Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#1

Post by samrohn » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 6:09 AM UTC

What's your favourite music when you code,design or work in general?

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#2

Post by rzzzwilson » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 6:14 AM UTC

It doesn't really matter. Once you are concentrating and "in the flow" you don't hear it.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#3

Post by brandfilt » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 6:25 AM UTC

My absolute favourites are Abul Mogard's Works album and most albums by Alessandro Cortini. If I want something more high energy, I just find a techno or psytrance playlist from Spotify without paying much attention to which artist is playing.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#4

Post by stevekemp » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 6:59 AM UTC

I suspect this is a deeply personal question, like asking people "C++ coders what fiction do you read at home?"

Regardless I'm currently listening to Rammstein, I often listen to Queen, Depeche Mode, and soundracks from films such as LotR, 300, Blade, Resident Evil. I've spent a lot of time listening to the soundtracks to the various Fast&Furious films over the last month. Maybe next month I'll have more classical-music.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#5

Post by yesenadam » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 7:17 AM UTC

Silence.

(I've been a musician and programmed all my life too, but never have music playing when concentration is needed, i.e. when programming. When music is on, I concentrate on the music! It seems so weird to me that people would attempt some complex programming task with music playing! Hmm and mostly when I do want music these days it comes out of me: I imagine/remember it–hear my favourite stuff in my head, or imagine playing it, or tap rhythms, or play an instrument..)

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#6

Post by zzo38computer » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 7:33 AM UTC

I usually have no music.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#7

Post by notadoctor_ssh » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 7:55 AM UTC

I usually have the Lo-fi beats playlist[1] on Spotify playing.

[1] https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWWQRwui0ExPn?si=...

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#8

Post by eti » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 9:17 AM UTC

some ambient music, usually whatever comes up on spotify. i do like listening to my soundcloud stream whenever i get the chance, but that tends to have less focus-friendly tracks.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#9

Post by sloaken » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 1:14 PM UTC

I vary between Classical, usually when designing, to something upbeat when coding.

Re: Ask HN: Best Music Background to Work?

#10

Post by AwesomeFaic » Mon, Jan 20, 2020, 2:08 PM UTC

notadoctor_ssh wrote: post #7

I usually have the Lo-fi beats playlist[1] on Spotify playing. [1] https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWWQRwui0ExPn?si=...

Seconding this, Spotify at work is blocked and lots of active YouTube activity would look bad, so I fire up the beloved YouTube 24hr lo-fi beat stream and let it run all day pretty much