate person thought to be speaking. It is also common for that entity to say something that was typical of what he or she would have said while in the physical. Their personality clearly remains intact even though the person no longer has a physical body.12

Mundane Voices are Sometimes Transfigured: A communicating entity will sometimes remodulate or transfigure the experimenter’s words into EVP. In one striking example, the words of a French-speaking radio announcer were changed, mid sentence, into an English spoken EVP. The EVP was clearly inappropriate for what the announcer had been saying.

The term, "transfigured," is used in much the same way here that it is used in mediumship to describe how an entity transfigures or changes the medium’s features into the entity’s likeness.

Please Note: One caution about using foreign-language that you do not understand as a sound sources for EVP is that it is very easy to mistake a mundane utterance as seeming to say something in your language. While this is a characteristic sometimes encountered with EVP research, we discourage the routine use of foreign-language sound sources for EVP experimentation.

Party Line: Some EVP sound as if they are comments intended for someone other than the experimenter. This is much like momentarily listening in on a party line telephone call. It is not uncommon in both field and controlled recording situations to record comments that seem as if unseen people are discussing the experimenter’s actions in much the same way that you might discuss the activity of someone that you were watching.

A Need for Background Sound Sources: Research has shown that the voice in EVP is formed as “a thickening” of ambient sound energy. This is an opportunistic use of sound energy that often results in no or largely missing voice box frequencies and an unnatural arrangement of other frequencies usually formed by the passage of the fundamental frequencies through the mouth.13 Also, EVP has been recorded by audio-recording devices or processes which have been isolated from ambient sound by such techniques as removing the microphone, and in some instances, acoustically isolating the recording device.”

Because of these characteristics, it is standard practice to assure in some way the availability of ambient sound for voice formation, even while isolating the recording device or process from uncontrolled ambient sounds, such as crowd noise.

Layered EVP: Experimenters often complain about having several layers of EVP in the same location of the recording media. This is especially common when more than one background sound source is used during the experiment. For instance, if a fan and radio static is used for background sound, a message might be found in the fan noise and a second message might be found in the radio static—both in the same segment of sound track.

EVP is Found Wherever the Experimenter Listens: This suggests that the source of audio noise is not a factor for EVP, so long as the audio energy is suitable for voice formation. In practice, the majority of techniques for recording EVP involve sound conditioning, rather than unique forms of psi detection. For instance, upscaling infrasound so that it can be heard by human ears or downscaling ultrasound, really constitute techniques of sound conditioning, and the resulting EVP is not evidence that the utterance was formed beyond human hearing, but that it was formed when the audio energy was made available to the recording process.

All forms of EVP

EVP are in the Language of the Experimenter: Alexander MacRae has conducted experiments in a place that has no English language radio or television stations, yet resulting EVP were in English, which is his primary language. It is typical for the EVP, no matter where they are recorded, to be in a language that the experimenter understands. There have been exceptions to this which were apparently intended as a demonstration, but as a rule, EVP will be spoken in a language understood by the experimenter or an interested observer.

This brings up an interesting point of speculation about psi-based communication. Mental mediums often report that they receive communication from nonphysical entities as images which they must interpret. These images are not just mental pictures. They are packets of information that are sufficiently complete for the receiver to fully understand their meaning. Robert Monroe8 referred to this form of information as “Thought Balls.”

EVP are not Ambient Sound or Broadcast Programming: Again, Alexander MacRae has made a contribution to the field of EVP by submitting the newest model of his Alpha Device for testing at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). The device produced EVP in a chamber that was shielded from environmental Radio Frequency (RF) sound energy and light.9 This demonstration proving that EVP are not stray sound or RF has been made before.10 One of the problems researchers have faced in the past is that “old proof” is often discounted because of the considerable improvement in instrumentation, experimental protocol and understanding of physical principles. In light of this, it is important that our modern generation of scientists is able to witness demonstrations that adhere to modern standards for research, such as that just provided by Alexander MacRae. As of the writing of this book, we await a response from the scientists.

EVP are Appropriate to the Circumstances: There are numerous examples of EVP that are clearly direct responses to questions recorded just prior to the EVP phrase or to the circumstances. An example of an EVP being appropriate to a circumstance is an instance in which experimenters were trying to figure out how to set up a new tape recorder for an EVP experiment. The tape recorder was finally set up correctly but not before causing a very loud feedback squeal that was recorded. On that recording, a male voice said in a Class A EVP, “Leave it alone” right after the loud squeal.

Precognitive Responses: Answers to questions may be recorded prior to a question being asked, so that the answer as a phenomenal message is on the sound track followed by the experimenter asking the question. More research is required before informed speculation about this observed characteristic, but the indication is that, while time may be meaningful to us, our time may well be irrelevant to a nonphysical entity. Alternatively, the entity may be sensing what the experimenter is about to ask.

