David used various Echorec models but he was most known for using the Echorec 2 model T7E. Both types have been described as "warm" sounding, which can get confusing. 530ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats, Coming Back To Life: 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. This would not only be one of the only times David is known to have used a tape delay effect live, but he seems to have used it much earlier than other guitarist more well known for this effect. Below is an example of David using two digital delays (TC 2290 Digital Delay and the dual delays from a PCM 70 delay) for the intro to Time in 1994. middle section: 1000ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats HOW DO I REPLICATE THAT SMOOTH GILMOUR DELAY SOUND? Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. Feedback: This is the number of audible repeats. 5. The S-O-S unit was basically a buffered interface with two send/returns. 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. 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 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 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. For the wet 1st and 3rd solos from Money I use basically the same settings, but I dial the mix knob up a bit for the third section after the dry solo. I use a compressor or a Tube Driver for this. Members; porsch8. Basically anything prior to 1977 is 300-310ms, which is the best delay time for the Echorec IMO, and Program position 1 is the standard for most DG solos from the Echorec period, equivalent to Switch Position 4/Head 4 on a real Echorec. Generally speaking, the sound on the album is pretty much what came out of his amp. slide guitar solos: 400ms, On the Run (The Traveling Section) - early live guitar version from 1972 (Echorec PE 603): The Effect Level (volume) and Feedback (number of repeats) will vary. I go a little in-depth for all three of them, and Ill give some tips on how you can emulate his sound. Pink Floyds and Gilmours music is timeless, and the albums are a must-listen for any musician who wishes to define and expand genres. I am not talking about spring reverb from an amp. intro: 650ms, Coming Back To Life - 2015/16 live version: A single delay set at 1400ms with 3 repeats has a similar feel as well. Here is a breakdown from the Great Gig multi tracks. solo: 430ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog, Keep Talking: But the delay was in 3/4 increments of the beat and the vibrato went with the beat. a`Its very reliable, just like the MXR, but its much more versatile and teachable. Every aspect of his tone can change on different albums, even on different tracks of the same album! alternate: 380ms, High Hopes - 2015/16 live version: verse, solos: 450ms, Learning To Fly - Pulse version: His delay times are slightly faster here. The second delay David used was the MXR Digital M-113 Delay. Or you can simply multiply the 4/4 time x75% and get the same 3/4 time. Getting an original Binson Echorec these days is nearly impossible. The 4/4 delay thickens space between the main delay repeats by double tapping your 3/4 repeat with a 4/4, creating a more bouncy rhythm. In this video I'm demonstrating how to set up your David Gilmour delay sounds and settings. delay 1 time: 430ms -- feedback: 5-7 repeats - delay level: 30% -- delay type: warm digital Bass: 12 o'clock Mid: 1 o'clock Treble: 11 o'clock Delay: Time: 484 ms Mix: 40% Level: 75% Feedback: 50% Only about one audible repeat fading very quickly after that Reverb: Medium Room Time: 2.20 sec EQ: High Cut 4000Hz Level: 75% Mix: 50% Input Gain: 100%. He used both in his 1980s live rigs, and continued to use the MXR System II up until 2016. Often during the live songs that do have very loud delays, you do hear the repeats clearly. 3rd solo: delay 1 = 240ms / delay 2 = 435ms, Mother solo - 1980-81 live version: Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for THE RULING CASTE: IMPERIAL LIVES IN THE VICTORIAN RAJ By David Gilmour **Mint** at the best online prices at eBay! - first is 380ms delay in the left channel, then 380ms+254ms in the right channel. 1st delay 240ms. delay 2 time: 360ms, Us and Them - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): You might be tempted to make it ear piercingly loud, but trust me on this, a little goes a long way, especially when playing with other people. There are times when I have both running at the same time for certain effects. It was set for a light overdrive setting and was most likely an always-on pedal. There is a also bit of light overdrive in the tone. The primary reason is becasue the delay time is usually set in time with the tempo of the song, so each repeat lands on the beat. slide solo: 550ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats This is probably spring reverb from David's Twin Reverb. second solo: 640ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats The tempo is much slower, but the delay is played in 3/4 "triplet" time, exactly like RLH. The TC Flashback can be set up with the Tone Print edito. 