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Musician Releases Album of Music To Code By
itwbennett writes Music and programming go hand-in-keyboard. And now programmer/musician Carl Franklin has released an album of music he wrote specifically for use as background music when writing software. "The biggest challenge was dialing back my instinct to make real music," Franklin told ITworld's Phil Johnson. "This had to fade into the background. It couldn't distract the listener, but it couldn't be boring either. That was a particular challenge that I think most musicians would have found maddening."
Isn't that what ambient electronica for the last twenty years has basically been? Labels like Ultimae Records has been releasing that kind of music forever. Nothing terribly new here.
Step 1: remove lyrics.
Beyond that, it'd be pretty easy.
So basically get a CD with relaxing lift music on it and just put a "Music for Programmers" label on it and your done.
For anyone that wants to know what the music sounds like; it is conventional instrumental ambient music with a nice ensemble of guitar/bass/piano(synth)/drums. It sounds pretty relaxing, but it doesn't appear to be doing anything unusual like brain wave synced synthesiser swirls and crashing waves. Although some of the percussion is reminiscent of nature.
I really like the electric guitar and synth tones he uses. Bad guitar tone and cheap sounding synths are two of my pet hates - but this music delivers quality tone, so nothing to complain about.
Worth a listen for anyone interested.
One's favorite music is already acceptable background music for coding by?
I don't need coder's muzak, i need something I already know by heart and like to occupy that part of my brain while i do other things. That's why i use my favorite music and not a radio, not pandora, nor anything else. I use my own music I have grown to love over the years, that I know fits my style or work.
Coder's Muzak. Expect it in corporate dungeons soon to drive you to the point of severe annoyance and the sighting of headphones/earbuds as far as the eye can see.
I've been clicking around to find a sample, and, maybe it's just me, but I didn't find any. I might buy the album if there were previews that I could listen to, but if it takes longer that 5 minutes to successfully find any, it's 100% surely not going to happen.
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http://mtcb.pwop.com has three samples halfway down the page.
Carl
These samples sound like shit...
If you want music that's like this "for programmers stuff" check out my suggestions.
http://www.di.fm/chillout
http://www.radiotunes.com/solopiano
If you want some bineral beats (supposed to have actual positive effects) look into these....
http://www.brainsync.com/audio-store/brain-power/concentration.html
http://shop.hemi-sync.com/products/265-Breakthrough-For-Peak-Performance-Album/
be sure to browse around those stores.
My best coding/writing playlist is...the entire set of Moody Blues albums, in chronological order. (I've been listening to them for nearly 50 years. Crap I'm old.) The albums have to play in correct order, and the cuts on each album have to play in standard order. It just pretty much becomes a musical cocoon. I've found that if I'm avoiding doing some necessary writing or coding, I can put the playlist on, and I start working almost immediately.
I do much the same thing with the collected Star Wars soundtracks (played in film sequence, i.e., Eps I through VI; and the soundtracks for the prequels are much better than the movies themselves) and the three LOTR soundtracks (again, played in film sequence).
If I'm getting sleepy, I'll put on "Wireless Barenaked Giants", a playlist containing all my Thomas Dolby, Barenaked Ladies, and TMBG songs, played on shuffle.
Ambient electronic would probably put me to sleep.
Bruce F. Webster (brucefwebster.com)
On cooking sites, the same stuff'll be "music to cook meals by", on dentist sites "music to keep patients relaxed while you're working", etc.
Constantly on the prowl for music that helps me write software, but this is sadly not it. Typical background instrumental elevator music.
Also demanding payment up front, not a great way to get people to even try it. Put it on torrent and develop a following before trying to monetize an app.
In my opinion, writing software requires music that is machine-like, without vocals which engage the language section of the brain and detract from your semantic analysis bandwidth. For now, that genre would be Minimal Techno.
Will stick with Kraftwerk from torrent.
If you really want an alien instrumental, listen to Hang music.
I've taken to coding with Japanese music. I don't have a clue what they're singing, so they don't interfere with the language processing in my brain.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
Get his snake oil on sale now.
The samples were difficult to find and once located, while nice to listen to, completely underwhelming. The website is shit. The fact that this guy thinks it is worth $18 shows how self absorbed he is, like most "artists".
I'd rather put $18 towards deaf kids getting hearing aids thanks.
Bach. Well Tempered Clavier, Musical Offering, Art of the Fugue. This music will lead you to good, tight and elegant design.
I'm not buying it if there are no previews. In any case, there's already Radio Swiss Classic or my own vast MP3 collection (ripped from legal CDs!) or Stan Getz bossa nova or Schiller.
It better include Saved By Zero by The Fixx
Table-ized A.I.
How to totally screw up my ability to code:
(1) Play music
(2) There is no step 2
I find that code is processed through the same part of my brain that processes music. If you play music, my code will go to crap, since I'm trying to do two things with the same set of neurons.
