PRIVATE PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS
GHOST INVESTIGATION TEAM
Some Notes 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.
At GITUK, we like simple and easy to understand, so we use the AA EVP classification method.
During an investigation, we haven't the time to explain in the field that we have just received a Class DC, Level 2, ERV EVP, it's a bit of a mouthful and not everyone does this ghost busting malarky full time enough to remember all that guff off the top of there head, and then to reel it off at a haunted location.
If I was writing up my PhD I would use the SHGGRS EVP classification, as it would clarify as to what extent the audible capture was and explain it in a dissertation paper so any examiner would know what the hell it was I was going on about.
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There is another classification system, I think this was made up because the other two above had been done already and these wanted to create there own for no doubt fame and fortune in the paranormal community,
We haven't seen or heard of this classification system used ever, and no doubt, you wouldn't have heard of it either.
We accidentally came across this classification as we were researching this article, so is for information only.
The KM Scale - EVP Classification
CLASS 1 – INTERACTIVE -
Spirit voice is a direct response to a human statement, question, action, activity, or spirit voices respond to each other: • Most or all of the words are clear and intelligible, with or without headphones. • Spirit voice communicates comprehensible and existentially meaningful expressions of thoughts, feelings, emotions, opinions, actions, or intentions.
CLASS 2 – NON - INTERACTIVE -
Voice is a general statement and not a direct response to a statement, question, action, or activity, by humans: • Most or all of the words are generally clear and understandable, with or without headphones. • Spirit voice communication is comprehensible and existentially a meaningful expression of thoughts, feelings, emotions, opinions, actions, or intentions.
CLASS 3 – NON - SPEECH -
Spirit voice is a sound other than the spoken word: • Growls, screams, humming, etc. • Musical instruments, TV, radio, concerts, footsteps, rapping, banging, barking, etc.
CLASS 4 – NULL EVP - VALUELESS -
The EVP contains nothing of value in understanding the spirit realm or spirit psychology
• Words are unintelligible, with or without headphones.
• Spirit voice does not communicate comprehensible and existentially meaningful expressions of thoughts, feelings, emotions, opinions, actions, or intentions, although the word(s) may be intelligible.
A NOTE FROM GITUK.UK: The classification 4 that the KM scale dismiss as valueless??? Can they tell me then, who or what spirits are creating these EVP inaudible or intelligible words you are capturing???? and they recommend you use this scale??? We recommend you definitely DO NOT USE IT.
The authors of the KM scale wrote:
While the quality of the EVP recording is important, it is the potential message contained within it that is of the utmost value in discovering more about life after death. Therefore, this EVP naming conventions approach the classification of EVP primarily from the standpoint of how meaningful they are in helping humans to understand the spirit realm and spirit psychology, rather than simply how intelligible the EVP maybe (although this is included).
Please note that EVP by definition are voices and/or sounds captured on recorded media and not voices and/or sounds heard audibly.
The goal of the following conventions is to make the classifying of EVP as objective as possible in order to minimize researcher subjectivity.
The Dimension Zone, In the Shadows Paranormal Project, and the Journal of Anomalous Sciences all recommend using the KM Scale as the primary means of classifying EVP.
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The whole idea of giving an EVP a scale is to convey to other members of your team how clear the responses you are receiving, especially if you are doing an alone vigil, or if you have a hub/nerve centre, they can immediately relay to you the value of your responses, the quickest way to do this is using as we thoroughly recommend the AA-EVP method.
After analysing your EVP evidence at home, you could use the SHGGRS EVP classification and this would explain in more detail and adds to the credibility of your captures this will give extra validation to the evidence you provide your client, or to your peers for review.
Before you can analyse any of your responses, you would have had to have asked a question first to enable a spirit voice response to capture.
There are no wrong questions to ask, but in our experience, it is best to keep the question short and expect a short response.
You will have a greater experience and receive more relevant answers, than random responses to the questions that you ask, validating the session as a true "active" entity/spirit response to that of a "residual" EVP response.
We cover the types of response here as to what is an active haunting to that of a residual haunting depending on the responses to your questions or captures in the ether.
When the first EVP reviews were originally written between the early recording devices of the 1900s, they are nowadays very much outdated with the types of equipment we currently utilise in 2018 and beyond, compared to the equipment what was first used in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and even the year 2000 when conducting our investigations using ITC. Older analogue devices are less clear, and you are governed to the length of time you can use the equipment depending on the length of your audio tape on your reel.
We now use digital recorders for EVP, SLS cameras for capturing spirit manifestation, a range of EMF meters for energy spikes, laptop computers, Spirit boxes PSB7, PSB11, SBox devices, Paranormal Puck, Ovilus, Rem Pods, EVP software, tablet computers the tech is growing and always evolving, the early pioneers in our profession would be in amasement with the research equipment we have at our disposal today (2018).
IMPORTANT: Don't forget to check the audio from your video cameras for EVPs, you will be surprised at what your cameras will pick up.
In the early days of EVP to look at the waveform they would have had to use machines called oscilloscopes, today we download the EVP on to a laptop use specialist software where we can see the waveform, perform voice analysis and clean up, stretch, slow down, speed up the speech, take out background noise so we can get clear audio of the EVP capture and what is being said can be heard more clearly.
We have a classification system for what does makes a good EVP,
EVP classification or classifying Electronic Voice Phenomenon varies, as different EVP classification scales may be used by ghost investigation groups.
EVP are ghostly voices recorded from, typically 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 spirit voices; thus an EVP classification scale becomes important.
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The AA-EVP Classifications
Sarah Estep, the founder of AA-EVP, created the "Estep EVP Classification System." In Sarah's chart, there are 3 types of EVP as a grading standard.
This is probably the easiest to understand and the most popular classification used by ghost investigators in the field.
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."
Classification Inaudible:
You can audibly hear a voice but you cannot make out what spirit is saying, this can be as loud and as clear as a "Class A EVP" or as faint and whispery as a "Class C EVP", these will always be classed as "Inaudible EVP".
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The SHGGRS EVP Classification System
Strange Happenings Ghost And Hauntings Research Society also came up with their preferred version of EVP classification that may be used to further define EVPs recorded.
(Probably better to use this type of classification if you are back home analysing your evidence in slow time).
They chose to break down the EVP classification by type, level, and response clarification.
The following is the list of classes, levels and categories that may be used:
Classes
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 received.
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 a 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.
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the classification of evp
GITUK SAYS......
"Use the AA-EVP method of classifying EVP, it's simple, reliable and we all know what it is and means."