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. 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. Mids: 6-7. If you break the beat into a four count, that second repeat would be on 4. The primary delay sounds best when in time with the heartbeat tempo in Time, usually somewhere around 240 - 250BPM (beats per minute). There is also the "modulation" factor which is a common feaature on modern analog and digital type delays. David would play a two note chord, then fade the volume in as he slides to the next position. Gear used: Telecaster into a fender twin Reverb and Reeves Custom 50, Boss CS-2 Compressor, Tube Driver set for light overdrive, Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, TC Nova delay. The third solo is also artificially double tracked, which you can simulate with a short 60-90ms slapback delay with one repeat. - David Gilmour from Guitar for the Practicing Musician, 1985, We also have an old MXR DDL (MXR Digital Delay System II) digital delay unit built into a rack unit. In the 80s and 90s David would mostly use digital rack models such as the TC Electronic 2290. The delay volume is often not very loud in the studio recordings, so in a full band context, the other instruments mask the repeats. A) All those pictures out there of David Gilmour's tours have the settings knobs shown, but you can not go by that and insist it is bible. It also had delay width and frequency knobs in the Sweep section to add some chorus, vibratto, and flange effects, but I think David rarely used those, if ever. middle keyboard section: 340ms -- feedback: 8-9 repeats It also stems from the fact that people tend to look at things with their wallets, and analog gear is often much more expensive than its digital counterpart. David has used many different types of compressors throughout his career, but a few common ones are the MXR Dynacomp, Boss CS-2, and Demeter Compulator. In this video I'm demonstrating how to set up your David Gilmour delay sounds and settings. Gilmour used the same 294ms delay from the Echorec plus the built in vibrato from an HH IC-100 amplifier, which was a very choppy tremolo effect. tremolo effect for middle section: 294ms delay, 7-8 repeats / tremolo with gated square wave, depth set to maximum, and speed set for I started off with a Binson Echo unit, which is like a tape loop thing. They averaged from 290-310ms. Fine tune it until you hear the repeats are exactly in sync with the song tempo. You may also want to try setting the second delay at 760ms, double the triplet time delay (380 x 2 = 760ms). 3. 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. You can replicate the tremolo effect with any tremolo pedal, but it is best to use one the that has a square wave setting. April 9, 2022. by Joe Nevin. David was very much in control of his sound system We rarely added effects to his guitar in the control room. David played the first bass guitar you hear and Roger Waters played the second that comes in immediately after. I use two delay pedals for Run Like Hell. Most digital delays create an accurate, pristine repeat that only decays in volume with each repeat, not in quality. To truly delve into David Gilmour's sound, you'd need to do a lot of research and buy a lot of vintage gear. SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND 1-5 settings. - David Gilmour, Guitar World March 2015, As I recall, he (David) used a Hiwatt stack and a Binson Echorec for delays. Time intro test with backing track - 470ms and 94ms. The most recognisable and somewhat stereotypical sound that Pink Floyd uses is their ambience. 650-680ms were occasionally used for long delays. solo: 680ms -- feedback: 1 repeat - delay level: 30% -- delay type: digital. 2nd delay 375ms. 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. Sort of a triplet on top of a triplet time delay. The first Money solo, for example, sounds like it is awash in spring reverb. delay 2: 430ms, In Any Tongue - 2015/16 live version: Both in the studio and live their musicality seeps from every note, every rest, and every beat. It is meant to simulate the sound of old analog tape delays as they aged. His delay times typically ranged from 300ms-550ms, with 5-8 repeats, but some songs required more specific delay times and settings, as detailed below. Head 3 = 225ms (or 75ms x3) ..Head 3 = 285ms (or 95ms x 3) intro: TC 2290 Digital Delay and PCM 70 Delay: Delay 1= 470ms / Delay 2 = 94ms Last update September 2022. You can hear this in songs like One of These Days, Short and Sweet, Another Brick in the Wall Parts I and III, Run Like Hell, Blue Light, Give Blood, One Slip, Keep Talking, Take it Back, and Allons-Y. I usually try, in solos, to set the DDLs to have some rhythmic time signature in common with the tune. - 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. This gives the impression of a 920-930ms delay. With that said, the rest of the article is designed to . The mode should always be set at 800ms, unless you want a short slapback delay for something like the dry solo in Dogs. CATALINBREAD ECHOREC - One of my favorite simple Echorec style delays is the Catalinbread Echorec. The third and final (that we know of) delay he usd was the TC Electronic 2290 rack unit. You can also hear multi heads in a few early live Pink Floyd performances of Time and the four-note Syd's theme section from some performances of Shine on You Crazy Diamond. 