Vocalized Questions Elicit more EVP: There is evidence that the communicating entities are able to read our thoughts, as in placing an answer on a recording prior to the asking of a question. However, experiments conducted by Alexander MacRae5 have shown that EVP responses increase when questions are asked out loud. MacRae conducted a simple experiment during which he ran numerous sessions and did not verbalize questions, and then the same number of sessions speaking the questions. He then counted the number of EVP responses. On the non-verbalized sessions he collected 3.2 utterances per session, whereas on the verbalized sessions he collected 5.3 utterances per session. (MacRae uses a baseline recording session duration of five minutes for such controlled sampling.)

The “Newness” Effect: The experimenter’s excitement in trying a new detection device or recording technique may be the source of improved EVP collection. As the new approach becomes “normal operating procedure,” the improvements generally fade back to a more “normal” Quality and Quantity (QQ) of EVP collection. This suggests that it is important for the experimenter to maintain piqued interest during experiments. This is also one of the reasons it is speculated that the experimenter is an integral part of the recording circuit. The experimenter is apparently supplying the necessary psi energy to enable a nonphysical to physical transfer of energy.

Effective Devices Unique to the Experimenter: Exceptionally effective EVP and ITC collecting systems have been developed; however, these typically work well for the developer, but do not work as well for other experimenters. This paradox supports the belief that the experimenter is part of the recording circuit. It has also reinforced the concept that the communicating entity may be specific to the experimenter.

Because various devices and equipment setups have worked exceptionally well for one experimenter and not for another, it has been argued that it is a waste of time to try to develop the hoped for equipment that will become the proverbial “spirit telephone” that anyone would be able to use to call up his or her loved one on the other side.14 This may prove to be the wrong assumption. There is growing evidence that people who have not done well with a cassette recorder are now recording increased QQ EVP using digital voice recorders.

EVP can be Thoughts of Living People: There have been a number of well-designed experiments that appear to have resulted in EVP initiated by living people who were sleeping at the time. As an ethical consideration, such experiments are always prearranged with the person who volunteers to be the sleeping “sender.” In these experiments, questions are clearly answered by a communicating entity, and the answers are appropriate for the sleeping person. This fact of EVP suggests the possibility that EVP can become an important tool for consciousness research. For instance, is it possible that a patient in a coma might initiate an EVP when requested?

Theories Proposed to Explain Observed ITC Phenomena

The existence of EVP is not realistically contested. Any reasonably capable person with a device capable of recording audio can expect to eventually record an understandable utterance. Basic EVP Recording Technique provides a workable protocol for such recording.38 This is for the transform method.

The real questions are what causes the voices, who is causing them (if appropriate) and how they are caused. The following list details the most commonly proposed possible answers:

Radio signals, unnoticed conversations and/or light-generated signals: Probably the most obvious explanation is that the voices are recordings of stray radio signals. Inexpensive electronic equipment designed to handle audio signals are designed with “unbalanced” input and output ports, poorly shielded circuitry and what amounts to a “floating ground” in portable equipment. All of these design shortcuts leave the equipment open to detect and record stray radio signals, and if it is possible to pick up a radio station, with a portable radio, then it is also possible to record a stray radio signal. This does not often happen, but it is possible.

The most obvious way to test the possibility that EVP are stray radio signals is to shield the audio recording device from ambient radio frequency noise. One way is to place a turned on, voice-activated audio recorder in a padded metal container, such as a candy tin, place that in a second padded tin, and that in a third padded tin that has a metal strap from the metal side of the tin to a good ground—usually a metal water pipe will do. This will prevent most stray sound, all light and essentially all radio frequency energy from reaching the recorder.

Since research shows that the voices are formed from available audio frequency energy,13 some noise will be required for this experiment. Inexpensive digital voice recorders usually produce sufficient internal voice frequency noise for EVP formation, but if EVP are not collected in the above enclosure when the recorder is known to produce EVP in the open, it may be necessary to include a sound source, such as a turned-on am radio with the volume set so that the resulting static would not obscure the voice of a person speaking into the microphone.

Figure illustrating a sound track with the utterance, "Betty's in there." A workable level for background sound used in voice formation is shown. The increase in amplitude of the voice is believed to be due to the accumulation of energy prior to formation of the utterance. This is transform EVP.

Variations of this experiment have been conducted by many people. In the simplest version, a recorder is placed in a microwave oven to take advantage of its radio frequency-shielding. One experimenter used a metal paint tin in the desert.15 Another used a grounded metal oil drum,10 and Alexander MacRae used the Institute Of Noetic Sciences' screened room to isolate his recording apparatus from ambient light-, sound- and radio-frequency energy.9 All of these techniques produced EVP.

