Electronic Voice Phenomena

The Missouri Paranormal Research Society takes the recording of E.V.P.'s very seriously. Up until recently, we haven't had the software that we needed to properly analyse our digital recordings, so E.V.P.'s were chalked up as interesting to us, but not pursued. Armed with a little software and a lot of practice, we hope to learn a lot from these recordings and share our results with you here.

Below are some E.V.P.'s that were collected by our members, Eric and Tracee, at the McPike Mansion in Alton, IL, in 2004. To hear them most clearly, we suggest the use of headphones. If your computer does not have RealPlayer software, you will need to download a Free version of it available from RealNetworks. If you still can't hear anything, check your volume controls.

Allowed

Everywhere

Guardian Light

We are always anxious to hear what you have to say about our E.V.P.'s and photo's, so e-mail us with your opinions.

Following are a few guidelines that we follow in collecting our E.V.P.'s. We think that it's important to establish these controls so that we can rule out non-paranormal noise or sounds.

1. Digital or Minidisc Recorder's are the tools of choice. They are crystal clear and allow for easy download to computer for analysis. We rely heavily on digital recorder's and we use an analogue recorder as well. For quality of the inital recording the digital recorder is best, but some of that quality is lost as we move the data to our computer. The analogue recorder is handy in that, if you get a good E.V.P., you'll always have a good master copy. An external microphone is recommended for use with recorders, and we intend to implement this as a new procedure in our investigations.
2. If using an analog cassette recorder, we use a new tape every time and only use one side of the tape. This eliminates even the remotest possiblity of bleed-through of data from the other side of the tape.
3. Prior to starting our recording sessions, we empty all of our pockets of change, keys or anything that could make noise as we walk. Bulky or loose clothing that could brush against other clothing articles is avoided. Forty to fifty years ago, E.V.P. researchers used to wear suede-soled shoes to mask the sounds of their footfalls, but we find that modern tennis shoes (if they are dry), are quite effective.
4. Prior to starting our recording sessions, we also take a mental inventory of the sounds already inherent in the environment, such as wind or traffic noise, and make ourselves familiar with how these sounds are interpreted by the recorder.
5. A good pair of headphones will allow you to listen in real time while you are recording. Not only is it a thrill to hear an E.V.P. as it occurs, but other noises can be diagnosed as they occur, saving you from trying to identify them after the fact.
6. Although we do walk around with the recorder during a session, we stop moving and establish silence while we are asking questions and waiting for the answers. This is hard to do if you have a lot of people on an investigation, so we try to keep our teams small.
7. Whispering at a haunting investigation is a very big no-no when any type of audio recording is being attempted. If someone enters a room while a recording is in session, their presence should be formally announced over the recorder, so that the sounds of their entry will not be construed as something paranormal when you review the recording later.
8. After a long night of investigation, it's easy to drop the equipment and not get around to reviewing your media for several days. It's important to review everything as soon as possible, however, while the events of the investigation are still fresh in your mind. We try review all of our media within 24-48 hours.