BELTON CEMETERY - POSSIBLE EVP's

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Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) - Disembodied "voices" and sounds imprinted on audio recording devices....they are alleged to be from the dead. Reviewing the audio-tapes that we recorded at the Belton Cemetery, numerous strange sounds were found that needed to be examined further. They were listened to over and over again and reviewed for several of the investigators. Most were determined to be background noise (dogs barking, kids playing and screaming in their backyards, etc.) Some were determined to be things said by investigators... rather than being "disembodied voices." After a full analysis, we are left with one unexplained sound that could possibly be an EVP. Below you will find an sound clip that gives you several opportunities to hear the sound without amplification. Next, there is a sound clip that has been "amplified" using Audacity software. And finally, there is a third sound clip that reverses the sound. Each sound clip is clearly labelled with any alterations that have been made to it. POSSIBLE EVP #1 - BELTON CEMETERY - UNEXPLAINED This possible EVP was recorded near the Children's Section on a digital recording device. This was recorded by Stew, with Edward, Shawn, Dave, and myself present. The un-amplified version of this is a little "quiet." When you listen to the Unaltered Version of this MP3 file you will (barely) hear me saying, "I know...I'm just teasing." After that there is a few seconds of static, and then what sounds like a voice saying a short phrase. It is this apparent voice/phrase that is the possible EVP that is thus far unexplained. Stew set up this file so that the phrase repeats. This makes it easier for the listener to hear it several times in a row. So the phrase is repeated three more times, for a total of four times that it is played. There is silence between each repeated phrase, and each phrase is sloafter the initial play there is then a short silence and the unexplained phrase is repeated. Then another short silence and the phrase repeats again..but slowed down slightly. Then another short silence and the phrase repeats again...but slowed down even more. The phrase is repeated 3 times, for a total of 4 times that it is played. This Amplified Version of the MP3 file is much easier to hear. It follows the exact same pattern as the Unaltered Version. You hear me say, "I know...I'm just teasing." Then you hear the phrase, then it repeats three times...a little slower each time. Its easier to hear because I used the "Amplify" effect in the Audacity software. We weren't sure what to make of this unexplained sound that seemed to be a voice. For a quick experiment, Stew turned the sound around in reverse. The more you alter a possible the EVP, the more likely that you will create a pareidolia effect...and bring imagination and audio matrixing into play. But for the fun of it, here is the Reversed Amplified Version.... WAV files if you prefer: Unaltered Version, Amplified Version, Reversed Amplified Version Once you have listened to these MP3's, please Click Here to go over to our message board and read our theories as to what caused these sounds or what these sounds might be saying. While you are there, please take a few moments and post your own theory. We'd like to hear everyone's impressions. SOMETHING TO CONSIDER ABOUT EVP's When listening to audio tapes or reviewing photos and videos, its important to keep the following concept in mind: Pareidolia - (from Greek para, amiss, faulty, wrong + eidolon, diminutive of eidos appearance, form) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (usually an image) being mistakenly perceived as recognizable. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, seeing the man in the moon, and hearing messages on records played in reverse. Pareidolia can affect your perception of an image or visual stimulus...but it is also affect your perception of an auditory stimulus. Our brains are hard-wired to interpret sounds as something we recognize...and many times it will interpret sounds as voices. The sound of a bubbling creek will sound like chidren whispering. Tires screeching will sound like someone screaming. A door squeaking might sound like a small crying sound. Many factors can increase the chance of finding false positives while doing EVP work. The quality of the microphone, the protocol used while recording the audio tape, and the amount of filtering the audio goes through during analysis. Ultimately, the best EVP's are found on audio tapes recorded under the strictest of investigation standards and controls. The best EVP's would be ones that have not undergone manipulation of the sound quality, the direction of play-back, or the speed of the recording. And EVP's should be presented without telling the listener exactly what words he/she should be listening for, in order to eliminate the power of suggestion and to diminish somewhat the phenomenon of pareidolia. Having completed an analysis of the audio tapes we recorded at the Belton Cemetery, we can now say that none of the audio we collected provides conclusive evidence of paranormal activity during our 4-hour investigation. While the strange sound recorded near the Children's Section was interesting, the fact that there was so much noise polution in the cemetery from barking dogs, children playing in backyards, traffice, etc. makes the recording somewhat tainted. The sound remains unexplained, but does not constitute conclusive evidence. -Mark Stinson

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