Strange Audio Phenomena

It's to do with poorly shielded components, I think. My girlfriend's stereo does it, too, with regular radio stations. And it happens a lot with guitar amps, which can be fun.

Yeah, I pick up analog cordless phones on my guitar amp occasionally

My stereo speakers constantly channel a very distorted NPR-type radio station. They do it quietly, at least, but they do it whenever the stereo is on, regardless of system volume level. This isn't a problem when I'm listening to, say, Leviathan, but it pretty much kills quieter stuff. Was trying to listen to Charalambides IN CR EA SE last night, and it was fucking insufferable, what with all the static chatter in the background.

I live on Seattle's Capitol Hill, and know this is a problem in the area. Anybody have any (low cost) suggestions?

I love this, but it so rarely happens to me. I guess I haven't really got much to contribute to this thread then. *sigh*

Although, actually, while I'm here, I will point out that it often sounds like those 'ghost recording' machines. Can someone tell me if they are called EVP machines, as I am thinking, or is it something different?

I had this problem with radio frequencies on a big condenser mic in my home studio. Getting a really good, well shielded mic cable fixed the problem. For random signals coming through stereos, I'd reckon higher quality, well-shielded RCA cables and speaker wire would also do the trick, but that's not cheap. You could try moving your stereo to a different location in the room. That might help. Oh and checking the grounding. If you live in an old house or apartment, making sure you have well grounded electrical sockets can be key.

I used to have a pair of computer speakers about 10 years ago that would pick CB transmissions. I have a recording somewhere of one trucker asking another if he likes fried chicken.

On the subject of ghost recording, while not music, but photography, this might be the best coffeetable book ever: http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Medium-Photography-Occult/dp/0300111363/sr=8-1/qid=1172164040/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-1275963-5110305?ie=UTF8&s=books

This used to happen to me when I lived in the Toledo geto, but my stereo didn't even have to be ON: If it was just plugged into the wall, I'd get these incredibly loud CB xmissions.

God, what a fucked-up place. Toddlers running around downstairs at 3AM, screaming. Cops at the corner bar every other night. Broken windows the landlord wouldn't fix, and I caught a crazy disease that the docs never figgered out, which made me feel like a knife was being dragged thru my gut 18 of every 24 hours.

For a while at certain times of day my cheap 2-channel mixer would pipe crackling and barely audible Finnish radio into whatever I was listening to. I have a slight obsession with Finnish things and would happily listen to an hour of hissing detuned radio noise if it was released on a cool enough label, so the first time or two it was spooky, unexpected and wonderful. After that it quickly got annoying. I rearranged my cables a load of times trying to get rid of it to no avail, but one day it must have stopped happening.

I got the Ghost Orchid CD of EVP recordings for a quid from a bargain bin. At full price I'd have been a bit underwhelmed, because it's pretty hard to sit through and mostly leaves you thinking "that was supposed to be... what?", but it's an interesting thing to hear, and the booklet is fascinating. I can report that those in more fragile states of mind should probably not listen to it on loop while reading Philip K Dick books though. Oops.

(Hey, I had to pick "Ubik" up again after hearing the CD because I got wondering if bits of Ubik were inspired by EVP... the radio communications with dead relatives, the way the guy who runs the communication centre is called Schoenheit von Vogelsang and the first ever EVP recording was accidentally picked up by someone trying to record birdsong, PKD's obsession with psychics... uh, well, OK, I'll put the straws back now.)