EVP stands for 'Electronic Voice Phenomenon'.

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In a nutshell, this is the unwitting manifestion of anomalous sounds on-to audio recording equipment.

Nothing is heard at the time of recording. These anomalous sounds only become apparent upon playback. This is because they are of frequencies that the human ear cannot detect in the moment.

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Quite often the sounds are voices, sometimes coherant, often not. I have recorded other sounds too, including clear dog barks, and recorder music. They are NOT echoes from what we would deem to be 'the past' - these are intelligent, and very much 'in the room', as it were, which throws up many questions.

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Through my work and continued studies, I can without doubt declare that my captures (despite sceptical wishes) are not the following:

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* stray radio waves transmitted from an outside device picked up by my recorder. It would be a pretty dismal professional device if it picked stray waves up as easily as that! 

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* thought imprinting - the idea being that i'm so desperate to 'hear voices' that I basically will them into being. Say no more. Literally!!

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* subconscious imprinting  - same as above, really, except that I am not aware that I want to hear these sounds. Which begs the question, why then, would I?

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* employment of the false vocal cords - same as above, except that rather than just think these things into being, I would go into some sort of trance and begin to 'speak' the voices themselves. With EVP no sounds are heard at the time, so this is an irrelevant theory. Often I am speaking whilst recording and I'll be spoken over by EVP.

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* audio paredoilia - mistaking a random sound for a voice or other noise.

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* fakery - That I am fabricating all of this for some weird kick. No, sorry. I have no time for anyone who thinks that faking is ok, I never have and never will. Everything you get from me is 100% genuine.

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Note:​

Regarding thought imprinting and subconscious imprinting, firstly, wouldn't this ability (to think something and have it manifest as clear audio) solve a whole host of problems?! Why, we wouldn't need courts, interviews, judges, news, questions.... 

Peter Bander, editor and publisher who famously worked with EVP pioneer, Konstantin Raudive, remarked that, "...it would be akin to the proverbial chimpanzee sat at the grand piano, playing all of Beethoven's piano sonatas, in order and note perfect.". So not impossible, but....

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I liken the possibility of thought/subconscious imprinting as being the source of EVP, as akin to myself winning two lotteries every day until I die. Not impossible, but let's be honest, it's not going to happen!

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The most likely pitfall into which anyone studying EVP might fall, is audio paredoilia or audio matrixing, in which we mistake random sounds for voices. Our brains desperately want to make sense of sound, as it benefits our safety and survival. However, a few listens to 'Class A' EVP captures will demonstrate just how wrong this 'debunking option' can be. True, not all EVP is crisp, loud, and clear - but some are, and therefore it takes just a little care during recording and at the time of listening back, to ascertain if something has accidentally slipped through the net. With the ability to slow and amplify clips, even to reduce the fuzz surrounding captures, proving that EVP is just that, is now much easier to do than in the days of Jurgenson, Raudive, and the like.  I always say that if in doubt, throw it out.

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EVP was first accidentally discovered in 1953 by Friedrich Jurgenson, who was attempting to record birdsong from the window of his country residence in Sweden. Jurgenson did indeed record birds, but also a male commenting that the bird was "a Swedish finch", and also a female, calling Jurgenson by his childhood nickname of Friedel. She also declared herself to be his mother.​

Upon sharing this recording with family, it was verified that the female had indeed been Mrs Jurgenson. The thing was, she had been dead for five years at this point.

At the time of recording Jurgenson had been alone, and nobody had been outside the window or nearby. This was not the last time that Mrs J would crop up on recordings, speaking directly to her son. After these sessions, Jurgenson dedicated the rest of his life to what was then called, 'Voice Phenomenon'. These days we've added the 'E' for 'electronic'.

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Jurgenson's work inspired other great pioneers within the field, namely Konstantin Raudive, Adolf Holmes, Hans Bender, Peter Bander (was an out-and-out sceptic until he received his own message from his deceased mother), and today's Godmother of EVP, Dr. Anabela Cardoso.

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Within the phenomenon of EVP, even stranger things reveal themselves. Such as the time two recorders captured briefly, two entirely different things. Then the occasions in which a capture should have made sense, being strong and clear with good vocal tone... but only on flipping the clip, was the true message revealed. The sorts of occurrences that flip world views on heads, and hint heavily that what we 'know' to be possible in our own reality, can be broken and sent spinning. Things that shouldn't be possible, can be. Time is not linear, and if my EVP work has taught me anything, it's that somehow, within the workings of our own planet and atmosphere, something else is at play - and sometimes, very occasionally, we get privileged peeks through into what Jurgenson referred to as 'the 4th dimension'. 

And does it answer the greatest question of all - is there life after death? 

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I firmly believe that EVP showcases the high possibility of the continuation of the consciousness post physical death. And yet, these are not the voices 'of the dead'. These are the voices of those who have been through death, and who seem to exist on another level, somehow. This is now all about death - more about where life has been lived. Death seems to be the trigger to initiate many forms of phenomena associated with 'the paranormal', EVP being just one. 

 

This is what I investigate, this is what I study, and hope to continue doing so, for many years to come. Answers would be great - but right now, I have SO many questions! 

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Ann.