Digital delays Gilmour used several digital delay units trough time, starting from the Wall in 1979. So why don't you hear the repeats most of the time? It also stems from the fact that analog equipment is frequently much more expensive than it is worth. 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. solo: 430ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats - delay level: 15% -- delay type: analog, Keep Talking: How to you get the proper 3/4 delay time from that 4/4 time? I use one of their old ones most of the time because the width is narrower. 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. Shorter delay times are more obvious because the repeats are heard in between notes and phrases. The Echorec 2 had a 12 position switch to select among various combinations of heads. It was my very first delay and one of my favorite pedals for Gilmour-ish delay. outro solo : 550ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, Take It Back: Solo: 440ms ? buildup and arpeggio delay time: 300ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 40% -- delay type: analog, Echoes - live Gdansk Version: David usually used positions 1-4, for single playback repeats of heads 1-4. delay 2 time: 360ms, Us and Them - Pulse version (TC 2290 Digital Delay): Find the song tempo delay time as described above, so your delay is making one repeat per song beat, exactly in time with the beat. HOW DO I REPLICATE THAT SMOOTH GILMOUR DELAY SOUND? This gives the impression of a 920-930ms delay. The original band demo, heard in The Wall Immersion Set, has a much bouncier, more disco-like feel, so I think the 4/4 delay is much more prominent in that mix. 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. These three separate channels are blended back together with the original dry signal at the end of the signal chain. David Gilmour, as many guitarists will agree on, is an absolute legend. The tempo is much slower, but the delay is played in 3/4 "triplet" time, exactly like RLH. When the notes pitch up or down the delay has 4-5 repeats. Multiply that x3 to get the 3/4 time and you get 427.5. 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. Below is an example using two digital delays in series. 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. There are several reasons. I'll keep this simple rather than going into an explanation of time signatures. The mode should always be set at 800ms, unless you want a short slapback delay for something like the dry solo in Dogs. solo: 400ms, Raise My Rent: SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND 1-5 settings. studio album solo: 275ms 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. solo: 440ms. The notes fade in and out, like a pedal steel guitar. Below are examples of a few ways to set up the type of parallel signal chain used in Gilmour's rigs. Shown below are some typical Gilmour DD-2 delay times. Here is a breakdown from the Great Gig multi tracks. 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. 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! The type of multi-head repeats varied depending on which of the four playback heads were selected. 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: Below is an example of the Syd's Theme section of Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Pink Floyd's 1994 tour. Echorec Style Delay Jamming - 428ms and 570ms. Digital delays are cleaner and sharper sounding, more like an exact repeat of the original dry sound. Here is my example of this sound. The Echorec 2 had six knobs - INPUT CONTROL (volume), LENGTH OF SWELL (number of repeats), VOLUME OF SWELL (volume of repeats), BASS/TREBLE (tone knob for the repeats), a three position SELECTOR knob, and a SWITCH knob that selected various combinations of the four playback heads. 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): Below is my best guess at the delay times David used there. La guida un lavoro in continua evoluzione ed in continuo aggiornamento. 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. - Boss CS-2 and Dyncomp compressors first, then CE-2B chorus in left channel added, the delay added, then plate reverb added. I use 240ms. delay 1: 380ms -- feedback 10-12 repeats - delay level: 95% -- delay type: digital slide guitar solos: 400ms, On the Run (The Traveling Section) - early live guitar version from 1972 (Echorec PE 603): 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). solos: 430ms, Yet Another Movie: VISIT MY SWORDS, KNIVES and FANTASY ART WEBSITE www.kitrae.net. It helps to have a delay with a digital display to set the exact delay time. All those divisions and subdivisions will be in time with the song. 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. Echorec 2 ..Echorec PE 603 20K views 9 years ago My Delay settings for Run Like Hell as played by David Gilmour, Pink Floyd. Note that I am not talking about spring or amp reverb, or a reverb pedal, which is a completely different sound. Dave likes it because even though it's a digital unit, it still sounds a little dirty, like a tape unit. It can be simulated with a short 40-50ms digital delay with one repeat, like this: PARALLEL MIXING DELAYS - Stacking one delay after another in your signal chain can degrade your tone because your original signal travels through, and is altered by, two delay circuits before coming out the other end. first solo: 310ms -- feedback: 2-3 repeats. It also had had a rich and warm-sounding tube amplifier stage that gave it a beautiful and unique tone. second solo before verse: 350ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats But fear not, if you want a semi-authentic Echorec experience, Catalinbread makes an Echorec pedal that sounds very close to the original. 