5 ms·
Ask HN: What do you listen to while coding/designing?
After slipping on my Sennheiser HD598's and turning on some Venetian Snares on Spotify, I started to wonder: What are other developers out there listening to while they write some code?
1. Do you wear headphones/earbuds, if so, what kind? Sennheiser HD598 Open-Air Headphones
2. Do you use speakers, if so, what kind? When I don't have headphones on I use Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers.
3. What genre(s) of music do you listen to? I listen to everything indie, electronic, classic rock, hip-hop. But I generally prefer instrumental music, or music with minimal lyrics.
4. Do you have a hacking playlist on Spotify? No. But maybe we should start a collaborative Hacker News playlist?!
- sfrechtling 14y ago1. Some California Headphones (Laredos) 3. Electronic, Hip Hop, Metal At the moment - Macklemore's Album
- yodakohl 14y agoPutting myself in a convenient environment is crucial for my productivity. I have two places, one in work, one at home that are dedicated for working purposes. Within this environment I always listen to www.trance.fm, lyrics would distract me. It's a never ending stream so I don't have to care about selecting tracks. I don't care about headphones, as long as they aren't uncomfortable to wear.
- ryhanson 14y agoEnvironment is huge for me too, but when I can't control it as I would like, a good pair of earbuds helps to block everything out. Lyrics distract me at times too.
- jejones3141 14y agoI listen to a variety of music--from Gesualdo to Wendy Carlos to Mike Oldfield. I gained a fan for The Bobs when I was at work looking at a code generator late one night, thinking myself alone, on headphones listening to their "My Shoes" and singing the bass line along with Richard Bob full force. "What are you listening to?!" I explained, and before long poof! A new FOB!
- kevinyun 14y agoSongza is awesome. I listen to the 'saving the world from evil' and 'epic study music' playlists. They're really great.
- ryhanson 14y agoI've used Songza before, its pretty sweet. I think I even found a coding playlist on it?
- gee_totes 14y agosoma.fm
- ryhanson 14y agoI've been listening to a lot of Sigur Ros lately too. Although it has lyrics, I can't understand them and the music seems more instrumental.
- ryhanson 14y agoHave any of you ever been to: http://coding.fm/ http://coding.fm/ ? I don't think I could listen to that for very long at all.
- std_map 14y agogame tunes from rainwave.cc
- lifeisstillgood 14y agoAm I the only one who finds almost all music distracting - I like to listen to it not ignore it. If I am going to concentrate I need to use all my brain cells (I only have a few left you see), so I listen to nothing.
- meerita 14y agoSometimes I use to listen rain and forest sounds at very low level. I live in a nice and quiet neighbourhood in Barcelona city and I can enjoy such moments with this kind of music.
- ceeK 14y agoI'm the same. I can listen whilst doing mundane tasks but anything where I actually have to think it's a big distraction. That said, I dislike pure silence as well due to my tinnitus and general liking of some ambient noise.
- orangethirty 14y agoI put on Netflix on the background (iPod). Play tv series. Currently watching Top Gear and The Wonder Years.
- ryhanson 14y agoI like to put on Netflix on my iPad, but only if I'm doing something that doesn't take too much thinking.
- mmariani 14y agoIt depends on the concentration level a user story needs to get and my mood to get it done. Light: Beatles, Bob Marley, CB, Lemon Jelly, Rush, etc. Medium: Bonobo, Dave Brubeck, Ludovico Einaudi, Bach, Vivaldi, etc. High: rainymood.com or silence
- codemonkeymike 14y agoListen to mostly NPR podcasts on my razor headset, in specific I will listen to Freakanomics, This American Life, Radio Lab, Illusioniod, Tell Me More, Brian Leher Show, Planet Money, Stuff You Missed In History Class, NPR Science, TED Talks, and when I go through all of that I will listen to some music (Local Natives, Mumford and Sons, Parlor Mob, The Killers, Edward Sharpe..., She and Him, Of Monsters and Men, Catch 22) There are more things I listen to but I cant think of right now. I am relatively productive with most things I listen to except for Illusioniod.
- ngoel36 14y agoHow in the world do you listen to NPR and code at the same time?
- codemonkeymike 14y agoEasily, 50% of the coding I do mindless website building which really doesn't need my full attention. The rest of the time I tune it out and end up listening to it again later.
- crazydiamond 14y agokat.ph has a guy called Gandalf, german composer, instrumental easy listening, really good for coding with.
- meerita 14y ago1. Yes, I use headphones. Currently Sennheisser HD 555. 2. I have Harman Kardon SoundSticks III 2.1 Channel Sound System. I use them when watching a movie or when I'm alone at home. 3. All kind of metal. Mostly progressive, technical death metal, deathcore, etc. Then classical, ambient, trip and a lot of Soundtracks… 4. I do but I rarely use Spotify.
- weigo 14y agoNormally I do not listen to music, because then it is harder to concentrate on the actual task.
- kohanz 14y agostreamingsoundtracks.com, although it has deteriorated somewhat over the years. It used to be exclusively instrumental tracks from popular movies, but now there are more vocal and video game tracks than I care for.
- mapster 14y agoApple speakers and stream trance music.
- b3b0p 14y agoKEXP.org, OCRemix / Rainwave.cc. When at home and working on side projects or things that don't need much concentration I put on a podcast or Netflix. I like the background noise.
- ehsanu1 14y agohttp://musicforprogramming.net/ http://musicforprogramming.net/
- ryhanson 14y agoThanks! I'm surprised I hadn't heard of that.
- zachlatta 14y ago1. I wear my ATH-M50s. They work for my needs. 2. No speakers for me. 3. I like listening to glitch hop and instrumental rock. 4. I have a collaborative one at http://open.spotify.com/user/zachlatta/playlist/4KuyJRu62zShGTaKpCos38 http://open.spotify.com/user/zachlatta/playlist/4KuyJRu62zSh.... Feel free to contribute!
- sixQuarks 14y agoI like listening to the instrumental versions of my favorite bands. If you use spotify, just type in "Pink floyd instrumental" for example. Singing distracts me, but the instrumental is perfect because it's like riding a bike, my mind doesn't have to concentrate on the song, it already knows it, and the music actually helps me think.
- mrkmcknz 14y agoI usually just put a Michael Nyman playlist on and turn my headphones up to a level where I can't hear anything over than an explosion. Personally works for me. But, ideally anything I can listen to for a couple of hours without feeling the urge to skip songs or sing along to. Instrumentals only.
- daniel-cussen 14y agoPop, trance, electronica, club/dance music. Half of the music I listen to is garbage, but I listen to it for the beats.
- krsunny 14y agoOpen up groveshark, play "my station"