So...What music do you guys (and gals) listen to while you program?

T

TylerJ

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 17, 2003
Messages
263
Just curious as it seems everyone has their preference, though, a consensus of my friends proved that most of us enjoy something new age, or techno with little focus on lyrics and more on ambience or beat.

Let me know what you guys like - I'm always looking for new things.

-TylerJ
 
Political correctness, hehehe.

Umm, yeah I pretty much listen to most techno, though not "really" techno; I use it as a generic term for electronic-type music without lyrics. Check out Ishkur's guide for details.

When I note that I've listened to say, an entire album or playlist twice or something, I've been coding for too long straight.
 
I actually listen to a lot of rock and alternative rock when designing, thinking, and implementing. Weezer, Ozma, Nada Surf, Franz Ferdinand, Sublime, maybe the Cars, Nirvana, Jimmy Eat World, etc. I may also tune into the classical music station on the radio.
 
I read the topic and was going to say ambient, and no suprise thats whats you already listen to. I find it much easier to concentrate when theres no lyrics. I listen to di.fm ambient allllll the time. Its a good shoutcast.
 
None at all. I prefer quiet when I'm trying to concentrate on development.

If I'm just messing with codef then I like Enya myself.
 
I've discovered, as well as many of my friends, that loud blaring heavy metal via headphones works best. It it semi-enjoyable while at the same time completely drowning out the outside world.

Bands I listen to are Lollipop Lust Kill, Chevelle, Black Label Society, Gravity Kills, Godsmack, 12 Stones, Drowning Pool, Saliva, and Rob Zombie...and Powerman 5000.
 
i like listening to EBM/Industrial, bands like Frontline Assembly, Suicide Commando, wumpscut, VNV Nation, Skinny Puppy. Sometimes though, my mood is more laid back, that's when i listen to ambient, usually from Spacemusic podcasts.
 
coding is pretty much the only time i listen to trance or electronica. i agree with the lack of lyrics, they're distracting.

Classical music is great for writing papers, but when I'm coding it puts me to sleep. weird :confused:
 
di.fm is winner, but my new favorite I listen to is kohina.com. Old-school game music, 112kbps vorbis. I loef that old school music.
 
everything from ragtime to bluesman like robert johnson and muddy waters to metal to modern metal like alter bridge to romantic/baroque era stuff to bluegrass to a tiny bit of country.


...no techno or rap.
 
Mostly electronic music (mostly trance and a lot of the sub-sub-genres)

I do have some 'rock' songs (and i use that term loosely) that i listen to to sort of break out of the usual stuff

And i always listen to music while i work/screw around on my comp, these klipsch 2.1 speakers are freakin awesome :D
 
+1 for trance, especially www.di.fm

however, if it's not the heads-down code-cranking session and requires much more thought, then it's usually lyric-less stuff, but quieter and/or less intense. several tracks from the "serenity" soundtrack have been put on repeat in this scenario, as well as the original audio from the game "fable".
 
One song in particular, It's called "matrix trance II" by The Cynic Project. Check it out, I don't really like trance but this song never gets old.
 
I usually have the TV on, like... right now! Working on my Mario 3 remake...
 
Strange, I listen to di.fm as well, but I generally like the Vocal Trance channel. I love the lyrics....
 
Wow, thanks everyone, I've gotten lots of new artists to check out now while I continue work on my new project.

Much appreciated...but...keep 'em coming.

-TylerJ

P.S.
I wonder how "coding music" will work whilst I write this damned 20 page essay. I particularly like to see the changes in style of writing with different forms of music. It's very interesting.
 
Why/when/where are you listening to music?

Silence is great if you're alone but, if you're in a noisy office/lab, you need something that will block out the noise and be less distracting. The key is that it unobtrusive - either by design, as with much techno-ish stuff, or something that's familiar enough that you're not getting distracted by lyrics. For me it's all about getting comfortable, relaxed and "in the zone" without having distractions.


and, strangely, having a light hangover seems to do wonders for my productivity. I'm not sure if my consciousness wants to escape the physical unpleasantness or if it's just a residual 'altered consciousness' that allows me to escape my surroundings a bit better.

edit: as for writing essays, I think things change somewhat. Programming is a logical activity, moreso than a linguistic one, so lyrics are fine (as long as they're not engaging). Essay writing, being a primarily linguistic activity, would more easily be derailed by linguistic inputs/distractions.

...or I could just be completly talking out my ass.
 
ameoba said:
Silence is great if you're alone but, if you're in a noisy office/lab, you need something that will block out the noise and be less distracting. The key is that it unobtrusive - either by design, as with much techno-ish stuff, or something that's familiar enough that you're not getting distracted by lyrics. For me it's all about getting comfortable, relaxed and "in the zone" without having distractions.

and, strangely, having a light hangover seems to do wonders for my productivity. I'm not sure if my consciousness wants to escape the physical unpleasantness or if it's just a residual 'altered consciousness' that allows me to escape my surroundings a bit better.
Click to expand...
skip a day at the bars, and use the money saved to buy some decent headphones ... problem solved :D
 
For me, anything. Usually when I get deep in coding, I drown out the music anyways.
 
Let's see... I listen to pretty much all of my music at work, so here's an small list of some of the recent tunes that have been blaring through my HD580s

Anathema
Apocalyptica
Arctic Monkeys
Avenged Sevenfold
Bloc Party
Daft Punk
Dave Matthews Band
Depeche Mode
Eagles
Eminem
Gorillaz
Great Big Sea
Infected Mushroom
Massive Attack
Matisyahu
Muse
Nine Inch Nails
Orbital
She Wants Revenge
Slipknot
Snow Patrol
Tool
Yellowcard

20 gigs of mp3s, listening > 8 hours a day.
 
Not necessarily a programmer, but if configuring routers/switches and voip stuff counts the latest playlist that Ive been listening to has been:

Hawthorne Heights - saying sorry
PANIC! At the disco - i write sins not tragedies
10 Years - wasteland
Bayside - Masterpiece, devotion & desire
Saosin - Bury Your Head
Copper - by now
Armor for sleep - basement ghost singing
Fall out boy - XO
Dimmu Borgir - blessings upon the throne of tyranny
Apocalyptica - path
Birthday Massacre - play dead
bloodhound gang - along came mary
cake - no phone
darude - sandstorm
dj tiesto - traffic
dj shadow - stem & organ donor

and last but not least

Fort minor - cigarrettes & whered you go
 
Fark_Maniac said:
I've discovered, as well as many of my friends, that loud blaring heavy metal via headphones works best. It it semi-enjoyable while at the same time completely drowning out the outside world.

Bands I listen to are Lollipop Lust Kill, Chevelle, Black Label Society, Gravity Kills, Godsmack, 12 Stones, Drowning Pool, Saliva, and Rob Zombie...and Powerman 5000.
Click to expand...
Similar playlist here. Just tack on pantera, metallica and 4.1.
My cursing fits only last 3 minutes instead of 15 when I find some stupid thing that ea/dice did.
 
I'm with ameoba on this one.
For me, silence is best, but it can be anything, as long as it blocks out the workplace distractions. The goal is to get into the zone, where I don't pay attention to the music anyway, so for the most part, I'll just grab whatever's convenient from my collection, and if I need them, I'll play them in my headphones. If I have no problems getting into the zone, then it just doesn't even occur to me to put on any music. When I do listen to music while I work, it simply reflects my normal tastes anyway...

That said, the music I most frequently bring to work includes Tortoise, Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, Add N to X, Postal Service, Beck, Tom Waits, !!!, and the occasional Miles Davis.
 
someone from another forum i visit just posted a link to this:

http://machinaesupremacy.com/index.html

holy hell this stuff is good, not to mention most of the tracks are free to download (LEGALLY), just go to the discography section to find a list of their tracks and links to download them
 
movax said:
Political correctness, hehehe.

Umm, yeah I pretty much listen to most techno, though not "really" techno; I use it as a generic term for electronic-type music without lyrics. Check out Ishkur's guide for details.

When I note that I've listened to say, an entire album or playlist twice or something, I've been coding for too long straight.
Click to expand...

ditto. well, maybe not exactly, but i listen to techno. a little bit of vocal trance, but for the most part just trancey music without lyrics

more specifically, Digitally Imported's European Trance shoutcast (i dont have enough techno to put together a non-repetitive playlist). it generates a nice mood, can be uplifting at times so its not a downer or anything, but it's also reserved and not too distracting. i listen to it when i do homework also. in general i listen to alternative rock type stuff, but trance is great for getting work done.
 
None. We do XP at my work place so I'm pairing with someone most of the time. And when I'm not pairing I still don't listen to music. It allows me to listen in on other conversations and if I overhear something I can contribute on or clarify, I do.
 
When I'm alone, I'm usually listening to something I don't find too distracting. Looking over my playlist for the last weeks, this means:
Kraftwerk - Tour de France
The Knife - Silent Shout
Ladytron - Witching Hour
Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll
and occationally
Daft Punk - Discovery.

For especially frustrating things in the middle of the night I have another playlist, with a selection of Rammstein, Dropkick Murphys, and Ayumi Hamasaki. [1]
There's just something about Links 2 3 4 that makes you grit your teeth and continue. :D


The most obvious reason I like listening to music while programming is that it shuts the world out. I'm easily distracted by people moving around, cars stopping outside, that sort of thing, and closed headphones with music is a good remedy.
Another subtle but interesting effect is that suitable music makes it easier to slip into a sort of higly focused half-trance; I'm sure some of you are familiar with the effect.


[1] Not a combination you're likely to find on too many compilations, that.
 
I love programming to Kosheen - Resist. (the album) and Monika Kruse - On the Road Mix Vol.2
 
For some strange reason British prog rock really helps me code. Radiohead, The Verve, Spiritualized, etc.
 
I'm a light rock listener when I program. I usually listen to alternative and punk rock but it gets distracting. Heres the output of my thinking music playlist

1. Dave Mathews Band - Ants Marching (4:29)
2. Dave Mathews Band - Crash Into Me (5:16)
3. Dave Mathews Band - In My Life (The Beatles Cover Live) (2:29)
4. Motion City Soundtrack - Indoor Living (3:46)
5. Pearl Jam - Daughter (3:23)
6. Pearl Jam - Elderly Woman Behind a Counter (3:16)
7. Pearl Jam - Yellow Ledbetter (5:03)
8. Pearl Jam - Black (5:44)
9. Pearl Jam - Alive (5:41)
10. Red Chili Peppers - Under The Bridge (4:21)
11. Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight (4:14)
12. Spill Canvas - The Tide (5:58)
13. Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song (3:14)
14. Stone Temple Pilots - Sour Girl (4:17)
15. Sublime - What I Got (2:51)
16. The Used - Yesterday's Feelings (2:48)
17. The Used - Lunacy Fringe (3:41)
18. Weezer - Island In The Sun (3:30)
19. Weezer - Buddy Holly (2:39)
20. Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line (4:31)
21. Filter - Take a Picture (6:03)
22. Fall Out Boy - I've Got A Dark Alley And A Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth (Summer Song) (3:09)
23. Green Day - Last Ride In (3:47)
24. Green Day - Espionage (3:23)
25. Green Day - When I Come Around (2:58)
26. Incubus - I Wish You Were Here (3:33)
27. Flogging Molly - Death Valley Queen (4:18)
28. Eric Clapton - Layla (Unplugged) (4:46)
29. Eric Clapton - Layla (7:04)
30. Underoath - Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape (4:21)
31. Rise Against - Swing Life Away (3:19)
32. Breaking Benjamin - Forget It (3:36)
33. My Chemical Romance - Ghost Of You (3:23)
34. Finch - Once Upon My Nightstand (3:36)
35. Jimmy Eat World - Sweetness (new version) (3:43)
36. Cracker - Low (4:33)
37. A Perfect Circle - Blue (4:12)
 
27. Flogging Molly - Death Valley Queen (4:18)
I'm not sure if "Light Rock" is what I'd classify it as, but ... ok, it sort of works. :)
(Wonderful album, anyway.)
 
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