EVP Recordings: Real Paranormal Voices Captured on Audio

An EVP, or electronic voice phenomenon, is a voice-like sound on an audio recording that nobody heard when it was recorded. EVPs are the most common type of evidence in paranormal investigation, and also the most argued about. Below, we explain what EVPs are, how investigators record them, the classes used to rate them, what skeptics say, and the EVPs our own recorders have picked up during LiveSciFi investigations, so you can listen and decide for yourself.

What Is an EVP?

EVP stands for electronic voice phenomenon. The term covers short words, phrases or sounds that turn up on playback of a recording when no one present spoke them. Investigators usually record during a question-and-answer session, leaving pauses for a reply, then listen back for anything that sounds like a response.

The idea goes back to the early twentieth century, but it took off in 1959 when Swedish film producer Friedrich Jürgenson said he heard voices on recordings of birdsong. Latvian psychologist Konstantīns Raudive went on to collect tens of thousands of recordings, and his 1971 book Breakthrough made EVP widely known. For a fuller history, read our guide to EVP, spirit voices, ghost boxes and ITC communication.

How Do You Record an EVP?

Most investigators use a handheld digital recorder. A typical session looks like this:

1. Record a few minutes of baseline audio so you know the normal sounds of the location.
2. State your name and the time, and "tag" any noise you make, such as a cough, a footstep or a passing car.
3. Ask short, simple questions and leave 10 to 20 seconds of silence after each one.
4. Play back the recording on site, and again later with headphones.
5. Note the exact timestamp of anything unusual, and get others to listen before telling them what you think it says.

That last step matters most. Once someone hears a suggested phrase, it is very hard to hear anything else.

EVP Classes: Class A, B and C

Investigators often grade EVPs by clarity:

• Class A: clear, and most listeners agree on what it says without being told.
• Class B: audible, but listeners disagree on the words.
• Class C: faint or distorted, and may be a whisper or just a sound.

Most of what any team records is Class B or C, and that is true of ours. Where our chapter notes say "interpretation," it means the words are not clear-cut.

Are EVPs Real?

There is no scientific proof that EVPs are voices of the dead. Common explanations include:

• Auditory pareidolia: the brain's habit of hearing words in random noise, especially once a phrase has been suggested.
• Radio and phone interference picked up by the recorder's circuits.
• Contamination: whispers, stomach noises, clothing and people outside the room.
• Compression artifacts from digital recorders, which can make noise sound voice-like.

Believers point to EVPs that answer a question directly, use a name nobody mentioned, or come through on several devices at once. Our approach is to tag noises as we go, play recordings back live, and let viewers hear the raw audio rather than a cleaned-up clip.

EVPs Captured During LiveSciFi Investigations

These are some of the EVP moments from our investigations:

• "Help me up" or "help me out"? (Halloween cemetery investigation, 34:17): the team plays back a recording and debates the words. Watch the moment
• A growl during playback (I Summoned ZoZo, 1:09:44): a growl-like sound is reported when the recorder is played back after the Ouija session. Watch the moment
• "We dig" at the Mackay Mansion (3:03:32): one of several voice-like recordings from our overnight in Virginia City. Watch the moment
• A threatening voice at the Mackay Mansion (3:24:41): the team plays back a voice they interpret as threatening. Watch the moment
• "Jesus Christ" at Old Tonopah Cemetery (56:56): from The Demon Files, a playback the team interprets as the name. Watch the moment
• A possible woman's voice near George's grave (1:06:05): a recorder session at a single grave in the same cemetery. Watch the moment

Play any of these moments in the player above, or browse every EVP moment in the archive below.

How We Review an EVP

Before we call something an EVP, we check whether anyone in the room spoke, whispered or moved, whether a radio or phone could have bled in, and whether the sound appears on other recorders running at the same time. We share the exact timestamp so viewers can listen for themselves, and many of our best catches were first flagged by viewers in the live chat.

EVP FAQ

What does EVP stand for?

EVP stands for electronic voice phenomenon: a voice-like sound captured on a recording that wasn't heard by anyone at the time.

What is the best recorder for EVPs?

Any digital voice recorder that saves uncompressed (WAV) audio works well. Many investigators prefer simple recorders without built-in noise reduction, since filtering can create or remove voice-like sounds. A good pair of headphones matters as much as the recorder.

What is the difference between an EVP and a spirit box?

An EVP is a voice heard only on playback of an ordinary recording. A spirit box scans radio frequencies so investigators can listen for words in real time. Read our spirit box guide for how that works.

Related reading: Paranormal Evidence Archive · Spirit box sessions · History of EVP and ghost box communication · Mackay Mansion: Haunted History