Ask HN: What do you listen to while coding (and how)? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What do you listen to while coding (and how)?

24 pointsdennybritz35 comments

Personally I like to listen to electronic music (vocal trance, chillstep, etc) or chillout. However, I haven't been able to find a site that gives a continuous stream of good music. So I usually browse mixes on Youtube or mixcloud.com. It gets quite annoying having to manage music every hour or so though.

I've never been happy with Pandora or Spotify, their recommendation algorithms bring up the same music (and artists) over and over again.

Any recommendations (also open to other types of music)?

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Soma.fm for ambient, drone, chillout, lush, and a few other channels. Otherwise Spotify for streaming most of my music or what I have locally (which I usually play in an old winamp version). Lots and lots of youtube related videos for image-only song videos on youtube.

As far as music content, it's usually metal, psybient, folk metal, chillout, drone, and classic rock.

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I like listening to Electronic Dance Music because it gets me pumped and I can code for longer hours at a time. A good source of the latest EDM is Spinnin' Sessions on Youtube. They roll out 1 hour sessions every Thursday. http://bit.ly/1gX4ge6

It takes time to "train" Pandora but I've been at it for 3-4 years now seeding with all the tracks that are great for coding and thumbing up when I hear something that promotes going in to zen mode. The results are great and now this is my favorite music source in everything else I've tried out: http://www.pandora.com/station/play/164715539305919382. The status features mostly vocal-free distraction less music with rhythmic beats that puts you in the zone and occasional uplifting tracks that keeps you going.

I've also found this music station to be very anti-procrastinating. If you feel like procrastating, just press the play button and suddenly you would want to get back to coding :).

If it's complex / thought intensive, brown noise on http://www.noisli.com/

If it's something I can just crank out, and I've thought about the overall design, I keep a list of soundcloud favorites (https://soundcloud.com/basik/likes and http://thudsandrumbles.com/). I always look for new things, though. Today, I listened to Christopher O'Riley cover Radiohead.

EDM on http://8tracks.com most of the time. If not EDM, then alternative but it's always on 8tracks. I love that site.

Trying this site out now; so far really dope tracks. Great recommendation.

I listen to Vedic chanting. Even though I understand nothing (I know very little of Sanskrit language), the music itself is very relaxing and helps concentrate.

Surprised no one has mentioned Focus at Will (https://www.focusatwill.com/). I've had huge productivity boosts while listening, whether it's programming or writing emails. The free version is nice, but the paid version is really worthwhile since you get a much wider variety of music (it adds an "intensity" option to each genre).

I'm a big fan of quiet. I find that music determines my mental rhythm, and what I'm thinking about or constructing doesn't have a regular rhythm. For me personally, music interferes with thinking about something specific, so I only listen to music when what I'm doing is Listening To Music, or if I'm OK with letting my thinking wander.

I realize I'm unusual in this.

Classical on Pandora. I used to listen to EDM, but I couldn't concentrate on my work. I guess I subconsciously associate EDM with going out, having fun, etc so my mind just wanders.

The Classical station on Pandora (at least my station) isn't just the "stuffy" Beethoven pieces, but also incorporates really cool string or piano covers for famous songs. Try it out.

Albums that I've listened to a lot. I prefer fast-singing rock bands (Icon For Hire, Flyleaf), anything 'quick' and with a fast tempo but it's important I have the lyrics cemented into my brain. Just pick music that makes you FEEL good and puts you into an excitable mood.

I am also a big fan of game and movie soundtracks. Big, loud orchestral pieces.

Generally, total silence.

If in busy environment, I put on some headphones/earbuds and maybe a little Dave Brubeck.

I dont really listen to music. But sometimes I like to run an action packed movie in the background. The movie shouldn't be new to me, preferably in other language too. Maybe I like it because of adrenalin rush. :).

Even those rainy moods are better than music.

Music distracts with an urge to sing with it. And with instrumentals I get bored soon.

Essential Mixes via bootlegged mp3s are awesome to code with.

I've also been following THUMP on Soundcloud and they've been putting up a fair amount of awesome mixes: https://soundcloud.com/thump

Thanks, I really like these mixes.

Goodness. Just about anything, but I guess of note due to unusuality would be that when I need "motivation music" I'll code to Moombahton/trap/hip hop; It's the same sort of mood I get into during a good workout.

Downtempo - http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Programming+Music/60387099

http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Programming001/95161345

You can try deepmix.ru.

It's an Internet radio station where every song is mixed with the following. I mean, no dj speech, non-stop chill-ambient music.

I'm actually a huge fan of Tycho. I like the music I listen to to be good when I pay attention, but not overwhelming while coding.

I listen to a variety of stuff on Spotify now but when I listened to EDM more exclusively I would hit the di.fm online radio stations.

sorry, no stream here - just -uhm, a cd in my ps-one

connected to a old tube amp... listening actualy to

thermostatic-"tonight", some "newer" i-hate-this-

place-songs (muste me some songs of the album with

"spaceinvaders" on it), last weekend there was

ramblin dawgs-you let me down on my turntable, and

next weekend there`s a must for "pöbel & gesocks" -

drinking finest... enjoy

Depending on time of day

I either listen to Reggae (Banton or Tosh) or Swedish House Mafia (Techno) all via Youtube Channels

i've been listening to albums on youtube lately - it recommended me this the other day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1v3NeGtm_Y

it's pretty crazy. i (re)wrote a lot of code to it yesterday.

http://www.deepmix.eu/

Nobody has a Spotify playlist for this?

vaporwave /r/Vaporwave

late nite music

Bubblegum pop on Pandora.

somafm.com -- drone zone, space station or groove salad stations

Thanks, I'm giving this a try right now :)

You're welcome. Mission control on somafm.com is an odd one too. It is a mix of historic shuttle missions radio chatter and ambient. Sometimes it really works out well. Sometimes it is so so. Give it a try see what you think

BBC Radio 4

the velvet underground

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