What Music Puts You In The Zone?

Posted At : May 21, 2008 1:55 PM | Posted By : Scott Stroz
Related Categories: ColdFusion Stuff,Flex Stuff

Recently, my wife's desktop was acting up and for about 2 days I was unable to play music while I was working.  I forgot how difficult it is for me to code in silence (or near silence).  This got me thinking, when I need to focus and just crank out code, there is a certain album I listen to, James Taylor LIve (CD1 and CD2). For some reason, that album always puts me in the zone and I can code like a madman.

So, when you need to be heads down, and crank out code like its no body's business, what do you listen to?

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phill.nacelli's Gravatar Soul's Core by Shawn Mullins, and sometimes Tracy Chapman. And when I'm really on a roll, TopGun Soundtrack to keep the momentum going.
# Posted By phill.nacelli | 5/21/08 2:05 PM
charlie griefer's Gravatar at any given time on any given day, i'll listen to a wide range of music.

but when i need to get into 'the zone', it's a playlist composed of various songs off of the various Rocky soundtracks :)
# Posted By charlie griefer | 5/21/08 2:07 PM
phill.nacelli's Gravatar @Charlie

uhmm I always thought you'd be more a Barbra Streisend - The Golden Years album kinda person... :D
# Posted By phill.nacelli | 5/21/08 2:14 PM
charlie griefer's Gravatar @phill - well that gets me in 'the mood'. i thought we were going for in 'the zone' ;)
# Posted By charlie griefer | 5/21/08 2:21 PM
Matt Giger's Gravatar Jethro Tull: Aqualung, Thick as a Brick or Passion Play
# Posted By Matt Giger | 5/21/08 2:26 PM
Gary Funk's Gravatar Spamalot. You can't get much more crazy than that.
# Posted By Gary Funk | 5/21/08 2:30 PM
Paul Marcotte's Gravatar I have a Bossa Nova compilation disc that is my all time favourite 'zone' music.
# Posted By Paul Marcotte | 5/21/08 2:35 PM
Jim Priest's Gravatar I usually find a correlation between the complexity of the code and the music. Easy code = simple music. Hard code = something progressive and complicated. Today it's vintage bootleg Van Halen.
# Posted By Jim Priest | 5/21/08 2:41 PM
Brian Kotek's Gravatar Hard, driving Trance: Paul Van Dyk, The Thrillseekers, Armin Van Buuren, Markus Schulz, etc. ;-)
# Posted By Brian Kotek | 5/21/08 2:59 PM
todd sharp's Gravatar Music distracts me. I usually can't listen to it when I code.

However, on rare occassions I'll listen to something hard rock like (Metallica, etc).
# Posted By todd sharp | 5/21/08 4:03 PM
Mike Rankin's Gravatar I'm with you Brian. I'd throw in The Crystal Method, Moby, Fatboy Slim and The Orb. Plus, you can't go wrong with the 1 hour+ free mp3 mixes from www.neverrain.com!
# Posted By Mike Rankin | 5/21/08 4:23 PM
Bob Courchaine's Gravatar Frank Zappa! He's so prolific and spans so many genres I can always find something that puts me in the zone. He's _never_ boring!
# Posted By Bob Courchaine | 5/21/08 5:49 PM
rich's Gravatar Rush, Sasha and Digweed, Slayer, the Police, Underworld, Husker Du, the Germs....gotta have variety!
# Posted By rich | 5/21/08 6:31 PM
concrake's Gravatar Orbital - any album
# Posted By concrake | 5/21/08 6:39 PM
Mike Brunt's Gravatar Well pandora.com is an interesting place and if I am listening to my own collection, blimey I have so much music but my classic coding music would come from Massive Attack, Portishead, ColdCut - "Journeys by DJ's" is monumental, DJ Krush and DJ Shadow.
# Posted By Mike Brunt | 5/21/08 8:23 PM
Fernando Lopez's Gravatar It really depends on the type of code,how close the deadline is and how many people are buzzing around my area...

On a regular day I have a Playlist on Youtube that runs on the background. Rock from the 80s( Bon Jovi, AC/DC, Def Lepard). HipHop/Rap (Dr Dre, Eminem, Ice Cube), Hispanic HipHop ( Control Machete, Cypress Hill,Molotov ) Spanish Rock (Mana, Juanes).

What really gets me flowing though is this particular piece from Oceans 12 ( the movie) it's called The A La Menthe. Put in on repeat for a while and I can feel the code just flowing out my fingers....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyzLHFkdv6E
# Posted By Fernando Lopez | 5/21/08 9:13 PM
REBECCA's Gravatar old lynyrd skynyrd :) hello from a WV neighbor!
# Posted By REBECCA | 5/21/08 9:19 PM
Kevin Hoyt's Gravatar After six weeks of living on the AIR Bus, listening to the same soundtrack venue after venue, I find that now gets me in the code zone.

http://onair.adobe.com/blogs/tour/2007/07/24/song-...

Of late I've been on a big Chili Peppers kick. I have a playlist that spans most of their albums, and for whatever reason it puts me in the code zone pretty quickly.

In the past, it has been everything from Frank Sinatra to Jethro Tull (strange to see that already listed).
# Posted By Kevin Hoyt | 5/21/08 11:38 PM
Ben Clinkinbeard's Gravatar Anything I am familiar enough with that I don't pay too much attention to it. If I had to name one album though it would be The Mars Volta - Deloused in the Comatorium.
# Posted By Ben Clinkinbeard | 5/21/08 11:48 PM
Paul Carney's Gravatar I am with Brian - I dial-up XM 82 (The System) and let the trance/electronica get me pumping out code.

One interesting thing: I never used to be able to code with "noise" like music, but after getting used to having music playing all of the time, I can't code in silence any longer! Strange, but true.
# Posted By Paul Carney | 5/22/08 11:53 AM
Gerald's Gravatar Slayer
# Posted By Gerald | 5/22/08 12:35 PM
Larry C. Lyons's Gravatar Mostly I listen to electronic or electronica - a lot of obscure groups, such as 303 Infinity, Cynic Project, Karoly & Monica, or Blue Tonic World. It really helps me focus and crank out code.

Music and noise canceling headphones are essentials these days.
# Posted By Larry C. Lyons | 5/23/08 12:03 PM
Christopher Vigliotti's Gravatar Zappa, Flecktones, Beatles and lately The Avett Brothers...and Phill listening to the Top Gun soundtrack is cracking me up!
# Posted By Christopher Vigliotti | 5/23/08 4:09 PM
Javier Julio's Gravatar Believe it or not the same as Brian Kotek! Strange, but for some reason I'm able to relax and focus a lot more. I love rock music and I listen to that sometimes but I think that takes my attention away and more on the music since I enjoy it so much. For now vocal trance I listen to online radio: www.di.fm but its not only electronic music as it has a ton of other stations to choose from.
# Posted By Javier Julio | 5/28/08 12:23 PM
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