That is an example where David seems to have set the delay speed by ear, rather than going by an exact Echorec formula. A little later he switched to the MXR Digital Delay. second solo: 380ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats, Comfortably Numb - 1986 live version / Columbian Volcano Appeal Concert: The Echorec playback heads were spaced so the input signal would repeat at specific intervals, adding delay repeats upon delay repeats. Shown below are my Boss delay time settings to replicate the Run Like Hell band demo recording sound. ONE OF THESE DAYS - One of the first recorded uses of Gilmour's "triplet" delay technique using a Binson Echorec was in the song One of These Days from Pink Floyd's Meddle album in 1971. second solo: 640ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats outro solo: 430-450ms, One of These Days studio version (Binson Echorec): But to sum up, both these digital units sound amazing, because if it didnt David Freakin Gilmour wouldnt be using them. Treble: 4-5. David also used the triplet delay setup on many other songs such as One of These Days from Pink Floyd's Meddle, Give Blood from Pete Townshend's White City, Blue Light from David's second solo album, About Face, The Hero's Return from Pink Floyd's The Final Cut, among others. David Gilmour has always made a very precise use of delays, since the early eras, even combining two delays to create his textures. You just tap along to the song tempo with your keyboard and it calculates the BPM tempo for you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. delay 1 time (main delay): 380ms -- feedback 8-10 repeats - delay level: 95% -- delay type: digital This is because the orchestra in Castellorizon is not loud enough to mask the repeats, but the band playing under the solo in On an Island certainly is. And lastly, youll want to mix it surprisingly quietly. This is something us Gilmour fans have sought to recreate in our own playing. Below is a breakdown of how to play this effect. 430ms, Faces of Stone - 2015/16 live version: The IC-100 tremolo was set to maximum depth and the trem speed was set so there are two pulses for every delay repeat. For most of his 2016 tour he used multiple delays for those parts, but switched to using a Boonar Multi-Head Drum Echo digital delay from Dawner Prince Electronics for the last few concerts. first solo: 450ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats -- delay level: 20% -- delay type: analog delay 2: 275-290ms -- feedback: 5-7 repeats - delay level: 25% -- delay type: analog, Short and Sweet - David Gilmour live 1984 version (Boss DD-2): Head 2 = 2/4 A 300ms and 380ms delay had the heads repeating in these specific delay times. Instead, it used a metal recording wheel. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND 1-5 settings. 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. Great Gig Slide Guitar Breakdown, Here's another, starting with the dry guitar in the left channel, then the right channel with the 440ms delay. Solo: 300ms. 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. first solo: 310ms -- feedback: 2-3 repeats. My sound has everything to do with what sounds good to me. Remember that these settings should just be used as a starting point. Verse / Chorus : TC 2290 Digital Delay: 430ms delay 1 time: 90ms The first is set in 3/4 time (dotted eighth notes) for about 8 echo repeats at exactly 380ms, or three repeats for every song beat. Multiply that x3 to get the 3/4 time and you get 427.5. It was used for the early live version of On the Run in 1972, the third Money solo, and used on Pink Floyd tours until 1975. 5,744. The Blue - 2016/15 live version: verse, solos: 450ms, Learning To Fly - Pulse version: I use the MXR with the read-out on it, so I instantly have the right tempo. You may also want to try setting the second delay at 760ms, double the triplet time delay (380 x 2 = 760ms). When using both the mono and stereo outputs together (each running to a separate amp) the DD-2 produces a very defined stereo field, with one channel being the dry signal only, and one being the delayed signal only. Echorec 2 ..Echorec PE 603 It makes for a sound that really adds depth to the guitar tone in the mix, but is not cluttered by delay repeats. Record yourself playing alone verses playing along with a backing track to see what I mean. The second delay should just be accenting the first, filling the space between the 3/4 repeats. Ex-DragonForce Bassist Reveals Why He Really Left the Band, Claims He Was Unhappy and Arguing All the Time With Them, Nuno Bettencourt Recalls How Eddie Van Halen Reacted to His Tapping Technique, Names Favorite Van Halen Album. second solo: 460ms -- feedback: 5-7 repeats, Dogs: This is the primary delay time you hear in the song. The 3/4 "triplet" time will be inbetween in between these 4/4 and 2/4 settings on your delay. Delay volume 50%. Why is that important? Pink Floyds and Gilmours music is timeless, and the albums are a must-listen for any musician who wishes to define and expand genres. Warm for an anlog delay usually refers to the high end roll-off decay, and warm for a digital delay usually means the repeats are not brighter or harsher than the original guitar signal, but are the same or have slightly less high end. Syd's theme - Hollywood Bowl March 2016. I don't think I'll ever stick to one instrument - but the great thing about life is you don't have to. It was usually set for single head and a fixed time at about 310ms. It was my very first delay and one of my favorite pedals for Gilmour-ish delay. David's T7E and PE603 Echorecs, and even the stock Echoplexes at the time, were not capable of anything even close to that