NOTE: This website is frequently updated. Last update 2011
INDEX
SONG BY SONG GEAR GUIDE AND SOUND CLIPS ••• MY DARK SIDE GEAR ••• MY SOUND CLIPS ••• DARK SIDE BOOTLEG SOUND CLIPS
BEST CDs VERSIONS and REMASTER HISTORY ••• SPOKEN WORDS ON DARK SIDE
RHYTHM / OVERDRIVE - For rhythm and overdrive tones I use the Colorsound Overdriver or the Skreddy Pedals Lunar Module Deluxe. The Colorsound Power Boost David used is still made today by Macaris of London, but they also make a version with a master volume knob called an Overdriver. The circuit is almost exactly the same as the original Power Boost. Both are very expensive. The BK Butler Tube Driver is another good, but expensive drive/boost pedal. You can also find less expensive Power Boost clones like the Throbak Overdrive Boost, or even somthing like a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver with a Phat mod has worked for me as well. I use the Overdriver for much of the rhythm tones and some distortion for DSOTM, and as a light boost after the Sunface. I leave the pedal on all the time with a light setting - a trick I learned from Gilmourish.com. It really makes my tube amp sound better. The best and most versatile overdrive pedal however, is teh Skreddy Lunar Module, which can do very good overdrive tones as well as full on high gain fuzz tones.
SOLOS - For lead tones I use several fuzz pedals. Vintage silicon Fuzz Face pedals like David used are rare and expensive, and it is hard to find one that sounds good since the tone varies from unit to unit. The modern Dunlop Fuzz Face pedals do not sound at all like a good vintage silicon transistor Fuzz circuit to me, but there are good boutique replicas available. I use an Analogman Sunface BC108 Silicon fuzz (not the NKT275 version) and a Skreddy Pedals Lunar Module Deluxe Silicon fuzz. The Sunface is almost an exact clone of the old Silicon Fuzz Face and the Lunar is a custom tailored fuzz pedal made by Skreddy Pedals to produce the DSOTM fuzz tones from the album. It gets very close. The Sunface by itself does not produce tones that are exactly the same as what you hear on DSOTM, but combined with the Colorsound Overdriver with a boost setting it hits those tones very well through both my Fender Twin and Reeves Custom 50. The Lunar Module can do similar versions of all DSOTM tones at various settings, can go anywhere in the signal chain, and works well on low amp volumes as well as loud. It does not have quite the same punch and hairy splat that a vintage Fuzz Face creates for something like the Time solo, but gets very close. The Sunface, on the other hand, sounds dead on to David's Fuzz Face tones, but it must be first in line in the signal chain, does not work well with buffered pedals in the chain, and sounds best when run on non alkaline carbon batteries. The circuit is set up to run on 9v, but alkaline batteries can run up to 10v, which can remove some of the "fuzz" from the tone. A partially spent 9v battery will get a bit fuzzier as its power drains, and get down right sputtery as it dies, creating a nice, volts starved fuzz. The Sunface/Fuzz Face circuit can also pick up radio frequencies if you get a Germanium transistor version. Not an issue with my Silicon BC108 version. I have the Sunface version with the Sundial, which is a tone knob. I usually keep mine all the way counter clockwise.
I use all three pedals on my vintage effects board to get the full range of tones without a lot of knob fiddling. For the Money solo I use the Sunface, and kick in the Overdriver for the second half. For the Time solo I use the Sunface and Colorsound at the same time, both on a mild overdrive. If the Sunface is in a particularly good mood, and the battery is about half dead, I just use it alone for Time with the gain wide open. The weak battery in the curcuit, and the gain on 100% is the key to the splatty-fuzz Time solo sound. For the rhythm stuff I use the Overdriver on a light boost setting.
Left to Right - Analogman Sunface fuzz with Sundial knob, Skreddy Lunar Module Deluxe fuzz/overdrive, Colorsound Overdriver, Sweete Sound Mojo Vibe, Boss RT-20 Rotary Ensemble, MXR Carbon Copy
ECHO DELAY - The Binson Echorecs David used are rare and very expensive, but unreliable even if you found one. There are many inexpensive analog delays available today that sound good for this type of echo dealy. To produce the vintage warm sounding tape echo delay sounds David got from his Binson I have been using an MXR Carbon Copy, or a TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay. You can also get a really good analog tone from a T-Rex Replica delay, or an Electro-Harmonix Memory Man. Digital delays work OK, but a good analog delay that warms the echo repeats, incrementally increasing warmth and decay on each repeat, sounds much better for this era than a modern digital delay that has sharp and clear echo repeats. I keep my delay times around 300-340ms on the Carbon Copy, and a longer delay of about 540ms mixed lower on the Nova for a big reverby hall sound.
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MODULATION - Vintage Uni-Vibes are highly priced and very rare collectibles, but a modern Dunlop Univibe sounds close to the original and use the same circuit. I was not that impressed with the sound of the modern Univibe with distortion, but it did sound good with clean tones. There are several other good Uni-Vibe type pedals and Uni-Vibe clones currently available. My favorite vibe clone is the Sweet Sound Electonics Mojo Vibe. All vibes I have tried seem to have one flaw or another - volume drops when switched on, popping sounds when switched on, too bright, too flat, too metallic sounding, too intense, not intense enough, et cetera. It is best to try a few and see which ones work best with your rig. For the Uni-Vibe/rotating speaker type modulation, I use a Boss RT-20 Rotary Ensemble in stereo, and sometimes a Boss CE-2 Chorus mixed with an MXR Phase 90. The Boss RT-20 is excellent for the stereo rotating speaker sound you hear all over DSOTM, and very similar to the Uni-Vibe effect.