Simple content analysis is usually sufficient to establish that the utterance in question is unlikely to be cross-talk or unnoticed voices from people in the room. Assuming the experimenter is not attempting to provide “scientific” evidence, it is usually adequate to note whether or not the utterances are complete statements, if they are appropriate to the circumstances and if they are understandable. If they were stray radio or television signals, they would contain the tell-tale signs of commercial broadcast, they would often be partial statements and they would usually be nonsensical, considering the circumstance.

Imagination of the experiencer: This is an important possible explanation for any form of phenomena involving unexpected sounds, images or events. Modern technology is capable of producing such a wide variety of unexpected results, often referred to as mundane artifacts, and a person can easily mistake an artifact as phenomenal unless the experiencer is an expert in the use of that technology. For instance, when used in an automatic mode, and with a flash, modern cameras often keep the shutter open much longer than the user realizes. A characteristic of film and digital image detectors referred to as “latency” will cause a moving camera to quickly image a bright light, such as a street light or flash reflected from a bright object in the scene, much quicker than a poorly illuminated background. This can result in a “ghostly” streak of light in a photograph while the background scene seems to indicate that the camera never moved.

The point is that such photographic artifacts are mundane, yet they are often offered as evidence of ghosts. In the same way, sounds in an audio recording can be made by very mundane influences but yet sound very phenomenal. For instance, it is common for a person to take a breath of air just before speaking, and the sound of that breath can be mistaken as something phenomenal when a person is examining every little deviation in the wave form.

All aspects of etheric studies are plagued by what is generally termed “the lack of critical thinking” amongst people seeking to experience these phenomena. This is a natural result in view of the complexity of the involved technologies and when the very large population of amateur experiencers is considered. So the casual witness to this field of study should be dubious about individual reports of phenomena, as many such reports are demonstrably misattributed mundane events.

It is intellectually lazy to say that all reports of etheric-to-physical phenomena are just the imagination of the experiencer when the evidence for the existence of EVP is reviewed. The fact that the voices can be collected by just about any person with average hearing, access to an audio recorder and sufficient patience to learn how to listen for the voices, provides sufficient reason to discount this argument.

Three blind online EVP listening trials 38 have been conducted with a total of 17 examples, 510 participants, 9,002 possible words. That is a total of 2,271 words were correctly identified, resulting in an overall percent recognized words of 25.2%. The primary conclusion of the trials is that at least some EVP examples are sufficiently voice-like to be accepted as speech.

Thoughts of the experimenter: Once the possible explanations that would prove the voices to be mundane have been dispensed with, there remains the possibility that the voices are phenomenal, etheric-to-physical influences, but that they are caused by a physical person. It is here that the argument changes from if EVP is real to who is talking.

A number of experiments have been conducted to see if it is possible to record the thoughts of people known to be still in the flesh. Perhaps the most conclusive was conducted by Jacque Blanc-Garin of the French ITC organization, Infinitude.18 In that experiment, Jacques had arranged with Monique Simonet to attempt contacting her via an EVP experiment while she slept.16 (It is an ethical consideration to ask permission of the “sender” before conducting such an experiment.) In the exchange, Jacques, in a different part of the house, verbalized the question, “If you answer me, you are maybe in the environment where I record. If that is it, you can then tell me what I currently hold in my left hand?” The recorded EVP was, “It is a crystal” Jacques reported that, “I indeed, had a crystal in my hand. Monique saw me!”

Lisa Butler and Sarah Estep also conducted coordinated experiments from either coast of the USA with convincing results.17 Other experimenters have reported similar results, some possibly impressing their thoughts into recording medium, although this point requires further research.

Current thinking is that the conscious aspect of a person is what survives physical death, and when a person still in the flesh is in some way disassociated from the physical body, his or her conscious self is much the same as the etheric communicator. In other words, it is predicted by some proposed theories that the thoughts of a living person should be able to be recorded in EVP. Probably the real question is whether or not all of the EVP are from living people.

Many of the observed characteristics of EVP could be explained as thoughts of the living. One, the fact that some messages are clearly spoken in response to something the experimenter is about to say, seems to eliminate the experimenter as a source. More convincing are the reports from the AA-EVP Big Circle recording group19 showing that, on occasion, a member will record the voice of a person, say “John,” who is later shown to be the discarnate son of a person who had not yet joined the Association, but that in subsequent conversations, John’s voice is recognized saying the sort of things John would have said while in the flesh.

