![uad eventide h910 on vocals uad eventide h910 on vocals](https://www.gearnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Eventide-H910-Harmonizer-2.jpg)
The choice of instruments here help the track to stay in line with theme of loneliness while being musically a lot denser and more exciting than the verse that precedes it. The choruses of the song (00:25, 01:17, 02:55) add many more layers of instruments and vocals, giving the track a familiar feeling pop music ‘lift’. The single backing vocal line in the first verse (‘I don’t wanna give’ at 00:16) is drenched in a dense reverb, providing a moment of excitement but also helping to bridge the distance between the lead vocal and the rest of the track. This additional reverb has a reasonably long pre-delay (in the 20-30ms range) which creates enough distance between the direct sound and the reverb for the vocal to maintain its unique ambience in the foreground of the track, while still tying it into the overall sound of the song. The mixer has ensured that the lead vocal still blends with the more open space of the instrumental using a large plate style reverb. The stereo effect and pushed forward sound make us feel like we are sharing this very confined space with the singer, and that we are perhaps hearing it literally from inside their head. When the verse vocal enters (00:02 and again at 00:54) a stereo widening effect is high in the mix, spreading the sound across the stereo image as well as giving the impression of placing it in a very small space. The production of the lead vocal, particularly in the first and second verses, really emphasises the feeling of being inside a lonely person’s thoughts. This is the successful combination of the creative and technical decisions throughout the production process to create an overall feel of the track.Ī squeaking noise from a cello opens the track, leading you in to that world, before the first verse introduces the key components of it.
![uad eventide h910 on vocals uad eventide h910 on vocals](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a873803fc8f9d1ed8326ff977c149d03-480-80.jpg)
I think the most successful productions achieve a sense of being a complete piece in and of themselves it’s that difference between hearing a mix and hearing a song. This concept of the ‘world’ of the song is one that I am constantly returning to when I think about my favourite mixes and something I try and be conscious of in my own work. I love how ‘I Know Alone’ places the listener inside the specific world of the song. This conjures an aesthetic where the central character portrayed by the lead vocalist lives in a slightly artificial and detached space, while the track swirls around her.
![uad eventide h910 on vocals uad eventide h910 on vocals](https://www.jrrshop.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/600x600/67c1abc240f598cdd0a0637b386dd74a/h/9/h910-2-jrr-edit.jpg)
In terms of instrumentation the track utilises programmed drums, cold bass and pad sounds in contrast with a solo cello, a lone acoustic guitar as well heavily affected vocal lines and loops.
![uad eventide h910 on vocals uad eventide h910 on vocals](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/977Sri5EcCE/maxresdefault.jpg)
Danielle Haim, the lead vocalist on this track, explains on Instagram that the first lyric written for the song was ‘I know alone like no one else does’, and the whole production takes on this idea of loneliness and separation. ‘I Know Alone’ is an interesting and modern blend of natural and synthetic sounds, which combine to create a unique atmosphere that closely reflects the lyrics.