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. 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. Even better is to run the delays parallel so one delay does not repeat the other, which sometimes sound messy. - Some of Gilmour's most commonly used delay times are 300, 380, 440, 480, 540, and 630ms. The Echorec playback heads were spaced so the input signal would repeat at specific intervals, adding delay repeats upon delay repeats. RUN LIKE HELL - This is one of the standout tracks from Pink Floyd's The Wall double album, with music written by David Gilmour. David Gilmour is famous for his unique use of delay and echo. Reverb was also added at the mixing desk when recording or mixing. It created a unique stuttered stacatto rhythm. Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a classic, thanks in large part to David Gilmour's otherworldly guitar playing. intro: 640ms: feedback: 4-5 repeats - delay level: 25% -- delay type: clear digitalsolos: 540ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 25% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow Solo and intro/outro - Delicate Sound of Thunder version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): During the tour a T-Rex Replica was added specifically to use for "Echoes". delay 2: 430ms, In Any Tongue - 2015/16 live version: The reason David used multiple delays was to set each for a different delay time setting for specific songs and to adjust delay time on-the-fly during shows. : Set the 600ms dealy to half the repeats of the main delay, with a MUCH lower delay volume. How to you get the proper 3/4 delay time from that 4/4 time? He also used an Echorec PE 603 model from 1971-75 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. Gilmour uses this type of delay setting on several songs in the Pink Floyd catalog, most famously in "Run Like Hell." Here is the tab for Another Brick In The Wall pt. 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. 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. As the chord rang on, David could then play the melody lines through his main Hiwatt. BKB Tube Driver, Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress, TC Nova delay. HOW DO I REPLICATE THAT SMOOTH GILMOUR DELAY SOUND? 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. There are a few occasions where I have heard spring reverb in a Gilmour recording, but it is very rare. outro: 340ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V (Binson Echorec): 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. 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. You could nail his famous sound with a handful of pedals, though, which makes it that much more achievable. Brian May (of Queen) did the same effect a few years later on Brighton Rock and Son and Daughter using his modified Echoplexes. 5,744. He used three delays there, but again, I can only distinctly hear two. One day, Roger decided to take some of the techniques that I was developing and try them out himself on bass. But the delay was in 3/4 increments of the beat and the vibrato went with the beat. Its not a cheap pedal (around 250$ new), but its way cheaper than an original. The SELECTOR knob had three positions: ECHO = one repeat, REPEAT = more than one repeat, and SWELL = outputs of the playback heads were fed back to themselves to create a spacey type of reverb effect. . volume swells in lords prayer section: 340ms -- feedback: 8-9 repeats I the clips below I play the 470ms delay first, then the 94ms delay, then both in series together. Digital delays are cleaner and sharper sounding, more like an exact repeat of the original dry sound. Delay Type: Analog delays are warm sounding, with repeats that are softer sounding than the original note due to a high end roll-off. Reaction score. delay time to simulate offset multi track recordings: 930ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats -- delay level: 30-35% -- delay type: analog, Breathe - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): - David Gilmour, Guitar World magazine. 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. On the one hand, finally cracking one of my favourite guitar player's [] The main rhythm guitar, chords, and fills are all double tracked. 560ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 25% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow Solo - Strat Pack version: 570 divided by four (4/4) is 142.5. Any delay with a 100% wet signal output can be set up in a parallel signal chain to do this. That delayed chord would ring on through the second Hiwatt for approximately 20-30 seconds before decaying, simulating a sustained keyboard chord. Too much volume from the first delay will make a mess of double tapped delay sounds on the second, so be careful not to over do it. 480ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 75% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow: extended version solo: 430ms, Rattle That Lock - 2016/15 Live version: In live performances he usually used playback Head 4 for the maximum delay time of around 300ms. The 4/4 delay can barely be heard on the studio recording and is really not necessary, but it is fun to experiment with two delays. He began using digital delays in place of the Echorec around 1977. Fat Old Sun- 2015/16 live version: It's just like the old Echoplex unit - David Gilmour from Guitar for the Practicing Musician, 1985, The Binson was an Italian made delay unit. DELAY TYPES - ANALOG AND DIGITAL - David has used numerous types of delays in his carreer, both analog and digital. solo (Pulse): 490ms, Astronomy Domine - Pulse version (MXR Digital Delay System II for solo) In a new tutorial, musician Tracy Evans demonstrates how to achieve David's "sound on sound" infinite sustain effect in Live, using the Filter Delay effect. The reverb could have been added in the mixing stage, or it could be natural room reverb from mics positioned in the recording studio to capture the natural room sound. VISIT MY SWORDS, KNIVES and FANTASY ART WEBSITE www.kitrae.net, This website is frequently updated. - Boss CS-2 and Dyncomp compressors first, then CE-2B chorus in left channel added, the delay added, then plate reverb added. 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. Set one delay for 440ms, 2 repeats, 30-35% volume. 