Another source of experimental evidence that not all EVP are initiated by the experimenter is the results from the 4Cell EVP Demonstration.34 In this series of experiments, four people work together to execute the experimental protocol. A Requester decides on a question and relays only the question to the Sender. The Sender asks his or her etheric communicators to give the answer to the Receiver, and then tells the Receiver that a question has been sent. The Receiver conducts an EVP session and asks for the answer that he or she does not know to an unknown question, and then sends any resulting EVP to the Scribe. The Scribe makes the first determination as to what is said in the EVP, and then the group decides on the best response, and all information is included in a report. An example “hit” recorded by 4Cell Infinite is, Question: What are the names of Jim’s Montessori school teachers?” Correct Answer: “Vivian” and “Rosmund.” Class B answer: “Vivian.” Class C answer in same file: “Rosmund.” This is one of the better results, but the 4Cell experimenters are averaging around 69% correct or very meaningful responses.

EVP are “echoes of the past” or residual energy: The Quantum-Holographic hypothesis has been proposed to explain the origin of consciousness,21 meaning that the personality has a biological origin and the information being accessed via EVP and the other forms of apparent etheric-to-physical influences are either caused by the experimenter or some other physical agent, or a form of residual energy described by physicist David Bohm and neurophysiologist Karl Pribram as a field of energy that underlies all of reality.24 This field of energy is thought to have three characteristics that might account for the observed etheric-to-physical phenomena. It is thought to behave according to quantum principles, especially that of entanglement which shows that, once certain objects have become associated in specific ways, influencing one object will have a similar influence on the other, even though it may be very far away.

The second characteristic is that this field exhibits the character of nonlocality, meaning that information in it is equally available from any place in the field. This characteristic is required to explain such phenomena as a remote viewer accessing information that is miles away and a medium supposedly getting information from discarnate entities. It is this nonlocality that requires holographic theory, since it is known that any part of a holographic representation of a scene can be used to reproduce the entire scene. In other words, the information is not local to any one part of the photographic plate.

The third characteristic of this field is that it is formed of the residual energy of consciousness, and therefore contains all that was ever known, thought and experienced. It is this residual energy that provides the information psychically gathered.

There is growing evidence that some form of field exists, that it is of a subtle energy that is not detected by normal means and that it interconnects groups of life forms. Rupert Sheldrake23 refers to this field as a “morphic field,” and Dean Radin22 calls it a “biofield.” However, the existence of a biofield does not assure that Bohm and Pribram’s field is proven to exist, or how such a field might be populated. This author is not aware of experimental evidence showing that residual consciousness does remain in a field. Conversely, the experimental evidence of EVP seems to show that consciousness is local, that it is self-aware and interactive.

Super-psi25 is a second hypothesis designed to explain observed psychic abilities, but from the perspective of psychology. This hypothesis also depends on a vast reservoir of residual conscious energy which is accessible by people who exhibit the ability to access information that should not be available to them.

Both the Quantum-Holographic and Super-psi Hypotheses may provide important pieces to the puzzle which will eventually explain personal survival and EVP and should not be completely discounted—especially the concept of a biofield. However, neither hypothesis explains the evidence collected via EVP.

Cultural Influence: A theory that is gaining in acceptance is that the voices are phenomenally formed, and may be initiated by a discarnate entity, but that the utterances may also be considerably influenced by the practitioner or an interested observer. This theory is based on the hypothesis that the message is formed via a mind-to-mind exchange of information via the etheric aspect of the practitioner and the etheric entity. This is thought to be in the form of image, concept and understanding all wrapped into one gestalt package. The information is thought to be transformed into the physical via the entanglement of the practitioner's etheric Self with the physical body. This is the same path hypothesized for mental mediumship. The result is that the practitioner tends to filter what is allowed into the physical, and subsequently into the recording, depending on expectations.

For instance, the practitioner may expect that any discarnate entity speaking from a cemetery will naturally be earthbound and therefore in distress. In such an instance, the message would come to the practitioner as a gestalt "This is who I am and what I am doing," and come out as the EVP, "Help me," because of the assumption of distress.

There are indications that some EVP are initiated by the practitioner. As is discussed above, it is believed possible to record the thoughts of living, and as such, it is not difficult to think that some thought are spontaneously recorded. This theory should not be taken to say that discarnate entities are not thought to be initiating EVP. It is a recognition that the subject is very complex and the degree to which the practitioner influences the result has not been well examined. At the very least, the meaning of EVP should be based on due consideration of this question.

Conducting an EVP Experiment

The following information is intended to provide a technique which is most likely to produce the phenomenal utterances. This is for transform EVP based on the material provided by the AA-EVP in the Techniques section of their website.26

Equipment: Any device capable of recording voice frequency sound. A computer is recommended and a way to transfer audio from the recording device to the computer. The computer can also be used as the initial recorder. Also, the computer should be equipped with an audio management program, such as the open source, Audacity.27 It is possible to use just the audio recorder, as experimenters have always done before the advent of personal computing, but again, this set of instructions is designed to offer the best chance of success.

