How to Hear a Ghost

For decades, paranormal researchers have been recording enigmatic voices on audiotape. Called electronic voice phenomena - or EVP - these strange-sounding voices have been captured using ordinary tape recorders and cassette tapes. Often these researchers venture out into cemeteries or allegedly haunted houses. Sometimes the voices seem to respond to questions asked by the researchers, but often they are unprompted. In every case, however, the voices are not heard at the time they are recorded. Oddly, it is not until later when the researchers play the tape back - often with amplification or filtering - that the voices can be distinguished.

Are they ghosts? Voices from another dimension? Something else? What they are exactly is a matter of debate, but there's little denying that they are there - and completely unexplained.

If you'd like to experiment with EVP, all you need is a portable cassette tape recorder and some new high-quality cassette tapes. Make sure you use new tapes because you want to avoid any possibility of having voices or noises previously recorded on the tape.

World ITC offers these tips for successful EVP:

* Use an audiocassette recorder with an external microphone and a source of mild white noise, such as a radio tuned between stations. (Or, as other researcher have done, you can also experiment with the quiet of a cemetery or house; just be sure it is far from traffic noises that might interfere with the recording.)
* Place the microphone a few feet from the radio.
* Turn on the tape recorder and introduce the session. For example: "Good morning. It's Tuesday October 31, 11:59 p.m. I welcome all spirits." Then ask three or four questions.
* Replay the taped sequence and listen closely. A set of earphones can help make the short, faint voices more audible.

While some people are lucky enough to get a clear EVP on their first try, others might find that it takes several weeks or even months of experimenting to achieve success. World ITC says, "As you conduct voice experiments on a regular basis, the voices might get louder and clearer as your contact field (the field of thoughts, feelings and life energies between you and your spirit friends) grows stronger. It requires a clear mind, focused intent, positive thoughts, and a balanced temperament to ensure the best possible results." The World ITC website also provides information for capturing EVPs on computers and minidisc recorders.