
Ask HN: What do you listen to while programming? - supernintendo
Simple question, what do you typically listen to while writing code? Music, podcasts, silence? Also, does it depends on what you&#x27;re working on? Thanks and have a great day.
======
afarrell
It definitely depends on my mood and what I'm doing.

My default is Lindsey Stirling[1]. Her music is up-tempo instrumental. I'll
also put on a Pandora station seeded on Natalie McMaster.

Sometimes I'm doing something where I'm spending a bunch of time waiting on
the machine and I will listen to a history audiobook. Recommendations:

\- Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman

\- Souls of Black Folk by WEB DuBois

\- to answer the Question DuBois raises at the end: Guns, Germs, and Steel by
Jared Diamond

\- 1776 by David McCulloch

\- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow

\- not history, but if you've only read Lord of the Rings on paper, you really
should listen to the Audiobook.

Also lately I've been repeatedly listening to the songs from a musical about a
certain bastard orphan son of a whore...

[1]
[https://m.youtube.com/user/lindseystomp](https://m.youtube.com/user/lindseystomp)

------
malux85
Digitally Imported ([http://www.di.fm/](http://www.di.fm/))

They have great stations, some nice liquid DNB will get you into flow

------
skylark
I feel like video game music is perfect for coding - it's not designed to draw
too much attention to itself and provides a nice vibe. Rainwave.cc is a great
(free) stream for that.

Other than that, jazz/classical when I want to relax, electronic music when
I'm in the zone.

------
darrelld
I love listening to The Books when I'm really trying to focus and concentrate.
They are disjointed and most of their "lyrics" are just snippets from old TV /
movie / radio shows so there is nothing for my brain to latch onto and follow
along. I can just focus on the problem at hand. Might not be for everyone but
once I found them I knew I had struck gold. I've been listening to them for
about 5 years now.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHNArEfBKdc&list=RDEMJl2R73T...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHNArEfBKdc&list=RDEMJl2R73TGuF-
HpKBihxOOJw)

You can also find them on spotify.

------
askafriend
Slim Thug, Future, Pusha T and some real raw shit from the streets of Chicago,
Atlanta, and Houston. Anyone else feel me?

EDIT: I'm just being honest. This is what I listen to. I really don't care if
you downvote me.

~~~
stuxnet79
Why would anybody downvote? While I only care for Pusha T out of that list, it
doesn't seem out of the ordinary. Not a lot of rap fans on HN I see :/

------
code777777
Mostly white noise and sounds of rain and thunderstorms.

If I'm doing something more mundane I'll often play some PluralSight or some
programming podcast in the background. I've learned to tune out the talking
until something interesting comes up.

Perhaps because it's playing at 1.5x speed my brain doesn't quite perceive it
as a human voice. Most music distracts me, perhaps due to my musical
background.

Not sure, but it works for me.

------
andrey_utkin
Mostly the best thrash metal ever - Overkill, then some Exodus and Havok. Also
The Offspring (pop-punk), The Lively Ones (1960s surf rock).

------
0942v8653
'Forgotten Memories' Instrumental Chill Mix -
[https://soundcloud.com/fluidified/forgotten-
memories](https://soundcloud.com/fluidified/forgotten-memories)

I don't quite like the mixing but it has a good selection. Take a look at the
artists involved.

Also, podcasts while coding? That sounds like a disaster...

------
achairapart
[http://musicforprogramming.net](http://musicforprogramming.net)

~~~
partisan
This is my mainstay nowadays. RITES (#24) shows 63 plays so far and that is
low.

Some don't appeal to me on the first listen, but they really do as I code and
suddenly realize I love what I am hearing.

------
davidkim
I built a curated radio station for myself and friends -
[http://voyager.fm](http://voyager.fm). Depending on the mood, I can be
selective of the music I work with, but most of the time I just want to turn
on something and go.

------
pizza
[https://soundcloud.com/kaltblutmagazine/hanz-mix-for-
kaltblu...](https://soundcloud.com/kaltblutmagazine/hanz-mix-for-kaltblut-
magazine) ~ 180 bpm at parts

------
selmat
Focus@will works for me. Some free samples are available at youtube.

You can choose your style, speed, desired level of focus etc. it is paid
service but at project webpage is available 30 days free period.

Web: www.focusatwill.com

------
mbrock
Almost always silence. Sometimes if I'm having a bad mood of some kind, I'll
put on something that's soothing or uplifting for me, basically just any of my
favorite music that isn't too sentimental or lyrically interesting... but
mostly, I find it easiest to concentrate in silence.

(This makes it annoying to work in environments where the only way to not
overhear conversations is to put on music in headphones...)

------
0x7fffffff
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ItHLz5WEA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ItHLz5WEA)

------
PaulHoule
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLKVOShCG8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLKVOShCG8)

------
swah
Been trying Vaporwave /
[http://reddit.com/r/mallsoft](http://reddit.com/r/mallsoft) lately.

Eg [https://drcodeini.bandcamp.com/album/ussia-
ctetnka](https://drcodeini.bandcamp.com/album/ussia-ctetnka)

------
Hockenbrizzle
I always listen to music while I work. If I am learning new things or editing
a manuscript, I turn the volume quite low and only play music that I am very
familiar with. Here are some albums/sets I listen to most often:

Rodrigo Amarante - Cavalo

Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt

Solomun Boiler Room DJ Set (YouTube)

Nightmares on Wax Boiler Room DJ Set (YouTube)

------
ptype
Goa trance. No lyrics, not too hardcore.

~~~
kleer001
Am goa head too. Have nearly a 48 hours worth of tunes locally. Any favorite
producers? Am always on the look out for new or unheard of twisted bass and
acid beats.

------
miguelrochefort
Good old death metal.

------
galfarragem
It's easier to answer what I'm listening today: an indie video game 'midi'
soundtrack -- [http://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/](http://tobyfox.bandcamp.com/)

------
grif-fin
Ennio morricone's music.

From 'Fist full of dollars' to 'The hateful eight':

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0pSUnnzoDM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0pSUnnzoDM)

------
zerr
Fans. The sounds of fans (mostly from power supply) from PC.

------
mcintyre1994
I quite often listen to loud film scores - think Inception/Hans Zimmer. Google
Play Music has a good radio station for it and I imagine the others do too!

------
archagon
Lots of Tipper, Philip Glass, and some nervous_testpilot. Also lots of
Spotify's Discover Weekly.

------
cafard
Alas, ambulances, construction machinery, and general traffic all too often.
Silence for preference.

------
stuxnet79
90s jams. Alternating between mid 90s R&B and Hip-Hop and Shoegaze / Britpop
bands.

------
rman4040
It is hard for me to be focus while coding with music, so I prefer the quiet,
no music.

------
kleer001
My own music mostly. Visiting old favorite tracks or the new ones in the
works.

~~~
stuxnet79
There's nothing like eating your own dog food :)

------
tamersalama
Nothing but classical music. But that's what I listen to all the time.

------
bvarum
Tycho or Carbon Based Lifeforms. Both are quite good.

------
jfc
Smooth Jazz. Most of the time, instrumental only.

------
codeonfire
Listened to dnb mostly 2000-2008, some metal, more recently chillwave stuff
like Tycho. The name of the game in coding work is to control anxiety and
stress long term. I also listen to this week in tech and sometimes other
related podcasts.

------
J_Darnley
Music without lyrics or sometimes with lyrics in a language I don't
understand.