There are instructions for transferring audio into a computer here: Techniques

Environment: For controlled-conditions recording, find a quiet place in the home that can be routinely used for EVP recording sessions. It is important to be aware of environmental sounds, such as passing cars, and people talking in another room. If there is any doubt that environmental sounds can be accounted for, it is a good idea to use a second audio recorder, perhaps the sound track on a video camera, as a control. This is because a single EVP is not normally recorded at the same moment by more than one recorder, so if something that might be an EVP is on both recordings, it is recommended that they be discarded.

Protocol: Verbalize the questions and comments by announcing to the room that you are about to turn on the audio recorder and that you wish to communicate with a loved one, friend or total stranger on the other side. The idea is to engage the communicators in a conversation. Turn on the recorder and wait about ten seconds. It is at this time that some of the strongest utterances are recorded. Then, ask a question, such as “Aunt Martha, can you tell me how you are?” (Avoid questions with “yes” or “no” answers.) Wait about ten seconds for Aunt Martha to respond, and then ask your next question, and so on until you are ready to stop. Then, say, I am going to turn off the recorder now, but first, does anyone have something they would like to say? Wait ten or fifteen seconds and turn off the recorder. A three-to-five minute recording is more than enough for one session.

Field Recording: The technique for field recording is about the same, except that it is even more necessary to use a second recorder as a control. Be sure to approach the session as a conversation and it is a good idea to record your voice saying where you are. This is especially helpful if you are moving from room to room.

Special Considerations: It is possible to supply background sound to facilitate EVP formation while recording in controlled conditions. A common household fan will usually do, but one of the reasons the sessions are referred to as “experiments” is that practitioners are always on the hunt for the ideal recording equipment, conditions and background sounds. So, be inventive. In controlled conditions, it is also possible to use high-quality recorders, because you can supply sound.

The concept is that sooner or later everyone will have recorded an EVP. Think of EVP as a form of communication. A rule of thumb is that the communicators will leave their message wherever they think someone will listen. Higher quality recording devices tend to record fewer phenomenal voices, and electronic circuits that are strongly constrained by limiting circuits leave fewer opportunities for voice formation. It is a good practice to expect to find the voices where normal human voice would be found, and in noisier conditions.

Although EVP can be found by listening to a sound track in the reverse, it is recommended that the experimenter restrict efforts to find EVP to the normal direction of the recording. Finally, it is important that the experimenter does not try too hard to record a voice. Some people will record one on the first try, but some may take much longer and there are never any guarantees that a person will record one. There are also no guarantees that a person will be able to use EVP to reach a particular person, although dedication to a regimen of controlled-conditions recording offers the best chance for success.

It is harder to bring sound for field recordings, and it is for this reason that digital voice recorders that produce a lot of internal noise are so popular for field recording. As a rule of thumb, set the mic sensitivity to medium and the quality to low. Set the volume to medium and then experiment from there. Many people prefer voice-activated recording because it produces less to listen to and more internal noise for voice formation. The communicators can trigger voice-activated recording if there is enough sound to lower the threshold.

Listening for EVP in the Sound Track: Assuming a digital recorder is used, the voice is digitized right after it is limited to the required signal strength coming from the input amplifier. If it is necessary to record the sound file into the computer via an audio cable, the signal is turned back into analog, and then digitized again by the computer. There is little or no evidence that an EVP will be changed while in a digital format, but it is possible for change or even new utterance while transferring in the analog phase.

It is possible to reasonably reproduce the average human voice with a sample rate of 8,000 KHz, so it is recommended that the audio file be saved into the computer as a 11025 KHz sample rate, 16 bit word file. Mono or stereo is a personal choice. Once the audio file is in the computer, it should be saved as a *.wav file for storage and editing.

Current best practice for sharing an EVP example on the Internet is to convert the file to mono, *.mp3 format, but using editing tools on mp3 is discouraged.

It is also best practice to provide a raw clip of the EVP, along with a bit of your voice for reference, if possible, followed by a short silence and then the whole clip again with any editing you may have done. Explain what you have done so that your listener will know what to expect.

Finally, ten decibels or so of amplification, perhaps a little noise reduction and high-end filtering is about all that should be done to a sound track to make the utterance more easily understood. It is possible to change the meaning of an EVP with over processing, and the rule of thumb is to discard the EVP if it cannot be understood with only slight enhancement, and certainly discard nonsensical utterances.

A listening technique is to select a few syllables of a possible utterance and then play it over and over to allow your mind to look for familiar sounds. People are trained to recognize common arrangements of sound as words, but EVP are often formed from odd arrangements of sound, depending on what is supplied, and the usual cues are often missing. A very loud, well-spoken phrase could still be difficult to make out for a person not accustomed to hearing EVP.

Lessons Learned by Others

Who Can Hear the Voices? A series of online listening studies showed that the average AA-EVP website visitor participating in the study could correctly identify only 25% of the words in the Class A EVP examples. (See the study here.) Most experienced practitioners have learned not to expect a person who is unaccustomed to hearing EVP to correctly understand examples. This is especially true if the person is skeptical to begin with. The message to all of us is that, even though the example may be very clear and obvious to us, it is unrealistic to attempt to show an example to the police or a grieving person.