4. slide violin intro: 300ms -- feedback: 8-9 repeats - delay level: 90-100% -- delay type: analog David usually sets his delays in time with the song tempo, which helps hide the echo repeats. There are so many different delays available now that it can be confusing to know which one is appropriate for Gilmour tones. 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. However, it is possible to play this one one guitar. Both in the studio and live their musicality seeps from every note, every rest, and every beat. But fear not, if you want a semi-authentic Echorec experience, Catalinbread makes an Echorec pedal that sounds very close to the original. This may be a form of Automatic/Artificial Double Tracking (ADT) or simply a short slapback delay. He always kept the Echorec in tip top shape, and after the MXR Delay System used a variety of digital delays, including the DD2 and later the TC 2290. It's just like the old Echoplex unit, David bought an Echorec PE 603 model in 1971 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. Free shipping for many products! Syd's theme: 370ms and 480ms FINDING THE "TRIPLET" TIME DELAY FOR A SONG - David has sometimes used a rhythmic 3/4 time delay, what he calls "triplet" time. First you hear a single muted note picked with a 294ms delay set for 7 repeats (played twice). #4. It has a digital readout, but it's really nowhere close to being accurate. The last 8 minutes of the song is a rambling collage of echo repeats. Sort of a triplet on top of a triplet time delay. 1st solo: 310ms 1st delay 470ms. solos: 540ms, What Do you Want From Me? solo: 560ms Solo: 300ms. I run it last in the signal chain and I almost always have a light plate reverb sound on when I play. You could get some wonderful delay effects that aren't attainable on anything that's been made since. His delay times are slightly faster here. Some duplicate the studio album delay times and some duplicate the live delay times. Here are what the settings mean -. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. To do this manually, turn the feedback on your delay up to around 80% or so, so the repeats are almost infinite. This setup can also be used for songs like On the Turning Away and Sorrow.--------------------------Signal chain:Guitar - Fender Stratocaster, with D Allen Voodoo 69 neck and middle pickups and Seymour Duncan SSL5 bridge pickupAmp - Reeves Custom 50, Laney LT212 cabinet with Celestion V30 speakersMic - Sennheiser e906Follow Gilmourish.Com here:http://www.gilmourish.comhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilmouhttp://www.bjornriis.com Run Like Hell with 380ms and 507ms delay in series. Later versions of the DD-3 have different circuits. My sound has everything to do with what sounds good to me. 3rd solo: delay 1 = 240ms / delay 2 = 435ms, Mother solo - 1980-81 live version: Digital Delays tend to be avoided by many guitarists, but the belief that analog is always better than digital stems from when digital gear wasnt very good. It was surrounded by a record head and four playback heads that gave it a wide range of double-tapped delay sounds. - 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. delay 1 time (main delay): 380ms -- feedback 8-10 repeats - delay level: 95% -- delay type: digital Every aspect of his tone can change on different albums, even on different tracks of the same album! rhythm and solo: 460ms, Brain Damage - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): The Echorec was an old school mechanical delay that utilized a spinning drum disk wrapped in magnetic recording wire rather than magnetic tape. 2nd delay 570ms. This warble is similar to a light chorus sound, with high end roll-off. For Run Like Hell, David's using what he refers to as "triplets".. Listening to this track helped me realize how delay and reverb trails interact with what I'm playing in a way that makes unintended diads that could . volume swells in verse section after second solo: 540ms and 620ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats 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. Sometimes he even uses two delays at once to create certain double tapped echo effects or to make a solo sound bigger. Digital delays Gilmour used several digital delay units trough time, starting from the Wall in 1979. - Phil Taylor, David's backline tech. To avoid this, and to keep the dry signal more pure, the delays in David's live rigs have sometimes been split off and run parallel with the dry signal, then mixed back together before going to the amp. I have one for specific time settings, for things like Run Like Hell and Give Blood, so I know in numbers (delay time in milliseconds) what setting I need to use. Head 1 = 1/4. L channel -- 650ms with a single repeat, then another single repeat at 1850ms. Kits Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page 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. It is around 294ms on the studio recording. The 450ms delay should come before the 600ms delay in your signal chain. You should keep in mind that these official recordings have been sweetened to sound as good as possible. buildup and arpeggio delay time: 300ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 40% -- delay type: analog, Echoes - live Gdansk Version: The first Money solo, for example, sounds like it is awash in spring reverb. David used his Workmate Esquire guitar for the studio recording, and usually used a Telecaster when playing it live. 1st solo: 435ms moderate reverb, probably from the plate reverbs at Abbey Road studios. If your delay does not have a dry defeat feature, it is pointless to use in a parallel setup. solo: 420ms David Gilmour is famous for his unique use of delay and echo. 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. I don't think I'll ever stick to one instrument - but the great thing about life is you don't have to. All those divisions and subdivisions will be in time with the song. Electro-Harmonx has made a few small boxed versions of the Electric Mistress, but these have different circuits and sounds as the originals. 