I totally can not understand how people can produce code while listening to music.
OK, I lied; what I can't understand is how people can produce GOOD code while listening to music.
Rameau and Bach work for me.
Why not just listen to video game music? Seems like it was made for the same purpose. When I am coding, listening to video game music doesn't distract my brain, energizes me, and makes what I am doing feel really important. It's awesome.
Look where all this talking got us, baby.
In related news: Purity Ring released a new album this week: "another eternity".... it's been a good coding companion for me this week...
And of course... there is my Spotify station based on Skrillex... must have good beats while coding...
My fave is Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here – on infinite repeat.
Its ebb and flow, and my knowing it by heart, together synch-up with the mental cycles of idea and follow-through, as the hours pass by. It's just as useful for writing.
and listened to the samples. All I can say ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz.
just a ghost in the machine.
I just put on EDM and code to that.
I do the same when working out.
What if I told you pirated copies of this are already out there? I wouldn't know, but i do believe it's probably not worth the bandwidth. Also why not offer FLAC?
Many years ago I was double booked on two big "hard deadline" projects so I took all my gear home and spent 20 hours a day seven/days a week coding. I had a six CD changer so I put in Hampton Comes Alive and pretty much listened to that for five weeks straight.
Bach or Prokofiev for me.
Chances are you have seen that picture used at the top of the article - I had in a few places, and then ran across the guy in the photo, which is for some reason spreading all over... He's keeping track of where it appears.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Love coding to the soundtracks to Myst, Riven and Exile.
My best coding/writing playlist is...the entire set of Moody Blues albums, in chronological order. (I've been listening to them for nearly 50 years. Crap I'm old.) The albums have to play in correct order, and the cuts on each album have to play in standard order. It just pretty much becomes a musical cocoon.
My programming routine is exactly like that, except the songs are beers and I don't listen to anything. The Moody Blues are pretty good, though.
Buy your next Linux PC at eightvirtues.com
TOTALLY! all the time. in fact I wish my game music would play 2 or 3 times longer for each song.
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Have been wondering this myself. The recent site instability, frequent downtime, and sudden "everything looks like shit" layout changes seem to imply that either:
a) they've given up trying to get us to swallow beta and are opting to fuck up the "normal" version of the site
b) they're trying to encourage people to switch by making the "normal" version of the site even shittier than beta
With which programming language and version is this compatible?
Any album. They are all good.
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
I found musicforprogramming.net a year or so ago and eagerly downloaded all the mp3's from it. Their musical quality is a matter of taste, but good or bad, I unfortunately I found them unbearably inappropriate and distracting for coding. YMMV.
I usually code pretty well to psychologically stimulating music like classical, or some forms of electro-pop (including some with vocals, even though actual conversation in the room distracts the shit out of me).
here is the link with samples (named after colors a bit down the page): http://mtcb.pwop.com/
it's basically music similar to what you'd hear in an elevator or while on hold with tech support
i encourage everyone to listen and tell me what you think...if you like it, buy it...this is one man's (correct) opinion
Thank you Dave Raggett
this is what i've been digging lately for computer work...it has no words but is not 'ambient' proper...if you want to get technical, this sub-genre is known as 'chillwave':
http://comtruise.bandcamp.com/
Thank you Dave Raggett
I often code to a mix of trance, chiptune, techno, and jpop. Yeah I'm weird, but as a coder, I basically get paid to be weird by any mainstream standard.
One of my biggest music needs is constant volume. This is how I keep the sounds of other conversations blocked out. Quiet or slow moments let other words in, and frustrate me. My go-to's are trance, video game music, thrash metal (ok, yes, I'm old) and (gulp) power metal. If there are lyrics in power metal they're nearly guaranteed to be either vapid or indecipherable. Either works, as they are not distracting.
If I'm at home, I can switch to something relaxing.
works in the same mysterious way.
Especially if Finnish bands sing in Swedish.... or was it the other way round!?!
TROLLHAMMERN!
TROLLHAMMERN!
Trollhammaren sveper igen!
Learned to really concentrate while serving on a submarine in the USN - to the "music" of fans and humming power supplies... so, for heavy brainwork at the computer all I need is the noise of the computer. Music just pulls me out of what I'm doing.
Oddly enough, the opposite is true when I'm working out in my woodshop, there I like to have music.
My best coding/writing playlist is...the entire set of Moody Blues albums, in chronological order. (I've been listening to them for nearly 50 years. Crap I'm old.) The albums have to play in correct order, and the cuts on each album have to play in standard order. It just pretty much becomes a musical cocoon. I've found that if I'm avoiding doing some necessary writing or coding, I can put the playlist on, and I start working almost immediately.
I do much the same thing with the collected Star Wars soundtracks (played in film sequence, i.e., Eps I through VI; and the soundtracks for the prequels are much better than the movies themselves) and the three LOTR soundtracks (again, played in film sequence).