Of course, it is possible to guide a person into hearing what we say is in the recording. But by every rational measure, “teaching a person to hear what we say is in the recording is considered “leading.” People, especially people who are grieving the loss of a love done, are simply too easily guided into hearing what is not there.

Before attempting to share an example with untrained witnesses, the AA-EVP recommends that the example be passed by a listening panel without prompting. Only if the majority of a listening panel is able to hear what is believed to be in the example, is the example ready for untrained ears. Doing this helps to protect the practitioner from accusations of taking advantage of people.

Certified Proxy Practitioners have established both their ability to make contact for others and to help grieving people without guiding them into false assumptions. There is no reason others cannot learn to do the same, but for the sake of all of us, we ask that practitioners take the extra step of using a listening panel and being very conservative about contacting the authorities. To do otherwise hurts all of us.


Final Observations

This white paper has become a primary tool for communicating the state of the art for EVP. It is based on the understanding of the AA-EVP Directors and reflects their policy in leading the AA-EVP. Important points the reader should take note of include:

Mainstream science has not accepted its charter to examine what EVP are, nor has parapsychology. In an effort to foster a culture of cooperation and a unified public appearance amongst people and organizations involved in this study, the AA-EVP has proposed "Etheric Studies" as a field of study concerned with survival of the personality, trans-etheric influences, the etheric and the etheric-to-physical interface.

Best Practices have been proposed, and a forum has been established in which people in the community can cooperate to develop them.

The Sarah Estep Research Fund has been established to coordinate research projects intended to further understanding of these phenomena. Donations to the AA-EVP which are earmarked for the fund will be used to fund targeted research projects.

Live voice is not accepted by the AA-EVP for research, but it is accepted as a practitioner prerogative for personal use.

Transform EVP is still considered the most effective form of EVP.

EVP formation using speech synthesis, rather than background sound or live voice is currently considered an important direction for research because it avoids the question of radio contamination and reduces false positives.

Radio sweep is seen now considered a form of divination rather than a tool for EVP.

A project of considerable interest is a digital EVP platform using speech synthesis.

Using EVP for finding people or things is probably possible, but the state of the art is such that it should not be presented as evidence at this time. Until more research has been conducted and better techniques have been developed, the AA-EVP strongly discourages people from taking EVP examples to families or the authorities with the intention of "helping" solve a crime or missing person's case.

References

Macy, Mark and Dr. Pat Kubis—Conversations Beyond the Light, Griffin Publishing, Irvine, CA, in conjunction with Continuing Life Research, Boulder, CO, 1995. You can learn more about Mark Macy at www.worlditc.org.

Konstantinos—Contact the Other Side, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN 55164-0383, 2001.

Tom and Lisa Butler, There is No Death and There are No Dead, AA-EVP Publishing, 2003, http://aaevp.com/resources/books_order.htm.

Presi, Paolo—Italian ITC researcher with Il Laboratorio, Bologna, Italy, www.laboratorio.too.it/.

MacRae, Alexander—The Mystery of the Voices, Self published CD, 2000, Portree Skye, Scotland. See http://aspsite.tripod.com/ for details about the Alpha Device.

American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena website: http://aaevp.com/examples.htm.

Lisa Butler, Precursor Sounds in Physical Phenomena, 2002, http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_evp9.htm.

Monroe Institute—62 Roberts Mountain Road, Faber, Virginia 22938.

Alexander MacRae, Report of an Anomalous Speech Products Experiment Inside a Double Screened Room, www.skyelab.co.uk/review/bb.htm, 2003, as printed in the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, http://www.spr.ac.uk/.

Bill Weisensale, Shielding a Recorder from Radio Frequency Interference for EVP, Spirit Voices, Issue 3, 1981 http://archive.aaevp.com/spirit_voices/spirit_voices_1_2_3/sv3.htm.

Sarah Estep recording, “That is your girl,” http://aaevp.com/examples/examples_voice2.htm.

Martha Copeland, I’m Still Here, AA-EVP publishing, 2005, http://www.evpcommunications.com/.

Daniele Gullà, Computer–Based Analysis of Supposed Paranormal Voice: The Question of Anomalies Detected and Speaker Identification” http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_evp10.htm.

Paolo Presi, Italian Research in ITC, http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_evp3.htm.

Steven Beresford, Tapers' Report, Spring 2004 AA-EVP NewsJournal http://archive.aaevp.com/aaevp_news/2004_aaevp_news/spring_2004.htm.

French Sleep Experiment, Summer 2002 AA-EVP NewsJournal, http://archive.aaevp.com/aaevp_news/2002_aaevp_news/summer_2002.htm.

