analog gear was not as good as digital at the time, so the belief that analog is always better than digital arose. David often uses long echo delays to help create a his big, smooth, and liquidy solo tones. These are 5 note scales, pretty much the simplest scale a guitarist could use. It is a great example of what David calls "triplet time" delay playing, which is actually dotted eighth notes. With that said, the rest of the article is designed to . Delay times vary by song but anything between 300mms and 600 makes a decent one size fits all. There are several modern Echorec style pedals, including a few with more accurate playback head controls than the Catalinbread, but the Cat Echorec is a fairly no nonsense, simple to use version that sounds great. Its more modern than the MXR, but it sounds just as good. verse: 360ms I demonstrate many of the unique sounds that can be created but playing repeating patterns in and out-of-tempo with the delay repeats, letting the repeats get to the point of self oscillating, tapping the strings with a glass slide, tapping the strings with my fingers and pick to create percussive effects, and rubbing my fingers and pick up and down the strings. The MXR 113 was released in 1976 and David first used it for Pink Floyd's Animals tour in 1977. La guida un lavoro in continua evoluzione ed in continuo aggiornamento. Some delays allow you to dial the volume level of the repeat louder than the signal level, which usually means 100% is when the knob is set to 12 o'clock. Most digital delays create an accurate, pristine repeat that only decays in volume with each repeat, not in quality. 20K views 9 years ago My Delay settings for Run Like Hell as played by David Gilmour, Pink Floyd. Tim Renwick solo: 520ms, Louder Than Words: Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. To get the 4/4 time delay, simply multiply 126.7 x 4 = 506.8ms. studio . David Gilmour Delay / Echo - Kit Rae The shorter delay fills in the gaps between the longer delay repeats, creating a smooth delay sound, but the delay time on both makes the repeats fall inline with the song tempo. As the song plays on I dial the delay volume and number of repeats higher and higher. I have two units, and I have different echo settings on both. which is what gives the verse section that floaty, ethereal feel. 560ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 25% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow Solo - Strat Pack version: In 2006 the dry signal split off at the end of his pedal board signal chain into two separate loops, each going to a separate delay. Treble: 4-5. It is impossible to achieve the exact same tone as a player without using the same equipment. Often what I hear in the recordings is just natural room or hall reverb. It still retained the warmth of the original signal rather well, but there is no high end roll-off in the repeats, so it is not "warm" analog delay in that regard. 2nd delay 94ms. Some are actually too high quality for my personal taste. Reverb was also added at the mixing desk when recording or mixing. first solo: 340ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats Both delays are in series with the delay volume around 75% and about 9 repeats. David Gilmour's delay sounds - YouTube Its hard to give an estimate as every pedal will respond differently. David and Roger Waters each had one of these amps but I think the only other recorded example of it being used was for the BBC performance of Embryo in 1968. extended version solo: 430ms, Rattle That Lock - 2016/15 Live version: Breathe Intro Using One Delay - One 440ms delay with 4-5 repeats also works well. As the magnetic tape began to wear out and stretch over time, the repeats would start to degrade and sound dirty and warbly. When I'm recording I'll often set them in tempo to the track, so although they are just acting as an echo, the echo is rhythmic in away and has a triplet and the 4/4 beat in it. The simplest option is to use an online Beats Per Minute caculator, like, - David from Guitar Player Magazine, November 1984, I have a bunch of pedals - 4 DDL's - which I use in different combinations, MXR Digitals and the little Boss DD2'sI usually have one DDL with a short single slap on it. L channel -- 650ms with a single repeat, then another single repeat at 1850ms. Dec 23, 2015. 3. For example, when he played Time for Pink Floyd's 1994 tour he used a TC 2290 Digital Delay and the dual delays from a PCM 70 delay. For example, I compared the 5.1 surround sound mix of the second On an Island solo with the solo in Castellorizon (from David's 2006 On an Island album). When he began using digital delays in 1977 he started to use longer delay times and specific times to rhythmically work with the song tempos. 530ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats, Coming Back To Life: This 3/4 and 4/4 delay can be used for more than just some Echorec effects. Syd's theme: 375ms and 500ms 310ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats The primary delay sounds best when in time with the heartbeat tempo in Time, usually somewhere around 240 - 250BPM (beats per minute). second solo: 560ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, On An Island - 2006 live versions: Its a famous echo unit used by many artists, and useful for varying instruments. 520ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats, Obscured by Clouds: HOW TO FIND THE PROPER DELAY TIMES - You can go here for a song-by-song list of Gilmour's delay times, but it is easy to find a delay time that works with a song tempo, even if you can't clearly hear the echo repeats when listening. The fill patterns played in the verse section sound dry, with almost no delay. Using Program position 3 for that part also works. Make David Gilmour's Shimmering Sustained Delay in Live These effects combined with Gilmours guitars, amps, and more importantly, his fingers, all add up to the legendary sound we love, and the signature sound that will send any 40+ year old into a state of ecstasy if it comes on the radio. The S-O-S unit was basically a buffered interface with two send/returns. third solo (after dry solo): 380ms -- feedback: 2-3 repeats. verse / chorus: 435ms, Wearing the Inside Out: It is actually dotted-eighth-notes, or one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. Sound Like Pink Floyd: Amp Settings And Gear Guide I just played the bass through it and made up that little section, which we then stuck on to a bit of tape and edited in. How to Sound Like Dave Gilmour - Guitar Lessons London The Mode switch is in position 7, which is Head 3 + Head 4. He used both in his 1980s live rigs, and continued to use the MXR System II up until 2016. Then I play just the muted note rhythm so you can hear what it sounds without the delay, then I turn the delay on while playing. USING TWO DELAYS TO MIMIC AN ECHOREC - David stopped using the Echorec live after 1977. One day, Roger decided to take some of the techniques that I was developing and try them out himself on bass. I list a number when I can clearly hear them, otherwise 4-5 repeats is usually close. 3rd solo: 430ms, Money solos - 2015/16 live version: Starting with the finer details of the setup's tone like amp EQ and drive pedal levels and EQ will help you hear everything much more clearly before adding all the delay and reverb. - David Gilmour, Guitar World magazine. HOW DO I REPLICATE THAT SMOOTH GILMOUR DELAY SOUND? Speaking from personal experience, furthering my understanding of tone has simultaneously been one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences of my life. Verse / Chorus : TC 2290 Digital Delay: 430ms It helps to have the echo repeats of the first delay fall right in between, or on the repeats of the second delay, so it has a rhtmic feel. He did sometimes use the Swell mode. I think the 2290 mode on the Flashback does very well for playing anything Gilmour, and if you check out some of Bjorn Riis's Floyd jams on . outro: 340ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V (Binson Echorec): He did sometimes use the Swell mode. Too much can severely alter your guitar tone before it hits the amp, washing out the definition and clarity. David would play a chord, raise the volume pedal to send the signal into the SDE 3000, then lower the volume back to to zero to kill the input signal. Echorec Style Delay Jamming - 428ms and 570ms. 5 A.M. : 1st delay 470ms. Below is a link to a song-by-song list of Gilmour's delay settings, compiled from measuring the echo repeats in official releases and bootlegs of live recordings, and from delay times visible on the LCDs of his digital delays. All these effects can be heard in most of Pink Floyds discography. Run Like Hell with 380ms and 507ms delay in series - first is 380ms delay in the left channel, then 380ms+507ms in the right channel. studio album solo: 275ms Listening to the trails specifically, something a little darker like a DM-2 would do it. All rights reserved. David was very much in control of his sound system We rarely added effects to his guitar in the control room. Bass: 5-6. He notoriously used a Binson Echorec for his delays, and many other vintage pedals and studio outboard gear to achieve his tone. We are a participant in several affiliate programs including but not limited to the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. solo: 400ms, Raise My Rent: The Blue - 2016/15 live version: tremolo effect for middle section: 294ms delay, 7-8 repeats / tremolo with gated square wave, depth set to maximum, and speed set for Even though the DD-2 delay chip only produced a 12 bit sample, the circuit blended part of the clean signal back in, producing a crisp, accurate digital repeat. This is something us Gilmour fans have sought to recreate in our own playing. I used a Free the Tone Future Factory delay set for 300ms and long repeats. That may be just my fantasy; I don't know. The plate reverb sound is the best to use for Gilmour tones in my opinion, but minimally. This unit can also be heard on the The Wall album. 