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 TYPES - ANALOG AND DIGITAL - David has used numerous types of delays in his carreer, both analog and digital. If you put it in a 3/4 time it has an interesting bounce to it. One of these Days evolved from some of my experiments with the Binson, as did Echoes - David Gilmour, Guitar World February 1993, there are some things that only a Binson will do. Make David Gilmour's Shimmering Sustained Delay in Live. You could get some wonderful delay effects that aren't attainable on anything that's been made since. His talent doesnt just limit to his skill, but also to his creativity. If the repeats are slower, reduce it. 480ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 75% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow: Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. The Blue: But which delay pedal (s) does/did he use? Kits Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page second solo: 640ms -- feedback: 6-7 repeats delay time: 450ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats -- delay level: 25% -- delay type: analog/digital mix, Another Brick in the Wall Part II (live): MXR DIGITAL DELAYS - David began using digital delays in 1977. 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. Also, two delays in line, while useful for some double tap delay effects, means that the repeats from the first delay are then repeated again by the second when both are used at the same time, which can sometimes create a mushy mess of repeats. The last 8 minutes of the song is a rambling collage of echo repeats. studio album solo: 275ms Listen to some of the 5.1 live tracks separately and you can clearly hear this. solo: 475ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog, Hey You - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Members; porsch8. 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. It is not known exactly which delay David used for the sudio recording of Run Like Hell, but I do not think he used his Binson Echorec for the main delay. 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 is a breakdown of how to play this effect. slide solo: 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 has used numerous types of delays in his carreer, both analog and digital. As I said before, he often doesnt just use the delay to make his solos fit in the particular vibe of the song, but also the help build the rest of the soundscape. The maximum delay time of the Echorec 2 is not long enough for RLH, but David's PE 603 Echorec max delay time was 377-380ms, which is the RLH delay time. 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. All these effects can be heard in most of Pink Floyds discography. outro arpeggio riff: 310ms, Shine On You Crazy Diamond VI-IX (Binson Echorec): Some duplicate the studio album delay times and some duplicate the live delay times. 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. 630ms: feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 30% -- delay type: clear digital, Sorrow Solo - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Below are examples of a few ways to set up the type of parallel signal chain used in Gilmour's rigs. I am not talking about spring reverb from an amp. second solo: 560ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, On An Island - 2006 live versions: Delay volume 90%. What is interesting about this performance is that it is probably the only time David is known to have used a tape delay. I run it last in the signal chain and I almost always have a light plate reverb sound on when I play. slide solo: 550ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats You can also add a second delay in series to thicken the sound, combining the 3/4 time with a 4/4 time delay. Sort of a triplet on top of a triplet time delay. verse: 360ms Volume 65% I have managed to nearly replicate what a Binson will do using a combination of modern digital unitsthe multi-head sounds, as well as the Swell settingwhich is what I use on the beginning of Time, for example - David Gilmour, Guitar World March 2015. - Some of Gilmour's most commonly used delay times are 300, 380, 440, 480, 540, and 630ms. NOTE: This website is frequently updated. David has often usied very long delay times, so the repeats are not as obvious because he is playing the next bit of a solo phrase right when the repeats from the previous notes start. It's a beautiful sound, but David did not use tape delays like this. slide guitar solos: 400ms, On the Run (The Traveling Section) - early live guitar version from 1972 (Echorec PE 603): The best way I have found to create the smoothest delay is to simply set it in time with the song tempo. To add space to your tone, add a clean digital delay at the end of your signal chain. 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. There are many effect pedals that simulate those sounds, and those types of simulated reverbs are also usually called plate, room, or hall reverb. Again, I'll simulate that with only two dominant delays. 310ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats WHY CAN'T I HEAR THE ECHO REPEATS IN SOME GILMOUR/PINK FLOYD SOLOS? - In general, no - but sometimes, yes. 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. It is said that he switched from an Echorec to an MXR for ease of use. 1978 and on: digital delay, several stompboxes and rack units used (Boss, TC, MXR, Lexicon) The 2006 all tube Cornish board has a Cornish TES delay. tremolo effect for middle section: 294ms delay, 7-8 repeats / tremolo with gated square wave, depth set to maximum, and speed set for 20K views 9 years ago My Delay settings for Run Like Hell as played by David Gilmour, Pink Floyd. 