Experiment – Recording the Living, Summer 2001 AA-EVP NewsJournal, http://archive.aaevp.com/aaevp_news/2001_aaevp_news/summer_2001.htm.

Infinitude, www.infinitude.asso.fr/.

Big Circle, http://bigcircle.aaevp.com/.

4Cell EVP Demonstration, http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_4cell_experiment.htm.

Edgar Mitchell, A Dyadic Model of Consciousness, September 1995, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Sausalito, California, USA www.edmitchellapollo14.com/articles.htm.

Dean Radin, www.deanradin.com/NewWeb/deanradin.html.

Rupert Sheldrake, www.sheldrake.org/homepage.html.

Michael Talbot, The Holographic Universe, HarperPerennial, 1991, NY, NY.

Steven Braude, Survival or Super-psi, www.survivalafterdeath.org/articles/braude/superpsi.htm.

American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena website: http://aaevp.com/techniques.htm.

Audacity Audio Management Program, http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/windows.

Scientific American—Scientific American, Inc. New York, NY, HTTP://www.sciam.com.

Edison National Historic Site, www.nps.gov/archive/edis/edifun/edifun_4andup/faqs_fables.htm#talk.

Rogo, D Scott and Raymond Bayless—Phone Calls From The Dead, Prentice-Hall, Inc., New Jersey, 1979.

Jürgenson, Friedrich—Voice Transmissions with the Deceased, (German to English Translation, T. Wingert & G. Wynne, 2001) Friedrich Jürgenson Foundation, Sweden (Original work published 1964) www.fargfabriken.se/fjf/.

Raudive, Konstantin—Breakthrough: An Amazing Experiment in Electronic Communication with the Dead, New York: Taplinger, 1971. First published by Colin Smythe, Ltd. and still available at www.colin-smythe.com.

Tom Butler, private conversations with Colin Smythe.

Tom Butler, 4Cell EVP Demonstration, http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_4cell_experiment.htm.

Nave, Carl R. and Nave, Brenda C., Physics for the Health Sciences, 3rd Ed., "Vocal Formants," W. B. Saunders Co., 1985, http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/music/vowel.html, Retrieved 2 August 2008.

Bion, Stefan, EVPMaker, www.stefanbion.de/evpmaker/index_e.htm Retrieved 2 August 2008

Chappell, Bill, Digital Dowsing, "Paranormal Puck," www.digitaldowsing.com/puck.htm Retrieved 2 August 2008.

AA-EVP, Basic Recording Techniques, http://aaevp.com/techniques/techniques_evp9.htm, Retrieved 2 August 2008.

AA-EVP, EVP Online Listening Trials, http://ethericstudies.org/journal-esbp/index.php/EVP_online_listening_trials , Retrieved 2 August 2008.



Supporting Articles



Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC)

ITC is the term coined by Ernst Senkouski to describe apparent instances of trans-etheric communication involving visual media, and in rare instances, two-way, real-time communication. There have been extreme instances of ITC in which real-time, two-way communication was accomplished using computers and television sets. These were the Timestream communications experienced by Maggy Harsch-Fischbach and Jules Harsch1 of Luxembourg in 1986 and independently by Fritz Malkhoff and Adolf Homes2 in 1989 as a demonstration of cross-correspondence. These were extraordinary instances of ITC and are not thought of as a norm for people learning to work with these phenomena.

A second form of extraordinary ITC is referred to as Direct Voice Radio (DVR). Marcello Bacci of Grosseto, Italy and Anabela Cardoso of Spain (publishes the ITC Journal) are using DVR. In this technique, the communicating entity is able to impress the voice on the output of the radio as if the radio is detecting an etheric radio station. Much longer messages are received in this way and they are usually of a more spiritual nature. Current understanding of DVR is that it is actually a form of direct voice as reported in séances using a physical medium. From what we are aware of today, DVR has not been replicated by EVP researchers who have tried.

The average person can expect to record phenomenal features, such as human and animal faces, in any visual recording media imaging reasonably chaotic optical energy. For instance, optical noise developed in a video loop will sometimes produce phenomenal features as still images in individual video frames. Also, photographs of light reflected from medium-gray surfaces, such as turned off television screens or compression noise in digital photographs will produce features. One good technique for generating sufficiently chaotic optical energy is to photograph light reflecting from swirling water. There are examples of these techniques in the Here.

The actual source of these apparently phenomenal visual features has not been sufficiently studied to permit educated speculation, but in a few instances, faces found in the noise strongly resemble the faces of people who were “asked” to show themselves in the experiment. Because the existence of the features is so easily demonstrated, there is little doubt of the reality of the phenomena. The who, how and why of the phenomena is what requires study.3

References:

Info News—English edition of Cercle D’etudes sur la Transcommunicaton, Luxembourg, (Luxembourg Study Circle in Transcommunication,) Translation: Hans Heckman, US Publishing: Continuing Life Research, PO Box 11036, Boulder, CO, 80301. (No longer published.)