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. 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. Most digital delays create an accurate, pristine repeat that only decays in volume with each repeat, not in quality. This is actually not quarter-note triplets. David Gilmour Solo Tone Settings For "Time" . Volume 65% In the studio recording the 4/4 delay is not very obvious, so it was low in the mix, possibly only in one channel, or both. To add space to your tone, add a clean digital delay at the end of your signal chain. rhythm and solo: 460ms, Brain Damage - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): 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? For the muted rhythm part in Echoes, Program 3 is the closest, but almost any program position works as long as the delay time is set for 300-310ms. The delays are set in series like this: Volume 85% Below is an isolated excerpt of this part. Electro-Harmonx has made a few small boxed versions of the Electric Mistress, but these have different circuits and sounds as the originals. If you have a clean amp, some settings to start with would be: Gain: 3 Treble: 7 Mids: 7 Bass: 6 Reverb: 5-6 You should keep in mind that these official recordings have been sweetened to sound as good as possible. It's a sort of melodic delay to use. Below are examples from 2016 of David using three digital delays in series for Syd's theme from performances of Shine of You Crazy Diamond. What is interesting about this performance is that it is probably the only time David is known to have used a tape delay. Occasionally David may be using a long repeat time on one delay, and a shorter repeat time on another delay simultaneously. . David is using two delays from a PCM70 rack delay to simulate the Echorec sound. In this clip I have one set for 380ms for Run Like Hell and one for 440ms for Another Brick in the Wall (part 1). 650ms delay first, with 2 repeats, and 1400ms delay second with 1 repeat. Run Like Hell - Delay Rhythm Guitars Mixed Up Front - both channels, Run Like Hell - Sustained Chords Mixed Up Front, Run Like Hell - Verse Fills Mixed Up Front, Run Like Hell Live Excerpts - from Is There Anybody Out There - The Wall live 1980-81, David Gilmour live in 1984, the Delicate Sound of Thunder, and Pulse. Here is a clip of a single 330ms delay playing the Blue Light riff. 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. Using two delays to simulate the multi head Echorec effect - 470ms and 352ms. 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. Another option is to run two delay pedals simultaneously. 360ms -- feedback: 8 repeats -- delay level 100% -- delay type: digital, Great Gig in the Sky - live version That delayed chord would ring on through the second Hiwatt for approximately 20-30 seconds before decaying, simulating a sustained keyboard chord. The settings Gilmour uses usually create a minimal effect, but his sompressors really helps to smooth out the tone and playing. It had a maximum 16kHz bandwidth up to 800ms, with a maximum delay time of 1600ms, expandable to 3200ms. That delayed chord would ring on through the second Hiwatt for approximately 20-30 seconds before decaying, simulating a sustained keyboard chord. Below are settings to get that sound. Below is a breakdown of how to play this effect. 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. This website is frequently updated. I use the MXR with the read-out on it, so I instantly have the right tempo. To figure a 4/4 delay time to work with any 3/4 triplet delay time, you can split the 3/4 time delay into thirds. THE BOSS DD-2 DELAY - The 1983 Boss DD-2 was one of the first, and best sounding digital delays to come out of the early days of digital effects pedals. slide solo: I use the MXR Digital Delay. When the IC chips became less expensive to manufacture Boss simply rebranded it as a new, lower priced version rather than lowering the price of the DD-2. The Boss LS-2 Line Selector, Xotic Effects X-Blender, Lehle Parallel, and Badger Schism are a few that do the job. Pink Floyd recording engineer Andy Jackson has said he usually uses a couple of EMT plate reverbs in the studio for David's voice and guitar, and sometimes a Lexicon Hall reverb. SLAPBACK / ADT DELAY - It is not often, but ocassionally there is what sounds like a short slapback delay in Gilmour's guitar recordings, like the "dry" solo in Dogs from the Animals album. Alans Psychadelic Breakfast with 2.2 second tape delay_Oct 1970. 