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. 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. In this example I am showing how just using a single triplet 330ms delay is sufficient for this effect, but a second 4/4 feeling delay of 440ms or even a double triplet delay time to 660ms, could be added to enhance the space. tremolo effect for middle section: 294ms delay, 7-8 repeats / tremolo with gated square wave, depth set to maximum, and speed set for The long delay, and multi tracked guitars add to the smooth, lquid feel of the notes. solo: 530ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats, 5 A.M. 2015/2016 live version: 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. Delay volume 50%. The delay was such an integral part of their sound, then almost any Pink Floyd song wouldnt sound complete without Davids signature delay sounds. Listen to some of the 5.1 live tracks separately and you can clearly hear this. David almost always uses delays in his live rigs, not reverbs. There are times when I have both running at the same time for certain effects. - 2016/15 live version: I have two units, and I have different echo settings on both. First you hear a single muted note picked with a 294ms delay set for 7 repeats (played twice). I use the MXR with the read-out on it, so I instantly have the right tempo. That equates to 250 - 240ms. For the studio albums however, there is definitely reverb in many of the recordings, and in some cases much more so than delay. delay 1 time: 90ms The level or volume knob would be set to maximum on most delays for this. There are several reasons. Time intro - Isolated guitar from studio mix. 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. By porsch8 December 21, 2005 in Effects and Processors. This is the primary delay time you hear in the song. 8-10 repeats on the first delay and as many repeats as possible on the second, or as long as it can go without going into oscillation, which is around 3-4 seconds on most delays. DELAY SETTINGS - Some of Gilmour's most commonly used delay times are 300, 380, 440, 480, 540, and 630ms. second solo: 370ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats -- delay level: 20% -- delay type: analogSyd's theme: 290ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 20% -- delay type: analog solo: 430ms -- feedback: 7-8 repeats - delay level: 20% -- delay type: digital, Time - 2016/15 live version: 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. The Echorec was an old school mechanical delay that utilized a spinning drum disk wrapped in magnetic recording wire rather than magnetic tape. One of These Days - gated tremolo section isolated. The delays are set in series like this: Again, if you mute pick with the repeats set almost infinite, the repeats will be perfectly in time with the song beat on every 5th repeat. slide guitar: 440ms -- feedback: 5-6 repeats -- delay level: 30-35% -- delay type: analog 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. Regardless, it is the combination of both delay and reverb that makes the delay sound so smooth in some instances. David would play a two note chord, then fade the volume in as he slides to the next position. 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. David used various Echorec models but he was most known for using the Echorec 2 model T7E. 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. I used a Free the Tone Future Factory delay set for 300ms and long repeats. Alternately, you can use 380ms as the long delay and 285ms as the short time delay, equivalent to Head 3 and Head 4 on the PE 603 Echorec, but that creates a slightly different delay rhythm than the album sound. 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. . outro solo: 680ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats. He did sometimes use the Swell mode. For example, take 450ms divided by 3 = 150ms. Pink Floyd is deemed as one the all-time best bands to ever exist on this planet. 