If I'm getting sleepy, I'll put on "Wireless Barenaked Giants", a playlist containing all my Thomas Dolby, Barenaked Ladies, and TMBG songs, played on shuffle.
Ambient electronic would probably put me to sleep.
I'm a network guy. My band of choice used to be Savage Garden when I was performing network upgrades, etc.. It's not harsh or demanding so was great for background music. Today it would be Daft Punk: Random Access Memories or maybe Guardian's of the Galaxies Soundtrack.
The music Lennart Poettering listens while coding.
I recently read somewhere (but now can't find, of course) a study that indicated people are less likely to come up with creative solutions/leaps of thought in a noisy environment. This included listening to music.
Definitely not option B; beta.slashdot.org redirects to the normal site, so they've given up on beta.
I think they were just trying to improve the normal slashdot.org site, the way a psychopath might try to improve his own face.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
Congratulations, you have successfully conditioned yourself into productivity! Dr. Skinner would be so proud :)
Simply tune in to any one of the many ambient stations on SomaFM.
I've no connection with SomaFM other than being a very happy customer. They're advert-free and listener-supported, so if you do listen and like what you hear, toss them the $20 you would have spent on this CD!
Apparently, video game music is supposed to be good for coding to, as it is designed in such a way as to not distract the player too much.
Search the liner notes for Brian Eno's Discreet Music (1975) and for Music for Airports (1978).
Eno wanted to make "environmental" music. Muzak, which was a Corporation, made their music, sometimes known as 'elevator music,' by simplifying and taking the life out of familiar music. Muzak worked as background music, but generally didn't "work" when close attention was paid to it. (It wasn't supposed to).
Eno found a challenge: how to make music that both worked as background music, but when you paid attention to it was interesting, and not insipid. "Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular; it must be as ignorable as it is interesting." Liner note for Music for Airports. In an interview eno noted he was in the Hamburg Airport, and a bit nervous about flying, and they were playing something like Ride of the Valkyries...
So he thought about making some relaxing Music for Airports. Which, eventually, has since been played in airports on occasion.
It sounds simple... but...
Discreet Music has two music phrase; one of four notes, and one of two notes. They are repeated with tape loops and interact, collide or blend with each other randomly.
Eno went through dozens of combinations of two phrases before settling on a combination that "worked."
He has also noted that in his ambient music he tried to remove the artist's 'identification' or 'fingerprints' (my terms) as much as possible. The result was the opposite: listening to an eno ambient piece, such as "Music for Airports" or "On Land," is, if you are familiar with eno's output, very identifiable as an eno recording.
See also Eric Satie 'furniture music.' Also consider how many pieces of music so far referred to in this thread owe some inspiration to eno.
..is climbing a mountain where I code. Just punch that 4 hour repeat and dive in while the captain is challenging the rock.
... anything. All of it.
I guess not.
Heavy Metal. specifically Iron Maiden, Qeensryche, stuff like that.
When I read about music to study by, most point towards music done by differnt games as it is interesting enough to listen to, yet unintrusive enough to concentrate with.
Many places you could find info on this with links to the youtube music.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I've been listening to them since 2001, when I was still in school.
Lately though, I find just about any music I like is good when I get into "the zone".
Old news. Brian Eno already did this 35 years ago with his "Music for Airports" series.
Wow, that artist comes off as pretty cocky, saying he's only used to making "real music." All music is real music. Besides, this is nothing new. Enjoy tons of free mixes, all expertly curated http://musicforprogramming.net... (no affiliation)
If you're a fan of ST:TNG, try this or that for background noise.
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Frantic 8-bit Amiga mods. Works for me :)
"Music to Code By" was released in 2013 by Bestovitch: http://bestovitch.bandcamp.com/album/music-to-code-by
From the site:
Bestovitch has taken a departure from his usual cut up hip hop style on this one. With a more introspective feel and simpler structures this is definitely an album designed to accompany you as you work into the small hours on your computing device.
I have a similar playlist with all of the Alan Parsons Project albums. But for coding at high speed, nothing beats power metal.
I find the thought that it shouldn't be real music to be kind of insulting. Many programmers are musically versed enough to be more thrown of if the music isn't "Real". What about ambient music isn't real, anyway?
I like to use post-rock when I code, work (caspian primarily, but mogwai and others too). It's actually extremely well arranged music, but it is ambient and can fade back really easily (no lyrics often helps). IF anything, this is far more "real" music than half the over produced pop out there, and has more than 3 chords.
Thanks, I'll keep my intelligence and musical tastes. Don't act like I'm an imbecile who needs "fake" music. I prefer my brain be stimulated, not coddled.
Really?
Linus & Lucy - The Music of Vince Guaraldi
always does it for me.
Star Trek transporters are just 3d printers.
downloaded and listened to some of the tracks — not bad — liking the orange sample..
but this has already been done more excellently by professional musicians —
try this for coding to — SLOWDIVE — https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
enjoy :-D