2. One of These Days - 294ms delay + vibratto. The Free the Tone Ambi Space pedal is my favorite device for this. -, David Gilmour interview by Bob Hewitt from Guitarist, June 1986, FINDING THE "TRIPLET" TIME DELAY FOR A SONG. 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. Heavy reverb. analog gear was not as good as digital at the time, so the belief that analog is always better than digital arose. Any delay with a 100% wet signal output can be set up in a parallel signal chain to do this. One of the smoothest guitarists in rock, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour has built a reputation for great melodic control and an expressive soloing approach that has influenced millions. This is a big part of Pink Floyd's sound. The Mooer Elec Lady is a good, inexpensive clone of the Electric Mistress that sounds much closer to the original large box Mistress. Another interesting effect heard in the middle section of One of These Days is the use of that same "triplet" time delay along with a gated tremolo effect. outro solo: 620ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats, Yet Another Movie - 1987-89 live version: Some of the most used digital delays in his live rigs were the MXR 113 Digital Delay (1977-1986), the MXR 151 Digital Delay System II (1983-2016), the Boss DD-2 (1983-1986, 2006), the TC2290 Dynamic Digital Delay (1987-1994), and the Free The Tone Flight Time FT-1Y Digital Delay (2015-2017). How to Set Two Delays for Run Like Hell - one in 380ms and one in 507ms, in series so the 380ms delay is repeated by the 507ms delay (actual DD-2 settings shown above), Example of Two Delays Run In Stereo - parallel delays, 380ms (both channels) and 507ms (right channel only), going to separate amps, Example of Two Delays Run In Stereo - prallel delays, 380ms (left channel) and 507ms (right channel), going to separate amps. Note that I am not talking about spring or amp reverb, or a reverb pedal, which is a completely different sound. See all posts by Andrew Bell. The effect actually works fine with only two delays. One of These Days - gated tremolo section isolated. 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. Below are a few of the rare examples of David using the Echorec in multi-head mode from 1973 and 1975. It is actually dotted-eighth-notes, or one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. I was able to dismantle them, put them back together, and change the head positioning. 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. David would use the latter setting for most of the album. One is added before the signal hits the amplifier and speakers, so the reverb itself is amplified and prcessed by the amplifier circuitry. I use one of their old ones most of the time because the width is narrower. You must remember this, Those settings are used for a stadium show, set to produce for a huge arena, not your 8 x 10 bedroom, and not your 100 x 100 bar. Guitar stuff, gear stuff, soundclips, videos, Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff, photos and other goodies. Only the 100% wet delayed signal was returned from those two delays, into a mixer where the two were blended back with the dry signal before going to the amps. Set the value to quarter notes, enter the BPM, and you have a delay time in milliseconds the same tempo as the song. Use the feedback option to set it right where you think it sounds closest. second solo: 480ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats 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. There were varispeed modifications that could be made to the Echorec to give it longer delay times, but it does not appear that David ever had this modification done. Below is a breakdown of how to play this effect. 520ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 20% -- delay type: analog, Money solos- Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): : He did sometimes use the Swell mode. Head 3 = 3/4 solos: 440ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog The Echorec 2 had a 12 position switch to select among various combinations of heads. The mode should always be set at 800ms, unless you want a short slapback delay for something like the dry solo in, Kits Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page. It is impossible to achieve the exact same tone as a player without using the same equipment. The type of multi-head repeats varied depending on which of the four playback heads were selected. 350ms, Breathe - studio version (several duplicated multi track recordings offset to create the long delay repeats):