AMPS - I use a Fender Twin Reverb reissue and a Reeves Custom 50PS Hiwatt clone with a 2x12 cab loaded with Vintage Purples (Fane speaker clones). The Reeves/Sunface/Colorsound Overdriver combo is the perfect setup for the live tones in my opinion, but the Twin sounds like what I hear on the studio recordings. The Twin also features a vibrato channel to create the tremolo effect heard in Money.
For a really good list of similar gear and other options check out the buyers gear guide on Gilmourish.com. Also, since I have written this article, Bjorn Riis at Gilmourish.com has written a great article examining the song Time that incudes other gear alternatives, here.
MONEY TREMOLO/VIBRATO EFFECT - The famous opening note of Money features a very recognizable tremolo effect. David reportedlyused a Kapex processor for Money. David also had a black face Twin Reverb in the studio, which features a vibrato effect that sounds very close to the tremolo effect heard on Money, so that is what I use. I think much of Dark Side was recorded using the Twin.
Twin Reverb Vibrato/Tremolo Sound Clip - Black Strat and BK Bulter/Chandler Tube Driver
BOSS RT-20 ROTARY ENSEMBLE - Here are a few clips of the stereo Boss RT-20, which is what I use for the Uni-Vibe and rotating speaker sounds from DSOTM. It is a rotary speaker amp simulator, meant to simulate a Leslie amp. I mostly use mode 2. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup/CS69 middle and neck pickups, into RT-20, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Us and Them intro with the RT-20 in different modes. 1, 2, and 3 are very similar. Stereo setup with two amps.
Boss RT-20 Sound Clip 1 - RT-20 Mode 1. Leslie speaker sim.
Boss RT-20 Sound Clip 2 - RT-20 Mode 2. Leslie plus Marshal amp sim.
Boss RT-20 Sound Clip 3 - RT-20 Mode 3. Leslie plis Marshall amp sim with gain.
Boss RT-20 Sound Clip 4 - RT-20 Mode 4. Uni-Vibe sim.
SUNFACE BC108 - Examples of the Analog Man Sunface BC108 with the sundial knob tone/color knob. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup into Sunface, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Sunface Sound Clip 1 - Money solo. Gain at 50%. Sundial 50%.
Sunface Sound Clip 3 - Sunface on light boost playing Money bass line.
Sunface Sound Clip 4 - Sunface with gain at 50%, playing Time solo.
Sunface Sound Clip 6 - Messing around with the Sunface.
"TIME" SOLO WITH ANALOGMAN SUNFACE - The carbon battery I used in the Sunface was getting weak when I recorded this and it sounded particularly good. The drive is 100% and sundial is set at 0%. Fender strat with SSL-5 bringe pickup into Sunface, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
HELLEPHANT - Examples of the Stomp Under Foot Hellephant fuzz. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup into Sunface, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Helliphant Sound Clip 1 - Money solo
Helliphant Sound Clip 2 - Money solo take 2
Helliphant Sound Clip 3 - Hellephant with some boost from a Stump Under Foot Halo.
Hellephant Sound Clip 4 - Noodling with contour knob full clockwise.
SKREDDY LUNAR MODULE - Examples of the Skreddy Pedals Lunar Module fuzz. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup into Lunar, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Lunar Module Sound Clip 1 - Money solo.
Lunar Module Sound Clip 2 - Bridge and neck pickup demos.
Lunar Module Sound Clip 3 - Noodling around with the Lunar Module
"TIME" SOLO WITH LUNAR MODULE - Example of the Skreddy Pedals Lunar Module fuzz pedal, which nails the DSOTM Fuzz Face tone very well. Here I am using it on full overdrive to get and get the screaming, overdriven, splatty solo sound from the Time studio version.
Lunar Module fuzz settings shown above. Played with a 2008 Fender American Strat with Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup into a '65 Fender Twin RI. TC Nova delay.
COLORSOUND OVERDRIVER SOUND CLIPS - Examples of the Macari's Colorsound Overdriver. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup into Overdriver, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Colorsound Overdriver Sound Clip 1 - Colorsound on light boost playing Money bass line.
Colorsound Overdriver Sound Clip 2 - Colosound on light overdrive playing Time solo.
Colorsound Overdriver Sound Clip 3 - Colorsound on maximum overdrive playing Time solo.
FUZZ DEMOS - Comparing the Sunface, Lunar Module, and SUF Helliphant fuzz pedals. Fender strat with SSL-5 bridge pickup into Overdriver, MXR Carbon Copy analog delay, and Fender Twin reverb.
Fuzz Demos Clip 1 - Money wet solo. Sunface, Lunar Module, Helliphant. In that order.
Fuzz Demo Clip 2 - Money dry solo. Sunface, LunarModule, Helliphant. In that order.
Fuzz Demo Clip 3 - Time solo. Sunface, LunarModule, Helliphant. In that order.
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Article written in 2009. Updated 2010, 2011. Copyright Kit Rae.