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. David probably just uses the term triplet because what he does has a similar feel. 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. 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. 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. 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. intro: 425ms Any delay with a 100% wet signal output can be set up in a parallel signal chain to do this. a`Its very reliable, just like the MXR, but its much more versatile and teachable. Both types have been described as "warm" sounding, which can get confusing. 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. Every aspect of his tone can change on different albums, even on different tracks of the same album! 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). Then go to a website with a Delay Time Calculator, like the one on this page. Two guitars were multi tracked in the left and right channels. For the studio albums however, there is definitely reverb in many of the recordings, and in some cases much more so than delay. Let's see some of the units he used over time. Note that some people confuse mixing delays in parallel with "stacking" multiple delays or running a stereo setup with one delay going to one amp and another delay going to different amp. The level or volume knob would be set to maximum on most delays for this. In this video I'm demonstrating how to set up your David Gilmour delay sounds and settings. Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. Syd's theme: 370ms and 480ms Program Position 3 is equivalent to Switch Position 6 on the real Echorec, which is Head 3 + Head 2. But delay is not the only effect that Gilmour tends to use. Set the 600ms dealy to half the repeats of the main delay, with a MUCH lower delay volume. Its a core part of Pink Floyds earlier sound, and not just for Davids guitar. 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 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. 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. That's another one of the personal esthetic judgments that you use in trying to get something to sound nice to yourself. there is no delay on the studio recording, but the multiple multi-tracked guitars playing slightly out of time with eachother make it sound like there is delay. solo: 530ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats, 5 A.M. 2015/2016 live version: David almost always uses delays in his live rigs, not reverbs. 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 The PE 603 Echorec had similar controls, but rather than having a switch to select different combinations of the four playback heads, it had individual switches for each head. Shown below are my Boss delay time settings to replicate the Run Like Hell band demo recording sound. *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 Gilmour Gear Forum 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! A single delay set at 1400ms with 3 repeats has a similar feel as well. 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. 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. The other delay is set in 4/4 time (quarter notes) at 507ms, or one repeat on every beat. delay 2 time: 360ms, Us and Them - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Below is a medley of David using the Echorec from 1969-1977. POWER BOOST PLACEMENT - The Colorsound Power Boost was an overdrive that David used throughout the 1970s. David Gilmour is famous for his unique use of delay and echo. He did sometimes use the Swell mode. 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. - Be sure to read the section above. It was set for a light overdrive setting and was most likely an always-on pedal. Delay Level: This is the volume level of the delay repeat compared to the original signal. 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. One of the only audible examples of the multi heads in use in a Pink Floyd studio recording is the intro to the song, a few early live Pink Floyd performances of. Both in the studio and live their musicality seeps from every note, every rest, and every beat. The effect actually works fine with only two delays. The tape splices were then camouflaged with cymbal crashes. I change my echo settings fairly often in concert. 650ms delay first, with 2 repeats, and 1400ms delay second with 1 repeat. 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. 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. 350ms, Breathe - studio version (several duplicated multi track recordings offset to create the long delay repeats): L channel -- 650ms with a single repeat, then another single repeat at 1850ms. If using a 2 amp setup, you can try running one 380ms delay to each amp and keep the volume and delay repeats about the same for each, or you can run the 380ms delay to one amp and the 507ms dealy to the other for a slightly different feel to the stereo separation. second solo: (early in song) 580ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats -- delay level: 25% -- delay type: analog By porsch8 December 21, 2005 in Effects and Processors. David Gilmour has always made a very precise use of delays, since the early eras, even combining two delays to create his textures. 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. It is actually dotted-eighth-notes, or one eighth note followed by two sixteenth notes. I the clips below I play the 470ms delay first, then the 94ms delay, then both in series together.