Ok, I was playing around with recording after reading the ghost thread and noticed something interesting. When I put my hands close to the mic, bass frequency increases. Allow me to illustrate. 1st, we have a regular waveform. No noise or anything, just plain.



Then, in the next waveform, I put move my hands around the mic. Each time my hand gets close, bass frequency increases. Furthermore, if I increase muscle tension in my hands, the amplitude becomes a tad louder (though not much). At no time did my hands touch the microphone (or anything else, for that matter... except of course to start the recording).



This is the same type of thing that electromagnetic interference would do (although usually at a higher frequency). So what does that mean? Hell if I know. Could simply be that my hands are causing certain frequencies to bounce into the mic more than others. But if that's the case, you would expect changes in pitch with different shapes of the hand, and that's not the case. The only thing affected is amplitude.

You can download the waves here.

u know I cant say for certain if there are ghosts, but like i've said in the past i'm open to the possibility. What freakes me out about that whole "white noise" moive and the EVP is it's not just static noise, you can actually make out people saying things at lower frequencies. And ok like you all pointed out it could be picking up radio frequencies or whatever but then why would someone be saying "get out, get out of my house" Meh it just gives me chills, it's really creepy. I dont know what exactly to believe. But that was a cool test u posted there

Laura

Think of it this way, when you hold a seashell to your ear, the sound inside it is just ambiant noise reflecting off of the sides... When you put your hands around the mic, it does the same thing, and your mic picks up on it. Tightening the muslces in your hands causes them to "bounce" the sound back harder, therefore increasing the volume of it.

More specifically, it's ambient sounds being absorbed, and creating harmonics as they bounce around.

I didn't put my hands around the mic. I simply move my hand toward the mic. If you cup your hands around the mic, you generally would get feedback, which is higher frequency.


[edit: I just did that, and nearly went deaf. Ugh.]

Also, depending on how sensitive your mic is, you might be recording your heartbeat.

But there's no buhbumpage. Just an amplitude change.

perhaps it could be the manipulation of air with the movements of your hands.

Simply moving your hands towards it has the same effect as cupping your hands around it, just on a much much smaller scale.

Your hands might have been charged.

I'm really a superhero...

>.>

Doppler effect.

Blue Shift

It's the blood in your hands!

We're all gonna die!

When I step near a radio that's on station that's hard to find, (you know the kind, the ones where you have to the the antennae just right) without touching or changing its position in any way, I loose the radio station. When I move away it work again. Probably something to do with my body's magnetism or something. It's weird.

I believe this has something to do with your body acting as an antennae... maybe.

You're getting in the way of the reception. :p

The radio is frightened by your advances.

The radio is in love with you, however it fears that you will reject it, and thus shuts itself off to not play for you.

Definitely a candidate.

Noticable magnetism properties...of the body?

That radio thing happens to me too. That's why I stopped listening to the radio.

...and going outside.

omg ghostradio

You are subconciously using the Force to bounce sound waves back at the mic? :p

The body works largely by small electronic impulses. Where there's electricity, there's magnetism. And that may (or may not) cause your body to act as an antenna.

...or as a deflector shield.

>.>
<.<

You're channeling the psychic communications of an elephant/alligator hybrid.

I knew it!

That's what happens. I do it all the time with my mp3 player radio, if I shift positions or raise my arms or legs I can get better reception.

Hee, I can just imagine you walking down the street, flailing your arms and legs in the air.

That's called The Mr. Bean Effect.

I personally think you must have an awful lot of free time to get bored enough to start playing with a microphone and tapping it... :p