EVP Classifications

EVP
classification, or classifying electronic voice phenomena varies, as
different EVP classification scales are used by ghost investigation groups.
EVP are
ghostly voices recorded from typically within a haunted environment, and are
not usually audibly heard during the EVP recording session. It is important
to first understand that there are different qualities of ghostly voices,
thus an EVP classification scale is important.
Classification
A EVP:
"A clear and distinct voice or sound that is universally accepted and
undisputed, because it must be understood by anyone with normal hearing and
without being told or prompted to what is being said or heard. It can be
heard without the use of headphones."
Classification
B EVP: "A voice or sound that is distinct and fairly loud. This class of
voice is more common and can be heard by most people after being told what
to listen for. It is usually audible to experienced persons who have learned
the skill of listening to EVP. It can sometimes be heard without the use of
headphones."
Classification
C EVP: "A faint and whispery voice or sound that can barely be heard and is
sometimes indecipherable and unintelligible. It may have paranormal
characteristics, such as a mechanical sound. Most investigators would apply
objectivity and disregard it, but may save it for reference purposes."
Another version of EVP classification gives even better break down of the
EVP's recorded. They chose to break down the EVP classification by type,
level, and response clarification.
Let us begin
by listing the:
Class DC (direct communication): The ghost voice clearly answers a question
or directly responds to something said.
Class PC
(personal communication): The ghost voice clearly says something meaningful
directly to someone present.
Class RC
(random communication): A ghost voice that answers no direct question, does
not appear to be aimed at any particular person and doesn't make sense in
the context it was receive.
Levels:
Level 1: Loud, clear and easy to understand...sounds like natural speech
(including whispers and fast speech).
Level 2: Lower
volume and the voice is warped, but still discernable.
Level 3: Very
low volume, hard to understand and excessively warped.
Categories:
Morph: The voice and/or words of someone who is speaking is changed into
something else in the playback of the recording. Words that are different
than the person who spoke, or one voice changing to another, etc.
ERV (event
related voices): Events such as someone talking or coughing, or the sounds
of a passing train or car, etc. Seems to trigger the EVP.
TR (thread
related): One utterance is a comment on, or a response to, an utterance just
before. They are related by contextual thread. Examples would be hearing
two or more voices talking to each other, as well as a voice responding to
something previously said by itself and/or someone or something else.
CHR (chorale):
Two or more voices speaking at the same time, either saying the same thing
or something different.
Other
Information regarding EVP classification:
The AA-EVP found that most EVP messages are recorded more frequently in the
evening and/or during stormy weather (best times for ghost hunting). Most
EVP messages are typically short in length, preceded by a click or thud
sound, are usually in the language of the experimenter being delivered in a
single voice (male or female), and exhibit a frequency shift different from
the normal human voice frequency range.