Music for Programming (2011)

>>notkai+(OP)
Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand!

When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction.

For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... but never as "background noise"!

>>coreyp+0i
You're not the only person; it's why I absolutely despise open offices. I have trouble getting things done with people talking, and "just putting on headphones" doesn't really work because I have trouble focusing on anything but the music.

The closest thing I'll do to address my particular problem is find audio of stuff like thunderstorms or waterfalls and more ambient stuff. Personally, I find that much easier to tune out.

>>tomber+Jj
I think this site does a decent job of avoiding music that can be focused on. They mention on the about page:

> we have found that the most effective music to aid prolonged periods of intense concentration tends to have a mixture of the following qualities:

    Drones
    Noise
    Fuzz
    Field recordings
    Vagueness (Hypnagogia)
    Textures without rhythm
    Minor complex chords 
    Early music (Baroque, lute, harpsichord)
    Very few drums or vocals
    Synth arpeggios
    Awesome / daunting / foreboding
    Walls of reverb

I personally don't mind a bit of rhythm, but this isn't music that your brain will latch on to and want to pay attention - it's more like pleasant ambient sounds.

However, I also suffer from an inability to get things done with people talking - I'm constantly inadvertently eavesdropping on my coworkers' conversations. I find that I have to push white noise up to uncomfortably dangerous levels to drown out conversation - your audio processing systems tolerate shockingly high SNR - but changing, musical audio like this is harder to tune out than thunderstorms or waterfalls and therefore permits me to turn down the volume.

I just wish someone would build an audio-cancelling headset, instead of the usual noise-cancelling ones that take away background noise but let voices come through clearly...

>>LeifCa+xo
For others who find they need too-loud music or noise, here's my 3 step process that works.

1. Get any in-ear earbuds (for noise even cheapy ones are fine, for music pick whatever type you like).

2. Get the foam tips to fit them: https://www.complyfoam.com/products/t-series/

3. Put some hearing-protection ear-muffs on top

A tiny amount of noise will make all other sounds disappear at this point.

>>aidenn+rz
It can also work the other way- if you need budget noise isolation- get foam earplugs, and over ear headphones, turn the music up while simultaneously not hearing anything but it. Saved my hearing while riding motorcycles. Cheap helmet speakers sound pretty good with the volume cranked up and ear protection in- while it blocks out the dangerous wind noise.

>>yonagu+VC
Good point, though that's probably less ideal for an office setting, where people can hear your cranked-up volume.

zlacker