length of delay. Last update September 2022. When he played Shine on You Crazy Diamond in his 2015 live performances he used three delays to replicate the old Echorec sound, two Flight Time delays and an MXR Delay. It features two separate bass guitar tracks played in time with a single head delay (head 4) from the Echorec. delay 2 time: 1100ms -- feedback: 1 repeat - delay level: 10% -- delay type: warm digital, Today - 2016/15 live version: A bit of delay can smooth out the unpleasant, raw frequencies you get from a fuzz box. The repeats are bright and shimmery but not brighter than the original signal. delay 2 time (second delay ADT effect): 80ms -- feedback 2-3 repeats - delay level: 30% -- delay type: digital, Sheep - 1977 live version: Its a famous echo unit used by many artists, and useful for varying instruments. Some songs require softer, warmer analog sounding repeats, and others require cleaner, more accurate digital delay repeats. David used the DD-2 extensively in the mid to late 1980s, as well as using a Pete Cornish Tape Echo Simulator (TES) in 2006, which was a Boss DD-2 circuit with a selectable roll-off filter added to simulate the worn tape head sound of old tape delays like the Binson Echorec. verse / chorus: 435ms, Wearing the Inside Out: This was most likely a reel-to reel recorder set up for a tape-loop delay. verse/chorus sections: 310ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats On the left is my standard setting range for the early 1970s Gilmour Echorec sound. Check here for more Big Muffs to achieve the Gilmour tone. for providing some of the delay times and to Will for compiling a list of the 2015/16 tour delay times seen on David's digital delays! intro and verse volume swells, first solo: 480ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats Run Like Hell with 380ms and 507ms delay in series. From the 1972-74 period he used the PB first in line in the signal chain for his live rigs. I change my echo settings fairly often in concert. On Reverb, the average Echorec sells for between 3500$ to 5000$. One of the only audible examples of the multi heads in use in a Pink Floyd studio recording is the intro to the song Time from Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon. Its not a cheap pedal (around 250$ new), but its way cheaper than an original. The volume swells can be easily created today with a delay and a volume pedal. If you don't have a delay with a millisecond display, it is still possible to find the proper 3/4 delay time in a 4/4 time signature. 8-10 repeats on each delay. 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. 350ms, Breathe - studio version (several duplicated multi track recordings offset to create the long delay repeats): Let's do some "Echorec math." Posted December 21, 2005. porsch8. It was compiled by measuring the echo repeats in official releases and bootlegs of live recordings, and from delay times visible on the LCDs of David's digital delays. Some delays that can do this are the Boss DD2/3, TC Electronics Nova Delay, Providence Chrono Delay, Boss DD20, Free The Tone Flight Time, Eventide Timefactor, Strymon Timeline, Empress Super Delay, EHX Deluxe Memory Man, TC 2290, MXR Delay System II, and many others. For example, 380ms is your triplet time. 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. Start new topic; Recommended Posts. I was able to dismantle them, put them back together, and change the head positioning. There are also instances where he has had a long delay time, but only one or two repeats, which gives the big sound, but makes the repeats almost inaudible in the band mix. buildup and arpeggio delay time: 300ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 40% -- delay type: analog, Echoes - live Gdansk Version: The notes fade in and out, like a pedal steel guitar. He has a 2.2 second delay on the guitar so he can play over his repeats, building up layer upon layer of guitar repeats. solo: 560ms It is around 294ms on the studio recording. Multiply that number by 75% to get the triplet time delay. This creates a different bouncy feel to the delay rhythm. The most recognisable and somewhat stereotypical sound that Pink Floyd uses is their ambience. In some of the studio recordings you are hearing the guitar delay and room sound or studio reverb, not just delay. But which delay pedal (s) does/did he use? I believe that every music school should analyse Pink Floyds music, as theres so much to learn from it. To get the Pink Floyd sound, you'll need to use some specific equipment and settings. To sound like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, start with the following amp settings: Gain: 3-4. He would do this for each chord change in the intro to, David did an early version of sound-on-sound way back in October of 1970, in one of the few times Pink Floyd performed Alan's Psychadelic Breakfast live. Reverb was also added at the mixing desk when recording or mixing. Note the controls show playback mode switch is in position 4, which is single playback Head 4, Gilmour's Binson Echorec 2 model T7E from 1970-71 with the playback mode switch in position 4, Gilmour's Binson Echorec 2 model T7E from 1972 and 1977 with the playback mode switch in position 1, which is singe playback Head 1, Various Echorec 2 settings seen in David's Medina studio from 2013, 2014, and 2017, The Echorec 2 in David's Medina studio from 2017. To get the 4/4 time delay, simply multiply 126.7 x 4 = 506.8ms. Run Like Hell with 380ms and 254ms delays in series - first is 380ms delay in the left channel, then 380ms+254ms in the right channel. If you listen to a song where the band is not playing at all, like intro to Pink Floyd's Coming Back to