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. Playing the RLH Rhythm Fills - with and without the delay, Playing the RLH Verse Chords - with and without delay. Mar 8, 2013. They averaged from 290-310ms. Coming Back to Life Intro Tone Build - Boss CS-2 and Dyncomp compressors first, then CE-2B chorus in left channel added, the delay added, then plate reverb added. Comfortably Numb: Brain Damage - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): Breathe - studio version (several duplicated multi track recordings offset to create the long delay repeats): Breathe - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): Coming Back To Life - Pulse version (MXR Digital Delay II and TC 2290 Digital Delay): Coming Back To Life - 2015/16 live version: Comfortably Numb - 1986 live version / Columbian Volcano Appeal Concert: Comfortably Numb - Pulse version and most Division Bell tour performances: Eclipse This unit can also be heard on the The Wall album. This is a big part of Pink Floyds sound. second solo: 500ms - feedback: 3-4 repeats -- delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog, Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V Syds theme - 2016/15 Live version: An examination of the individual tracks from some of the 5.1 surround sound studio album releases reveals both were used. volume swells: 1100ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats. 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. 8-10 repeats on each delay. The 3/4 "triplet" time will be inbetween in between these 4/4 and 2/4 settings on your delay. You can simulate the amp tremolo with just about any tremolo pedal or tremolo amp with a square wave shape. A bit of delay can smooth out the unpleasant, raw frequencies you get from a fuzz box. analog gear was not as good as digital at the time, so the belief that analog is always better than digital arose. To sound like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, start with the following amp settings: Gain: 3-4. He also used an Echorec PE 603 model from 1971-75 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. I use chorus, little delay and some reverb on my amps clean setting. If you want this sound and have a delay that shows the time in milliseconds, follow these steps. If you listen to some of the better bootleg recordings and compare them to the official live releases, you will find David's real live sound is typically drier, with less delay. I use the MXR Digital Delay. The Boss LS-2 Line Selector, Xotic Effects X-Blender, Lehle Parallel, and Badger Schism are a few that do the job. The plate reverb sound is the best to use for Gilmour tones in my opinion, but minimally. delay 2: 375ms, Run Like Hell - two guitars multi-tracked (delay used was likely the MXR M113 Digital Delay): third (dry) solo: simulate studio ADT with a 40-50-ms slapback delay -- feedback: 1 repeat The main rythm in the left and right channels of the studio recording is domantly the 3/4 time. For The Wall he switched to the MXR Digital Delay for those accurate and pristine time setups. Guitar stuff, gear stuff, soundclips, videos, Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff, photos and other goodies. As the magnetic tape began to wear out and stretch over time, the repeats would start to degrade and sound dirty and warbly. intro: 630ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats -- delay level: 17% -- delay type: analog It had a maximum 16kHz bandwidth up to 800ms, with a maximum delay time of 1600ms, expandable to 3200ms. That sounds complicated, but to recreate this sound all you really need is one digital delay set to 380ms, as David did whenever he played it live. 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. third solo (after dry solo): 380ms -- feedback: 2-3 repeats. 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. Two delays running at different times fill in gaps between delay repeats, making the delay sound smoother with less obvious repeats. Remember that these settings should just be used as a starting point. One set for a slighly shorter delay time, and a lower echo repeat volume, running into a longer delay with a slightly louder echo repeat will give you a very smooth sound. Below is an excerpt of David's bass guitar part, extracted from the 5.1 surround mix of Meddle. Speaking from personal experience, furthering my understanding of tone has simultaneously been one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences of my life. solos: 430ms, Yet Another Movie: Let's see some of the units he used over time. It was my very first delay and one of my favorite pedals for Gilmour-ish delay. This was most likely a reel-to reel recorder set up for a tape-loop delay. 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. David maintained his Echorecs well and replaced them often however, so his sound only had minimal high end roll-off in the repeats. These were state of the art delays at the time, but were rather noisy effects compared to modern digital delays. Delay Level: This is the volume level of the delay repeat compared to the original signal. All of the settings for this tone can be found in this PDF download below. The best representation of this is a 340ms delay set for 3-4 repeats, On An Island: To get the Pink Floyd sound, you'll need to use some specific equipment and settings. He set the time to 310ms for most everything. Scales David Gilmour is a big proponent of the minor and major pentatonic scales. I don't care how I get it. A Great Day For Freedom - Pulse version (TC2290 Digital Delay): Another Brick in the Wall Part II (live): Any Colour You Like - 1994 live versions: Astronomy Domine - Pulse version (MXR Digital Delay System II for solo). Shown below are some typical Gilmour DD-2 delay times. One is added before the signal hits the amplifier and speakers, so the reverb itself is amplified and prcessed by the amplifier circuitry. The notes fade in and out, like a pedal steel guitar. The second send went to a Roland SDE 3000 digital delay in his rack, with individual level controls for both the send and return, along with a mute switch. Just get any old delay pedal, analog or digital, and set the time slow. I set the vibrato to more or less the same tempo as the delay. David Gilmour has always made a very precise use of delays, since the early eras, even combining two delays to create his textures. The delay volume is often not very loud in the studio recordings, so in a full band context, the other instruments mask the repeats. His talent doesnt just limit to his skill, but also to his creativity. buildup and arpeggio delay time: 300-310ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 40% -- delay type: analog/digital, Eclipse - 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. solos 2/3: Delay 1 = 360ms / Delay 2 = 650ms, Coming Back To Life - 2006 live version: