Paranormalnews.com
Classifying Your Evp
Written By: Todd Bates, Haunted Voices
Posted: 6/12/2006

Since its discovery in the early 1950's, Electronic Voice Phenomenon or
(Evp) has been widely studied by paranormal researchers from around the
globe. We have all been fascinated as well as confused by our findings
and are constantly searching for more answers to our questions.

With today's technology, which is growing at a very rapid rate, we
sometimes become engulfed in its possible capabilities. This technology
has both helped and hurt us, causing some researchers to miss the "big
picture" and focus more on quantity then quality of our Evp. Sure, being
"up to date" has its advantages but we must ask ourselves this: "Did
past researchers need this to capture the phenomenon?" The answer is
simply, no, they did not. Some of the best Evp that I have ever heard
came from what we call "Old School" recording devices such as Reel to
Reel or analog recorders. These devises are what the phenomenon was
discovered with, so why do we not use them now? The answer to that would
be technology. With new recording devices and computers, this older
equipment has almost become obsolete! In the lessons, we provide at
Haunted Voices, I have instructed hundreds of people on the basics of
Electronic Voice Phenomena, and some of them have never even heard of an
analog recording device.

So just how serious are today's Evp researchers? Trust me they are very
serious, however, with all of the "hype" and publicity that Evp has
gathered over the past few years many of them are left in the dark. It
seems that no one has taken the time to explain to them either the basis
of Evp or how it was discovered. Some look at paranormal research as a
hobby or something to do when we have the time but I assure you that
those of us who do this on a full time basis find this quite shocking.
Most of us will jump at the chance and take the time to explain it to
those in need. This is somewhat of a silent oath we took and something
that we feel we owe to our fellow researchers. It doesn't take very long
at all to spread the word about it and shed some light on the past Evp
Pioneers. Trust me, those you enlighten will thank you for it in the
end. A collogue of mine, Jeremy Pippin woke me up to this and I would
not only like to thank him for doing so, but hope it helps some of you.
For a moment now, let's talk about the Quality verses Quantity issue. As
researchers, we need to work as a whole in order to achieve this goal.
There are far to many "Territorial" individuals out there who feel it is
their way or no way and that they will single handedly solve the
mystery. This folks, has to be one of the most ridiculous claims I have
ever heard of! I personally feel this will be a group effort and not a
single endeavor. With a higher Quality of EVP, comes not only
reassurance of life after death, but also a reassurance to its existence
at all. I have processed thousands of "so called" Evp and have heard
everything from the recording of a television program to a screaming
coffee maker! Now, how do you think the general public sees this? I
promise you, they are laughing in our faces. People, these EVP's are not
hidden, these are everywhere on the World Wide Web! As researchers, we
have to take this very seriously and can't just blow it off thinking,
"Well I didn't record it so it doesn't effect me". Oh, it most certainly
does! So, lets all do what we can to prevent this virus from spreading;
educate these individuals, DO NOT make fun of them!

EVP quantity seems to be the goal and focus for many groups and websites
out there. This has gotten way out of hand and really needs to be
addressed by someone. If I hear one more person say, "Well, we have more
Evp on our site then they do", I'm going to be sick. Is there some kind
of Oscar award given for this that I'm not aware of? People seem to be
getting so caught up in the latest craze that they are missing the point
and looking at the paranormal as a competition and not research. Peers
and critics do not judge you by how many you have captured, but instead,
by the Quality of those you have obtained. Quality is the key word here
people, and to obtain and realize this Quality you must be educated. You
can't just fly by the seat of your pants! There are several
organizations, which are devoted to Evp education; Haunted Voices,
American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AAEVP) and the
International Ghost Hunters Society just to name a few. So, take the
time to look them up, find one that best suits you, and by all means,
educate yourself. These groups have made the mistakes and learned from
them so you don't have to.