There is No Death and There are No Dead, Tom and Lisa Butler, AA-EVP Publishing 2003 http://books.aaevp.com.

American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena website: http://aaevp.com/examples.html.


The Survival Hypothesis

The Survival Hypothesis is a theory designed to explain anecdotal and experimental evidence suggesting that a person’s personality survives after the death of his or her physical body. The term is widely used to mean that people have a dual nature, being a physical body and an etheric aspect that supports the personality or “who that person really is.”

There are a number of implicit conditions which must be true for the Survival Hypothesis to make sense. Included in these are:

There is a physical universe which can be described as the physical aspect of reality.

There is a greater reality which includes the physical universe, but also includes other aspects. For the sake of this discussion, all aspects of reality that are not physical are referred to here as “etheric.”

There is a fundamental form of energy which is different for each aspectation of reality. Implicit in this is that a mechanism must exist to cause differentiation of reality.

This fundamental energy behaves according to Principles of Natural Law, and those principles produce subsets of principles, depending on the mechanism causing differentiation of the energy.

The physical body has evolved according to Principles of Natural Law as they are expressed in the physical aspect of reality.

Consciousness evolved according Principles of Natural Law as they are expressed in the etheric aspect of reality. For the sake of this discussion, this consciousness is referred to here as “Self.”

The energetic nature of Self is different from the energetic nature of the physical and Self cannot exist in the physical without some form of adaptation. For the sake of this discussion, this concept is referred to here as the Principle of Agreement which requires that an object of reality, such as a concept or a Self, must be energetically in agreement with the aspect of reality it will inhabit. This is referred to here as “embodiment.”

Self is embodied into the physical at the moment of birth of the physical body, and by virtue of the physical body’s energetic agreement with the physical and the Self-physical body entanglement at the time of birth.

The physical body does have a form of consciousness which maintains its biological functions, but this consciousness does not animate the body.1

Self is in a symbiotic relationship with the body, and is disassociated from it when the body is sleeping or in some way distracted.

Self permanently disassociates from the body at the moment of the death of that body and its point of view returns to the etheric aspects of reality according to its spiritual maturity. For the sake of this discussion, “spiritual maturity” refers to Self’s understanding about the operation of Natural Law. In this hypothesis, the nature of the energy that is associated with Self is determined by this understanding, and so, limits the aspects of reality Self will be in agreement with, and therefore able to inhabit.2

Discussions of the Survival Hypothesis seldom address the body consciousness; however, the Theosophical Society, which takes much of its teachings from Eastern thought, does refer to something that might be loosely described as a “unit of life” called a “Monad.” In modern terms, this unit of life might be better described as the “life fractal,” as it seems to be a fundamental form. See: http://www.wisdomworld.org/additional/TheMysteryOfIndividualitySeries/TheImprisonedMonad.html.

The concept here is that everything is based on a fundamental energy which is governed by ordering principles called Natural Law. To avoid opening too many philosophical arguments, this description of the Survival Hypothesis is limited to the central topic of Self, physical body, the etheric and physical aspects of reality and the relationships of these elements.

Etheric Aspect of Reality

The term, “etheric,” is in reference to “ether,” as it was used by the Greek Philosopher/scientist, Plato, when he postulated a fifth substance to complement the four elements of earth, fire, water and air.1 An alternative spelling for ether is “aether.”2

In science, “ether” was postulated as the medium of propagation for electromagnetic radiation. Ether as a physical substance was never identified, and the concept was eventually set aside. Nevertheless, the idea of a still undetected media that exists at the edge of known reality and that is capable of propagating subtle influences remains a topic of conjecture. In today’s terms, the need to identify the mechanism to propagate the influences variously described as a morphic field,3 biofield,4 or contact field5. While “ether” is probably not being considered as a term to describe this subtle energy field, the original use of “ether” would seem to apply.

As it is being used in the explanation for Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) and Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC), “etheric” refers to all things that are not traditionally described as “physical.” In metaphysical cosmology, “all things physical” includes the physical universe as the Physical Plane of existence. In this cosmology, there are other planes of existence, each distinguished from the others by differences in the character of the energy forming the plane and the intention for its formation.6 In the Survival Hypothesis,7 distinction is only made between physical and nonphysical, such that all things nonphysical are etheric.

Encyclopedia Britannica, http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/plato.html.

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

Rupert Sheldrake, http://www.sheldrake.org/Onlineexp/portal/textexp.html.

Dean Radin, http://www.deanradin.com/default_original.html.

Mark Macy, http://www.worlditc.org/.

Etheric Plane: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etheric_plane.



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