8-10 repeats on each delay. Great, lets get started. solo (Pulse): 490ms, Astronomy Domine - Pulse version (MXR Digital Delay System II for solo) You can use two delays in series (one after the other) or in parallel (each in a seprate signal path) to get David's multi-head Echorec style repeats. It's actually a metallic disc that spins around. DD-500 Settings for David Gilmour Style Lead Guitar Delay The Boss LS-2 Line Selector, Xotic Effects X-Blender, Lehle Parallel, and Badger Schism are a few that do the job. The tempo is much slower, but the delay is played in 3/4 "triplet" time, exactly like RLH. David's Echoes delay time of 300ms, one for the delay in Time, and 423ms in the display. David used a Binson Echorec for his delay at the time DSOTM was recorded, but the Binson cannot create a delay as long as 440ms. I think what makes the solo stand out is that it is dead on the beat which isn't as typical for Gilmour. . The Tone From Heaven: SETTINGS Blue Light Riff - with and without delay. Once you have that, turn the feedback down so there are only about 3-6 repeats, adjust the delay volume to suit the song, and you are ready to go. To truly delve into David Gilmour's sound, you'd need to do a lot of research and buy a lot of vintage gear. To figure a 4/4 dealy time to work with any 3/4 triplet delay time, you can split the 3/4 time delay into thirds. CATALINBREAD ECHOREC - One of my favorite simple Echorec style delays is the Catalinbread Echorec. DELAY SETTINGS - Most of the delay times David Gilmour used in the early 1970s with Pink Floyd were around 300ms long, since that was the approximate delay time of head 4 on the Binson Echorecs he was using at the time. David played the first bass guitar you hear and Roger Waters played the second that comes in immediately after. David bought an Echorec PE 603 model in 1971 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. They averaged from 290-310ms. He also used an Echorec PE 603 model from 1971-75 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. 650-680ms were occasionally used for long delays. It also stems from the fact that analog equipment is frequently much more expensive than it is worth. To add space to your tone, add a clean digital delay at the end of your signal chain. Below are a few of the rare examples of David using the Echorec in multi-head mode from 1973 and 1975. Tweaking the delay time was simply more tweakable on the MXR Digital Delay. The tempo used in this demo is slightly too. second solo: 490ms, What Do you Want From Me? - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Hey You - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Money solo - studio version - multiple guitar tracks were recorded with different delay times (Binson Echorec 2 and Binson PE603): Money solos - live 1977 version (MXR Digital Delay System I): Money solos- Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): One of These Days studio version (Binson Echorec): One Of These Days - 2015/16 live version: On the Run (The Traveling Section) - early live guitar version from 1972 (Echorec PE 603): On The Turning Away - 1991 live Amnesty International Big 3 O version: On The Turning Away - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Poles Apart - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Rattle That Lock - 2016/15 Live version: Run Like Hell - two guitars multi-tracked (delay used was likely the MXR M113 Digital Delay): Run Like Hell - 1984 live versions - two delays in series, each with a different delay time (MXR M113 Digital Delay and Boss DD-2): Run Like Hell - Delicate Sound of Thunder and Pulse - two delays in series (TC 2290 Digital Delay for main delay + 2290 ADT effect): Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V (Binson Echorec): Shine On You Crazy Diamond VI-IX (Binson Echorec): Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V - 1987-89 live version: Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V - 1994 live / Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V Syds theme - 2016/15 Live version: Short and Sweet - David Gilmour live 1984 version (Boss DD-2): Sorrow Solo and intro/outro - Delicate Sound of Thunder version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Sorrow Intro / Outro - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Sorrow Solo - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Time - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Time - Delicate Sound of Thunder version (TC 2290 Digital Delay) : Us and Them - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): *While I did a ton of work figuring out many of these delay times, a big thanks goes to Raf and the fine folks at the.