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. Assume a 100% delay level means the delay repeat volume is exactly the same as the original signal volume, so the dry signal and the delay repeats will be exactly the same loudness. verse/chorus sections: 310ms -- feedback: 3-4 repeats, Shine On You Crazy Diamond I-V - 1987-89 live version: 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. Note or mark that time setting on your delay. WHY CAN'T I HEAR THE ECHO REPEATS IN SOME GILMOUR/PINK FLOYD SOLOS? My sound has everything to do with what sounds good to me. Alans Psychadelic Breakfast with 2.2 second tape delay_Oct 1970. Multiply 600 x 75% to get the triplet time delay of 450ms (or divide 600 by 4 to get the quarter note time of 150ms, multiply that X3 for a triplet time, which equals 450ms). - In general, no - but sometimes, yes. I use several of the Program Select positions for various other things, but for Gilmour it's usually just position 1, 4, and 3. studio . Run Like Hell Tone Building - Boss CS-2 compressor, Hartman Flanger, and two Boss DD-2 delays. Most analog type delays have a lower quality repeat decay that rolls off more high end on each repeat. All these effects can be heard in most of Pink Floyds discography. I often hear a guitar recorded dry, a reverb only track, and a delay only track. He has used this type of setup in his 1987-89 rig, his 1994 rig, and in his 2006 On An Island tour rig. David probably just uses the term triplet because what he does has a similar feel. solos 2/3: Delay 1 = 360ms / Delay 2 = 650ms, Coming Back To Life - 2006 live version: intro: 440ms Its a famous echo unit used by many artists, and useful for varying instruments. Alternately, you can use 380ms as the long delay and 285ms as the short time delay, equivalent to Head 3 and Head 4 on the PE 603 Echorec, but that creates a slightly different delay rhythm than the album sound. 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. 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. 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 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. second solo delay #1 TC2290 Digital Delay (whole solo): 480ms 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. I usually try, in solos, to set the DDLs to have some rhythmic time signature in common with the tune. which is what gives the verse section that floaty, ethereal feel. One is added before the signal hits the amplifier and speakers, so the reverb itself is amplified and prcessed by the amplifier circuitry. I'll keep this simple rather than going into an explanation of time signatures. The primary delay sounds best when in time with the heartbeat tempo in Time, usually somewhere around 240 - 250BPM (beats per minute). Below is a medley of David using the Echorec from 1969-1977. All of the settings for this tone can be found in this PDF download below. Again, I'll simulate that with only two dominant delays. The SDE 3000 was set for a 1500ms delay, giving approximately 20-30 seconds of regenrated delay repeats. moderate reverb, probably from the plate reverbs at Abbey Road studios. solo: 540ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats -- delay level: 18-20% -- delay type: analog, Any Colour You Like - 1994 live versions: 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. a`Its very reliable, just like the MXR, but its much more versatile and teachable. 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. analog gear was not as good as digital at the time, so the belief that analog is always better than digital arose. This is probably spring reverb from David's Twin Reverb. Syd's theme: 375ms and 500ms bass guitar rhythm delay (two bass guitars): 294ms, 7-8 repeats His first was an MXR 113 Digital Delay System, one of MXR's first rack effects. 2nd delay 375ms. 5,744. volume swells in verse section after second solo: 680ms -- feedback: 4-5 repeats So why don't you hear the repeats most of the time? 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. Gilmour delay: '60s-'70s: Binson Echorec II. To get the 4/4 time delay, simply multiply 126.7 x 4 = 506.8ms. If running the delays parallel, set for about 12 repeats on each. Fine tune it until you hear the repeats are exactly in sync with the song tempo. Below is a song-by-song list of delay times with some settings. Let's see some of the units he used over time. You could get some wonderful delay effects that aren't attainable on anything that's been made since. Run Like Hell Intro Runs - Examples of the left hand muted runs up and down the neck to create some of the intro delay sounds similar to what David Gilmour has dome when playing this song live. This is a big part of Pink Floyds sound. Bass: 5-6. 80x2 = 160. Both types have been described as "warm" sounding, which can get confusing. Using spring or digital reverb does not even get close, but some people struggle getting a delay pedal to sound right. The Mode switch is in position 7, which is Head 3 + Head 4. Solo: 300ms. 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. Head 3 = 3/4 And what I meant with using it as a reverb was that he tends to tune his delay to the rest of the band so that it creates a cohesive piece that captures their signature atmospheric sound. Multiply that number by 75% to get the triplet time delay. Run Like Hell with 380ms and 254ms delays in series. 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. He used three delays there, but again, I can only distinctly hear two. 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. David bought an Echorec PE 603 model in 1971 that had a maximum delay time of around 377-380ms. - first is 380ms delay in the left channel, then 380ms+507ms in the right channel. slide solo: If you put it in a 3/4 time it has an interesting bounce to it. You may also want to try setting the second delay at 760ms, double the triplet time delay (380 x 2 = 760ms).