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[Cov]

I was doing some coding today when I realised the music I was listening to was totally different to what I normally do. Usually I'm big on Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, Status Quo and The Who. However, I have found when I code it's generally electronicy, technoy, general wub wub wub music, Approaching Nirvana is a duo I listen to a lot.

So I put to you..... What is on your coding playlist and does it differ to what you normally listen to!?

[Udderdude]

Anything action-y is cool, except when I'm trying to debug or find some malfunctioning code, then I prefer silence so I can think about what/where the error is.

[John Sandoval]

if i have to actually think

silence

if its just busywork, i listen to pretty much everything

but right NOW its the soundtrack to the BIG O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRFcITgWzfw&list=PL4EC17922117D33AB&index=6&feature=plpp_video

[Fashion Zombie!]

Music's pretty much the enemy of productivity right now, It started out simply, I just listened to a bit of music now and then, while doing anything on the computer, but it almost took over, and soon I'd just get distracted by the music and just sit and listen to it instead of working. Several nights time would just feel like it had flown by.

On the plus side it stimulates my imagination really well. So it's much better to listen to music while doing the art side of things rather than the code. Coding is too right-brained to actually be helped by music for me, so really I usually just have it on to provide atmosphere.

But music's become more important to me gradually over about 4 years, I started out with just one or two stupid tracks I listened to on the internet, then I became picky and started listening to more actual bands. It started with TMBG, Lemon Demon, Weird Al, then moved to things like Radiohead, SoaD, RatM, Pendulum, Tears for Fears, Machinea Supremacy, Mastodon, and some others that I don't listen to as much, and started buying whole albums instead of singles. Music is the only thing draining my budget besides food right now.

Most of the time if I listen to anything too complex I just get too distracted to work, but sometimes it works when I've got the right sort of determination going, I guess.

[Paul Eres]

i don't listen to music when i work on games. i listen to music when i exercise, and that's about it

for exercise, i prefer music that has specific timings; for example, music that is almost 5 minutes long (anything from 4:50 to 5:10). that way i can arrange a playlist of exact timings, and interval train without a stopwatch

[Player Ʒ]

Quite a bit of DSO. It's catchy, and not too noisy.

[Glyph]

Sometimes I listen to amiga/demo tunes from this site. Usually it's pretty good, sometimes it's just weird, but it's always something new. It's also great for getting placeholder music, when paired with this database for actually finding the song you hear.

[iffi]

if i have to actually think

silence

if its just busywork, i listen to pretty much everything

Same here. I don't do actual thinking very often, though.

[Jackson31]

when I'm coding I like to listen to high energy electro, DnB or (if i'm feeling nostalgic) UK Happy Hardcore

I guess I like this fast electronic stuff since it works well with typing fast, scrolling up and down furiously and scanning frantically with your eyes all the time.

For 3d modelling I like to listen to slightly more chilled out electro or dubstep, since modelling can be pretty slow (especially when UV mapping) so having high energy music makes me feel like I'm not getting things done quick enough, where instead I need to be in a kind of timeless trance to work best (the type where you find it's 5pm and you haven't eaten breakfast yet)

[trq]

In terms of productivity my favorites are post-rock and dub (psy reggae, not dub step). Sometimes acid techno or surf.

[mirosurabu]

90's pop/new jack swing and miami bass are the best. Electronic music is just way too distracting.

[swordofkings128]

normally listen to music, but when I'm working on games I listen to let's plays and retsupuraes... lately mostly retsupuraes. there's just something about hearing a couple dudes making fun of bad LP'ers that makes me wanna' make games.

[EvilASh]

I listen to music almost all the time - when I'm on the computer, when I'm driving, when I'm at work, when I take walks, but when I program I don't listen to anything.
I've tried listening to music while programming, but then my playlists just run out and I end up sitting in silence again.

[todd]

I usually listen to soundtracks like Pikmen, Katamari, or Animal Crossing when working on games. Those get my hamster wheel spinnin'. When I'm at work I listen to classic rock or this cool podcast about the paranormal called The Paracast.

[keo]

besides music, TED talks