What are EVPs?

*To hear the EVPs we've captured, click here

History and definition of EVPs:

"EVP" stands for electronic voice phenomena. The process of actively collecting EVPs has been experimented with since the 1950's, but have been reported since World War II when Norwegian radio operators encountered strange and confusing voices which they first thought were Nazi communications on other frequencies. Once the war was over and German communication records were seized, they could not find any note or existence of Nazi activity on those frequencies. And beforehand in the 1920's, Thomas Edison stated in several interviews that he believed it would one day be possible to develop a machine that would be able to communicate with the dead. He started inventing such a machine, but failing health halted his ideas and his invention went unfinished at the time of his death in 1931.

The person most associated with the discovery and recording of the first EVP is a Swedish opera singer and film producer named Friedrich Jurgenson in 1959. Jurgenson was out taping the sounds of birds' songs, and upon playback of his recordings he heard other unexplained voices, including that of his dead mother telling him that he is being watched. Jurgenson's findings remain unexplained to this day. However amazing his findings were, it wasn't until the 1970's that the collecting of EVPs became a legitimate part of paranormal research.

Theories explaining EVPs:

One theory explaining EVPs are that they are just the recorded voices or sounds made by ghosts that we cannot hear with our own human ears, but which can be picked up on a recording device. Another theory is that the dead are connecting mind-to-mind with the investigator, and that the investigator becomes a medium and mentally "projects" what the ghost is trying to communicate by imprinting it on the recorder.

What do I need to do an EVP session?

To use capture an EVP, all you need to do is get a voice recorder (digital or tape), find a location with a history of being haunted, push record, and ask some questions giving 10 to 20 second pauses in between questions. For a list of the equipment we use, click here. Make sure the area where you are going to do your session is quiet. Night time is usually the best because the amount of outside noise made from humans and animals tends to go down tremendously during this time. When listening to the playback, also listen in a quiet area. Use headphones during playback, because EVPs can sometimes be soft and hard to hear. Get a second opinion of your EVP and don't tell the person helping you what you thought you heard - if they come up with the same conclusion without you telling them what they are supposed to hear, you know you have a good EVP.

The conditions of your surroundings and the actions of your investigators needed to get great EVPs:

The manner in which you investigate during an EVP session can help you decipher what are and what aren't voices or noises being made by beings from another realm. Rules and tricks of the trade include:

No whispering of the investigators (this may be confused with an EVP later upon playback)
When recording, explain any loud or strange noises if they can be explained (i.e. "that noise you just heard was me knocking over the vase on the coffee table") so that they investigators listening to the playback later on won't be confused
Always do an initial recording of any investigators voices at the start of the session, so that way the people listening later are able to identify the difference between an investigator's voices and a paranormal one.
Always state when you are moving to a new area, and the current time. This helps investigators listening to the playback pin point when and where certain EVPs were picked up, so that further investigation or debunking can be done in the same area later.
Keep a log during the investigation, to note when you think a paranormal occurrence may have happened. This log also comes in handy during the playback of the recording.
Make sure your batteries are fully charged because you do not want them to go dead in the middle of a recording session. carry extra batteries with you, as the sessions can go between 4 and 6 hours.
Always be respectful of the area you are investigating (especially when in someone's home), and have respect for the spirits of the dead.
Try to move as little as possible when recording. Your pants legs brushing up against each other, or other slight movements by investigators could be picked up by the sensitive recorder and can be confused with strange paranormal whispers.

Types of questions to ask:

Here is a sample list of questions to ask. Keep in mind that you want to leave time in between each one in order to give the spirit time to answer. Also, when starting the session remember to let the spirits in the room know what you are going to do - inform them to speak into the recorder. Introduce yourself and let them know that you are here to help them, not harm them.

What year were you born?
Are you married?
What is your spouses name?
Do you have children?
How old are they?
What are their names?
What is your occupation?
Do you enjoy it?
How do you feel?
Do you need help?
Can we help you?
Is there anything in particular that you would like to say?
Do you know who we are?
How do you feel about us being here?
Can I take your picture?
Would you make a sound or knock to show us where you are?
Do you know today's date?
What year is it?
Is this your home?
How long have you been here?
Are you here all the time?
Why are you here?
Is there anyone else here?
What are their names?
Where were you born?
Did you grow up in this area?
Where did you live?
Do you have family here?
Are you upset that we are here?
Would you like us to leave?
Are you upset that the home owners are here?
Is this your home or business?

EVP classes and characteristics:

EVP Class A: Easily understood by anyone, with little dispute. They are often the loudest and require no audio amplification or filtering.

EVP Class B: This class of EVP is characterized by warping of the voice in some syllables. The EVP recording is often lower in volume or may seem at a greater distance than Class A. This is the most common class of EVP.

EVP Class C: This class of EVP is characterized by extensive warping. It is often the lowest in volume often at the volume of a whisper and is very difficult to understand.

EVPs we have captured:

M.C.P.I.'s EVPs can be heard on "Our Investigations" page

Also, you can listen to our EVPs on our Myspace account at: