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Ask HN: Music while coding

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81–90 of 179 posts

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#83
Bach is almost exclusively my favorite classical composer. If you want some of his music, check out classiccat.net. It makes great programming music, but some of it is worth listening to when you're not distracted. (-:

I also enjoy Aphex Twin (all of the similar bands, like Boards of Canada and Autechre, not as much). I actually wrote one my of first web applications listening to "Selected Ambient Works 85-92". Ratatat is good. Finally, for some reason, I enjoy listening to the Conet Project ( http://www.archive.org/details/ird059 ) while coding.

In general though, I prefer to be in a spot where I don't have to use music to compensate for obnoxious background noise.

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#86
post #81

If you never have try some 8-BIT music while coding. It really gets you in the zone.

Where's a good collection of 8-bit music? I like the music the 8bit renditions of popular music that Engadget stars their podcast with, but don't know a good archive for them.

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#87
I've found that nothing helps me into the zone faster than white(or pink or brown)-noise type audio: waves at the seashore, rain falling in a forest-- that type of sound. It's intriguing to me how a little randomness can gel my mind.

I certainly recommend trying it before going with the Provigil (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1524757)

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#88
post #77

Usually silence, but when I do listen to music and try to work it's one of the following: 1. Final Fantasy, Video Game soundtrack, OCRemix, or similar (current favorites: Kindgom Hearts, Capcom Music Generation Family Computer Soundtracks, both Jet Set Radio soundtracks) 2. Pandora, my Quick Mix, which is basically a radio station for every band I enjoy old and new (examples: Tom Petty, Spoon, Modest Mouse, The Kille…

The Pandora subscription is really worth it.

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#89
Go to pandora.com

Make a station, use "Abakus" as the seed.

Upvote/downvote the next few dozen songs. (If a song has any words/lyrics in it at all, it gets an immediate downvote no matter if I like it).

There you go.

I've found that Abakus is just the right mix of continuously pumping music that keeps my brain flowing, without being too intense (like a lot of trance or goa can get). It ends up flowing into the background pretty smoothly and keeps me going. Before I know it, hours have passed. As a seed in Pandora I've found tons of other artists and music that flows in the same way.

Re: Ask HN: Music while coding

#90

Try some post-rock: - Tortoise - Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Thee Silver Mt. Zion - This Will Destroy You - Do Make Say Think - Explosions in the Sky .. To name a few Very melodic, quiet, soothing, but also explosive at times.

I'll second this. I will also add the following (much smaller) artists to the list: - Balmorhea - Tunturia I've been listening to both of them a lot lately - more so than I have the heavy-weights (as listed above)

Thanks for adding .. I've been on a Toronto music binge lately as I just moved here and definitely going to check more of Tunturia out.

Balmorhea sounds great, too!

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