The Why
[Short paragraph: why this song, why Muse, why this cover. Personal hook — what drew you to "Sing for Absolution" specifically. Keep it 3–5 sentences; the rest of the page is the deep dive.]
The Arrangement
[How the cover differs from the original — key, tempo, instrumentation choices. Did you reharmonize anything? Strip it down? Add layers?]
- Key: [E minor / your key]
- Tempo: [~89 BPM / your BPM]
- Time signature: [4/4]
- Length: [4:54]
Recording
[Setup notes: room, mics, interface, DAW. Tracking order — did you build from a click and scratch vocal, or start with piano? Any happy accidents worth keeping?]
Vocals
[Mic, pre, takes, comping approach. Headphone mix notes.]
Instruments
[Guitars / piano / strings / synths — DI vs. amp, plugins, layering.]
Drums & Rhythm
[Programmed, sampled, or live. Groove choices.]
Mixing & Mastering
[Mix philosophy. References you A/B'd against. Bus chain, vocal chain, any standout plugins. Loudness target.]
Video
[Camera, lens, lighting, edit software. Sync workflow. Color grade.]
What I Learned
[The capstone reflection. What this project taught you that the coursework didn't. What you'd do differently next time.]
Credits
Original song "Sing for Absolution" written by Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard. Performed by Muse, from the album Absolution (2003).
This cover is a non-commercial student work submitted as a Harvard capstone project.