A - record of control knocks; B - recording of poltergeist knocks
Poltergeist phenomena, as a rule, can be expressed in manifestations of a different nature, including acoustic ones. We are talking here about a variety of sounds, the source of which cannot be determined. In the latest issue of the journal of the Society for Psychical Research, an article was published by Dr. Barry Colvin, in which the author pointed out the characteristic features of sounds recorded during the active phase of a poltergeist
Of the acoustic phenomena, in the descriptions of individual cases of poltergeist, the most common mentions of mysterious knocks - from weak, but no less unnerving residents of apartments and houses covered by an epidemic of devilry, to rooms shaking the walls. Knocks can be periodic in nature and be tied to a specific time of day, and their indeterminate source can move in space and be tied to various objects. It was the frequent manifestations of the knocking poltergeist that caused the emergence of an alternative name for this phenomenon - "drum" (from the words "drum", "drummer").
Dr. Colvin analyzed 40 years of worldwide audio recordings of knocks in cases of suspected poltergeist activity. The earliest entry was made in 1960 by a Scottish physicist, the most recent is from the London 2000 poltergeist case. Also selected were the recordings of the sounds of the famous 1977-79 poltergeist incident in Anfield, north London. In total, ten separate recordings, recorded on various recording devices, were subjected to scrutiny. The study showed that each of them contained sound samples, the origin of which is still unclear. Attempts to reproduce them using conventional methods ended in failure.
Comparison with recordings of knocks made in natural ways showed that the overall picture of the sound row in both groups is significantly different. Control recordings showed a perfectly normal acoustic pattern: sound, usually lasting a few milliseconds, starts out loud and gradually fades away over time. The loudest part of the sound starts at the very beginning. In the case of poltergeist knocks, this sound phase is located at the beginning, but not at the very beginning. The sound begins relatively quietly, then rises to a maximum and then begins to fade. This effect was found in all ten records analyzed.
Dr. Colvin: “Ever since I was personally involved in the study of the knocking poltergeist at Andover in Hampshire, where it was absolutely clear that there was no natural explanation for the phenomenon observed there, I constantly wondered if the recorded knocking was anything or different from those produced by conventional methods. It is now clear that they are certainly different."
On the question of the mechanism of occurrence of such sounds related to manifestations of poltergeist activity, there is an assumption that they are created directly inside the structure of the material of an object, and not on its surface, as would be the case in the case of knocks produced by conventional methods.
* Dr. Colvin's research was published in his article "Acoustic Features of Unexplained Rapping Sounds" in the latest issue of the Society for Psychical Research (Colvin, Barrie. The Acoustic Properties of Unexplained Rapping Sounds // Journal of the Society for Psychical Research. Vol 73.2, Nr 899, pp 65-93, 2010).
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