Life, the delay repeats are very clear. David played the first bass guitar you hear and Roger Waters played the second that comes in immediately after. David Gilmour used the MXR Digital M-113 Delay, the Binson Echorec, and the TC Electronic 2290 in his recordings. Below is a medley of David using the Echorec from 1969-1977. It covers all of the various ways he used echo - standard 3-4 repeat echo to make the guitar sound like it is in a large hall, using a slide like a violin with long delay repeats, slapback echo, swell mode, long repeats almost to the point of self oscillation, and what David calls "triplet" time, where he plays in time with the dotted eighth repeats. The MXR Digital Delay System II was an upgraded version of the 113 that showed the delay time in milliseconds on the front panel and featured additional fine tuning controls. The delay time on head 4 was approximately 300ms, but it could vary depending on the mains voltage. 520ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 20% -- delay type: analog, Money solos- Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): 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. 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. 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. There are so many different delays available now that it can be confusing to know which one is appropriate for Gilmour tones. second solo before verse: 350ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats . NOTE: This website is frequently updated. 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. On the one hand, finally cracking one of my favourite guitar player's [] The main rhythm guitar, chords, and fills are all double tracked. From long sustained notes that seem to go on forever, to the most tasty of blues licks, his sound is instantly recognizable. This gives the impression of a 920-930ms delay. He would do this for each chord change in the intro to Shine On You Crazy Diamond, effectively doing both the keyboard and guitar parts all by himself. - 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. Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. solo: 475ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog, Hey You - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Note that setting. Song tempos are rarely exactly the same every performance, but the SOYCD tempo is usually around 140 bmp. Its more compact, more reliable, and just easier to use. Some duplicate the studio album delay times and some duplicate the live delay times. David usually sets his delays in time with the song tempo, which helps hide the echo repeats. solo (Pulse): 490ms, Astronomy Domine - Pulse version (MXR Digital Delay System II for solo) David Gilmour adjusting his MXR rack effects from April 1984, including the MXR 113 Digital Delay, and MXR Digital Delay System II. 5 A.M. : In the 80s and 90s David would mostly use digital rack models such as the TC Electronic 2290. David bought an Echorec PE 603 model in 1971 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. REEL-TO-REEL SOUND-ON-SOUND - David did an early version of sound-on-sound way back in October of 1970, in one of the few times Pink Floyd performed Alan's Psychadelic Breakfast live. Although he often blends different types of delays, creating rich textures and layers, I'm going to break it down into four signature setups covering each era. Because the notes all intertwine, it doesn't matter anyway, but I find that I usually set them on a triplet. 2nd delay 94ms. The delay time and your playing must be precisely in time with the song tempo, so it takes some practice to perfect this style of playing. Unfortunately the Catalinbread Swell control cannot be set as high as it needs to be for the Time intro, but it gets close. first solo: 340ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats delay 1: 380ms -- feedback 10-12 repeats - delay level: 95% -- delay type: digital POWER BOOST PLACEMENT - The Colorsound Power Boost was an overdrive that David used throughout the 1970s. fourth solo: 40-50-ms slapback delay -- feedback: 1 repeat, Echoes In fact, Dark Side engineer Alan Parsons said plate reverb was virtually the only reverb used for those recordings, although he has said they also used as many as five or six tape machines to create various reverb delays. If you break the beat into a four count, that second repeat would be on 4. Plate reverb is far more accurate. slide guitar solos: 300ms, One Of These Days - 2015/16 live version: If running both delays in series, set the repeats however long you can go before oscillation starts, which is 8-10 repeats on most delays. 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. It takes some practice, and you have to be very precise with your timing or you can easily get out of step with the song tempo. In fact, there was a time when Pink Floyds original road manager, Peter Watts, and I were the only two people who could actually maintain a Binson.They are so noisy, and I guess all the ones weve got now are so old that it is impossible to keep them noise free. It sounds very complex because the delay is filling in and creating a rhythm in between the notes David plays, but it is actually rather simple to do. Comfortably Numb: I use 240ms. Time intro - Torino, Italy, Sept 13, 1994. I use chorus, little delay and some reverb on my amps clean setting. It is impossible to achieve the exact same tone as a player without using the same equipment. 