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At a recent meeting of my local paranormal group, the topic of using white noise during a paranormal investigation to enhance the netting of EVPs was discussed.

If you read the definition of white noise connected to the paranormal you will come away with the idea that white noise is a combination of sound frequencies just like the color white is a combination of all color frequencies. White noise is thought to mask other sounds, which in turn is thought to make it easier to catch and hear EVPs more clearly.

To clarify this further I refer to these passages from the Long Island Paranormal Investigators (http://liparanormalinvestigators.com/whitenoise.shtml ):

There are two theories on the use of white noise for EVP ghost investigations:

Theory 1

Using white noise during  EVP investigations relies on the random sound reorganization theory of EVP formation. That theory holds that entities take sounds in the ambient environment and somehow reorganize them into coherent words for us to hear. By providing a white noise source (or at least investigating near a white noise source) you are providing a base of raw sound ("raw material") for the entity to use to form communication. However, a significant drawback to use this technique the white noise can be hard to filter out later when you analyze your recordings and can thus contaminate an otherwise good EVP recording.

White noise can be made from many sources. As previously mentioned, a radio set to an empty channel, an electric fan or similar motor, the babbling of a stream or a running faucet are all good sources of white noise. Additionally, there are white noise generators available (often sold as sleep aids) and software that will generate a white noise signal from a PC.

Theory 2

This theory is that white noise can be used to filter out background noise or enhance EVPs when listening to recordings. To use white noise in this manner place the EVP recorder player (or speaker) on one side of you and the white noise source on the other sides. Stand (or sit) in the middle and turn both on. As you listen to the recording the white noise source will either filter out background noise on the recording and/or enhance any EVPs captured.

There is some evidence this may work. Noise canceling headphones are based on a similar principle. These types of headphones play low levels of white noise through the speakers to filter out surrounding noise and enhance the quality of the audio. Some EVP researchers and paranormal investigators use noise canceling headphones and find them very helpful.

After the meeting, I took the time to speak with some local investigators to get their opinions of the white noise theory. Those opinions ran 50/50 for the most part with some investigators feeling it was attracting and others, distracting which to me validated the two theories stated above. Some of this was based on the use of other equipment and as would be obvious since some had more elaborate equipment which they felt gave them the best results. Of those who actually tried using white noise in investigations approximately 25% of those interviewed felt they had success using white noise.

While thinking about white noise my mind drifted over to the Ghost or Spirit Box. The Ghost Box is another technical application used in paranormal research. It was invented by Frank Sumption in 2002 who created it for the purpose of listening to disembodied intelligences of any kind. According to https://ocprstoronto.wordpress.com/ :

The Ghost Box utilizes what is thought to be “white noise” …  along with an AM (Amplitude Modulation) radio receiver, from which the radio amplitudes (or channels) are quickly swept through, back and forth like a scan. When questions are asked, it is thought that these sweeps across the various AM channels provide an electronic voice for spirits/extraterrestrials, who can then answer the living. In other words, the Ghost Box provides real-time communication with the spirits of the dead or extraterrestrial intelligences.

If you an avid viewer of paranormal investigation shows on TV then you know it is a popular item with those investigators who come up with some uncanny and creepy results. Some argue that the Ghost Box does not use white noise. Skeptics say that the Ghost Box is scanning through AM channels producing jumbled names, places, and numbers etc. that are commonly broadcast and therefore is NOT white noise by definition. Many psychologists debunk all of these theories by stating that when people listen to white noise, EVPs or the Ghost Box they are only experiencing Pareidolia which is a type or misperception where a listener merely wraps logic around what they are hearing to have it make sense. Some believe that the Ghost Box is a fraud that misdirects valid paranormal investigation.

There are many colors of noise - white, black, pink, brown, blue, violet, grey, green and red. I have not some across any info with regards to these and paranormal investigations. Here is a link to Wikipedia for those readers who are interested : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_noise