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Comment by fcbrooklyn | Hacker News Reader

I can't listen to anything with words I understand. Podcasts would be ridiculous.

Right; I'm unable to even listen to music while in deep flow, because I have a composition/conducting background, and ANY kind of music triggers analysis that is a distraction.

I just listen to white noise.

If you’re a composer/conductor then you’ve probably already tried this, but for me two types of music work well (as I’m a similarly analytical musician):

- Minimalism, specifically Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians suite

- Atmospheric, specifically ‘Skyrim Atmospheres’ by Jeremy Soule

Both are so versatile: minimalism for journeys and coding; atmospheric for ‘creative’ periods, walking and sleeping. I do somewhat envy your ability to listen to white noise as it is infinitely replicable, but fear it a little distracting in of itself!

I checked both of them out, and they're nice, thanks! But in both cases, it's definitely music, and as such I'm definitely distracted by it.

You listen to white noise? I'm not even able to handle the sound of the oxygen in the atmosphere.

I just listen to the ambient energy of a perfect vacuum.

> the ambient energy of a perfect vacuum.

I'm not sure what that sounds like.

You can't hear in a vaccum; it doesn't sound like anything at all.

That's what I figured, it was just so floridly put that I'd check.

Yes. Love my DnB :)

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