360ms -- feedback: 8 repeats -- delay level 100% -- delay type: digital, Great Gig in the Sky - live version 147ms (2X the delay repeats), or 2 pulses for every delay repeat. Many of the sound effects youll hear on the earlier albums were created with this machine. If you get too high a quality bandwidth on a DDL you hear too much pinging and lose the sort of echo effect I use it for. But the delay was in 3/4 increments of the beat and the vibrato went with the beat. WHY CAN'T I HEAR THE ECHO REPEATS IN SOME GILMOUR/PINK FLOYD SOLOS? - David often has a big, watery delay tone, as if he were playing in a large hall, but the actual audible echo repeats in his solos are almost absent in many cases. Set it to about 370 milliseconds, mix it low, and set the repeats to about 3-4 times. The amp David used for the RLH studio recording is not known, but presumably it was a Hiwatt or Mesa Boogie Mark I. I am talking about the natural reverb sound of the room or hall the amplifier or speaker cabinet was recorded in, or studio reverb added to simulate it. delay 1: 430ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 30% -- delay type: clear digital The repeats had a warm high end roll off, similar to David's Binson Echorecs. One of the ways to do that, is by using your effects creatively, just as he does. Both types have been described as "warm" sounding, which can get confusing. delay 2: 430ms, In Any Tongue - 2015/16 live version: Then I have two regular Boss units (DD2) which I set so one works in a triplet and the other in a 4/4 time - they're actually set in time with each other, so they combine and make a nice sound. Kits Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page. E.g the RATE for most settings had been about 22 more clockwise (slightly faster sweep) on the Wall compared to the Animals tour. For real room reverb, mics were placed in different parts of the recording studio to capture the room sound, not just the speaker cabinet from the amp. For his general ambient delays, choose the most tape flavored setting and use 50%-ish feedback (or 7-8ish repeats) and mix it fairly low so it sounds more like a subtle reverb. This unit can also be heard on the The Wall album. VISIT MY SWORDS, KNIVES and FANTASY ART WEBSITE www.kitrae.net. It has a digital readout, but it's really nowhere close to being accurate. He also used an Echorec PE 603 model from 1971-75 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. He began using digital delays in place of the Echorec around 1977. - engineer Alan Parsons, on the 1973 Dark Side of the Moon sessions, (left to right) Gilmour's Binson Echorec 2 and Echorec PE 603 stacked on top of his Hiwatts from 1973, and an Echorec 2 from 1974, Binson Echorec PE 603 like the one Gilmour used from 1971-74 in his live rigs. I usually try, in solos, to set the DDLs to have some rhythmic time signature in common with the tune. verse: 360ms It was surrounded by a record head and four playback heads that gave it a wide range of double-tapped delay sounds. Let's see some of the units he used over time. Gilmour used the TC Electronic 2290, but any digital delay will do. solos: 660ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats, Time: 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. For the middle section another piece of technology came into play: an HH amp with vibrato. Make David Gilmour's Shimmering Sustained Delay in Live. If you want to use a noise gate put it right before the delay/reverb. David could play a chord while the delay rhythm repeated, and jump back to the delay rhythm before the repeats stopped, almost as if there were two guitars playing. DELAY SETTINGS - Some of Gilmour's most commonly used delay times are 300, 380, 440, 480, 540, and 630ms. solos: 440ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog To do this manually, turn the feedback on your delay up to around 80% or so, so the repeats are almost infinite. The long delay, and multi tracked guitars add to the smooth, lquid feel of the notes. There is an EMT 140 plate reverb on David's floating Astoria recording studio and the four famous EMT 140 plate reverbs at Abbey Road studios can be heard on early Pink Floyd recordings, especially Dark Side of the Moon. HH IC-100 amplifier with built in tremolo. Parallel is better than in series because the one delay does not repeat the other, and the repeats can run longer without going into oscillation. - Delay Rhythm Guitars Mixed Up Front - both channels. The specific delays he used were as I said the Binson Echorec, the MXR M-113 Digital Delay, and the TC Electronic 2290. The second delay David used was the MXR Digital M-113 Delay. Speaking from personal experience, furthering my understanding of tone has simultaneously been one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences of my life. MXR Digital Delay System II showing David's knob settings, Part of the effects rack from David's 1994 Pink Floyd tour rig with the MXR Digital Delay System II mounted in the middle, David's MXR Digital Delay System II rack unit from the On an Island tour showing a note for There is also the "modulation" factor which is a common feaature on modern analog and digital type delays. Last update July 2022. 440ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats, No More Lonely Nights: It's fun to just jam around using the unique delay rhythm it creates. There are many effect pedals that simulate those sounds, and those types of simulated reverbs are also usually called plate, room, or hall reverb. The delays are set in series like this: I use one of their old ones most of the time because the width is narrower. - Phil Taylor, David's backline tech. chords / arpeggios: 480ms It was used for the early live version of, There is a misconception that David always used the Echorec for its multi-head function, but in reality he primarily used it in single playback head mode, just like any other typical delay.