Some of you may have taken offense to the above statements while others
will support them. As I tend to voice my opinion and often have little
regard for the controversy that follows. My way of thinking is what
makes me a unique individual. I take full responsibility for the above
statements and urge you to submit your comments and concerns to me
personally. With that said let us get back on track here. We have all
used the classification system but do we really know how it works? This
infamous system, was developed by my very close friend and mentor, Sarah
Estep, has been used by all of us to classify our Evp files. I am
talking about the A, B, and C filing system. This method of
classification makes it easy, and has created a universal method, for
analyzing our Evp. It is immediately recognized and still used to this
day! Now let's get to the heart of this article and talk about
Classification. Lets first start with the Class A Evp. A Class A Evp is
one that is very audible and can be clearly understood without the use
of computer or software intervention. These classifications, as well as
the next two were developed by Sarah Estep to simplify our recordings.
At Haunted Voices, we like to have our Evp files confirmed by 2 or more
individuals before classifying them as an A. This helps to ensure their
authenticity as well as their quality.
Class A Evp are very rare, and although I have captured the majority of
them on analog recorders, I have captured a few on the digital as well.
To hear one of these classes, is unmistakable, and you should be able to
do so without the use of headphones and straight from the recording
device itself. Try not to mistake these for background noise or talking
as this is one of the biggest traps for "false positives". While in a
recording session, be aware of your surroundings and try to note as many
natural sounds as you can. As a rule, if you can hear it, note it! This
will eliminate many of us scratching our heads later. Once all of this
has been eliminated and you can identify the voice as authentic and not
background, then and only then should you begin your classification
process. I have captured the majority of my Class A Evp by using the
common Stationary Method where you simply set the recorder in a desired
area and leave it to do its job. I have also captured them by using the
Question & Answer method and this is a great way to help prove human and
spirit interaction. You decide which method is best for you. Make this
decision on your own and try not to be influenced by others. As long as
you hold the education and are aware of each method available, then you
are more then ready to make your own judgment and build your own
recording foundation. Class B Evp recordings are somewhat similar to a
Class A but are not clearly heard by all. These recordings are usually
mixed messages or jumbled words that the researcher can not clearly make
out. These are not always at a lower capture volume and are sometimes
just as audible or even more audible then a Class A. These seem to be
the second most common Evp capture and although some can be cleaned or
enhanced with software intervention, once a Class B always a Class B no
matter how clear it becomes. You simply can not change the
classification just because you weaseled your way into making it clear.
The original capture value needs to be respected. Sure, its fine to post
it saying it was cleaned or enhanced but be sure to let them know that
it required your assistance to make it legible; don't change the
classification just to suit your needs or reputation. Class B captures
can be some of the most frustrating little files you have ever
encountered, but then again, everyone enjoys a good challenge don't
they?

No one clearly knows or understands why some of the words are jumbled or
inaudible but this could be due to background interference, dimensional
barriers, recorder or microphone quality, or just plain signal
interruption. Personally, I have captured the majority of my Class B
files using the digital recorder during the Question & Answer method.
Although I really enjoy the challenge of these files, and hope you do as
well, please feel free to contact our Evp analysis department should you
become too frustrated or just want some simple clarification. We will be
more then happy to assist you in any way possible. Class C Evp captures
are, by far, one of the most common.

These files are mostly inaudible or very low whispers and usually
require software intervention. Many researchers simply "toss" these
aside, or even delete them entirely and I like to call this "Spirit
Prejudice". These files are just as important as the rest and should be
treated with just as much respect. If you were talking to an audience
and opened the floor for questions, but couldn't hear the question from
the person in the back of the room, what would you do? You would either
ask them to speak louder or go to that person directly. You wouldn't
just ignore them, would you? Well this is the same concept. Some of
these Class C Evp's can be enhanced enough to make sense, however others
just can't be helped. These files, however, should be kept on file
because as we talked about before, technology is creeping up on us and
who knows what the road ahead will bring us! There are several programs
out there with a wide variety of features to help you enhance or process
Evp files but please don't overuse them, or use them as a crutch. These
are simple tools and should be treated as such. Use them wisely. At
Haunted Voices we offer advanced lessons specifically for this purpose.
And although we use and recommend © Adobe Audition, this is not for
everyone; it is expensive and not in every person's budget. I have also
used programs like wavepad © and Gold Wave © that can be great
tools. Through available demo's you will find what works best for you
and your budget. Remember, on the website, help is just a click away if
you need it.

The Class X Evp is a new classification created by Haunted Voices and
means Reverse or "Unknown". Reverse meanings contained in Evp have been
around since the discovery of Evp but not quite researched or grasped
until Hypnotherapist David John Oates discovered it in 1983 by finding
reverse meanings in human speech. This seems to apply with Evp as well
and although some claim it has no merit, I am a firm believer in its
existence. To this day, I continue to research it further. For example,
you may have captured a Class A Evp with a forward meaning of, "Can you
help me?", but when this is reversed using software, you may hear a
hidden meaning such as, "Cross over", or "To the light". Basically, the
spirit is using a double statement somehow and actually saying two
separate messages in one Evp. These meanings although rare, have
occurred, and I was quite skeptical about them myself until it happened
to me personally. Some of these Class X reversals do sound like
"gibberish" or "garbled" and some feel it is all in our heads, but can
they say for sure? No, they sure can't and that is what keeps us
battling for the truth of the phenomena and why we should respect it
more then we do.

To me, reverse meanings in an Evp are not demonic, back masking, or
subliminal occurrences, but something that simply can not be explained.
Could this be a dimensional flip? Possible frequency change or just
timing? No one knows why this occurs and that is what makes is so
intriguing to us. So, do not judge a person by their beliefs, as this is
not the answer. In fact, all you will find in doing so is the loss of a
possible friendship. To find out even more about reverse speech I
strongly recommend you visit David's website at www.reversespeech.com
and make your own judgments. In closing, we all have our own theories
and methods for capturing Evp. None of them are "set in stone", they are
our opinions gathered from experience, results, and overall
communication with others. Be your own judge and before you step out the
door to start recording, don't just hit the record button and sit there
and tap your foot; prepare yourself with education. In this field,
knowledge is power and power is the key to unlock the answers we are all
looking for.

Last, but not least, please remember the pioneers that made this
fantastic phenomenon known to us all. Respect their research and
findings, and use them, as they are not broke just forgotten and lost
with today's fast growing technology. As the old saying goes "If it
ain't broke, don't fix it"; simple words for a powerful meaning.