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What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:15 am
by KingOliver
Hey guys! I'm currently working on writing for a pretty big VN project, and every time i sit down to do some serious writing, I'm always listening to music! No exceptions! It really drives my creativity and lets my mind wander to all the right places. However, I latch on to certain artists, songs, albums, etc from time to that REALLY get me in the zone!

So I was wondering, what's your writing playlist at the moment? Post what you're jammin to and maybe we can listen to some of each others' tunes! It's always good to expand your library! :)

Right now, I'm mostly writing to:
Anything She Does by Genesis
Invisible Touch by Genesis
Copenhagen by Fletcher Henderson
Potato Head Blues by Louis Armstrong
Hemispheres by Rush

You guys should check em out if you want! Maybe you'll find em nice to write to as well :)

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:49 am
by Asceai
1 hour of looped rain and soft thunder.
I can listen to music while doing simple coding or graphics or stuff like that, but not while doing particularly complex coding or writing.

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 2:17 am
by Green Glasses Girl
A lot of videogame music! Right now...a bunch of Sonic game OSTs lined up.

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 4:16 am
by KingOliver
Right on! Sonic OST's are really good actually, though I MUCH prefer the old ones to the new ones!

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:32 am
by blankd
Videogame and anime OSTs, in particular from RPGs, I kind of like Shoji Meguros stuff and some of the remixes. Other times I take some risks with whatever comes up in suggested (however they sometimes have kanji lyrics so I can't say what those are 8S).

Lately it's been Attack on Titan, Kill La Kill and select tracks from SMTIV.

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:09 pm
by TrickWithAKnife
I usually try to listen to something that matches the mood of the scene I am writing, or more commonly something a bit more upbeat. I have a tendency to make everything too serious, so it's good to lighten the mood a bit.

Edit: I think I might be the odd one out here in regards to musical tastes. Examples impending.

Upbeat:
Knife Party - Power Glove
Pendulum - The Island Pt. 2
Mindless Self Indulgence - It Gets Worse
Rabbit Junk - WDKYWMYAK, I Vote Bolshevik Lite (Cyanotic remix)
Pegboard Nerds - We Are One
DotEXE - Hipster Cutthroat

Chill:
Amon Tobin - Goto 10
Savant - Dream Of You
Vexare - The Clockmaker
Faderhead - Another Dead Boy
The Qemists - Bones
Anything by Dredg


Upon closer examination, the chill category could quite easily be merged with the upbeat. Guess I don't have a wide emotional range. *Shrugs*

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:31 pm
by Rinima
TrickWithAKnife wrote:I usually try to listen to something that matches the mood of the scene I am writing.
I do this as well, usually I use video game OST's (hey, who doesn't love a good piece of game music :P)
At the moment, I'm listening to some of the Final Fantasy OST's (notably the main theme out of XIII http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxSXm8qGjS8 ), but I have a tendency to listen to Combat's music while writing or idea bouncing.

I try to avoid anything with to much vocal in it, vocals distract me from writing ^^

Good for serious/sad writing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxSXm8qGjS8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCH8O7kOSaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYmGUkwLrq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jeWxgE4DN8 (JESUS CHRIST MY FEELS! *grabs at top over heart*)

For something slightly more calming/happy-like/not sad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5410lqSEeWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVVTZgwYwVo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn0SqxZtp_o

....
So what if I'm a Disney fan?

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:33 pm
by Steamgirl
Beats Antique is pretty much Steampunk put to music. I listen to it if I wanna get into a Steampunky mood.

Other than that it depends on what I'm trying to do - if I want to get a certain emotion across I might put on a track from a film or anime like Mushishi or Aria the Animation. Or classical music. Whereas if I'm really focussed and in the flow of things I prefer something more bouncy to increase the speed of my typing - trance like Armin van Buuren's podcast, up-beat pop like Britney, or sometimes rock/metal, like Rammstein.

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:54 pm
by LateWhiteRabbit
TrickWithAKnife wrote:I usually try to listen to something that matches the mood of the scene I am writing, or more commonly something a bit more upbeat. I have a tendency to make everything too serious, so it's good to lighten the mood a bit.
Me too. I have several different tailored Pandora stations I can switch to depending on what I'm doing. Everything from Irish folk songs to 1980s power ballads.
I love that song!

Lately I've been listening to Electro Swing music. I love the combo of old and new.
St. James Ballroom by Alice Francis
Best of Electro Swing

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 1:49 am
by Vin Howard
Well I'm constantly changing what I listen to.

Currently, I'm listing the the Hate Plus OST with a tiny bit of Analogue mixed in.

Some past things I've listened two:

A Blackmill YouTube playlist

A GitS:SAC (and SSS) ost playlist

A Masumi Ito playlist

A "Industrial Metal" station on Pandora

A "Nightwish" station on Pandora

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:36 am
by zankizuna
Hyouka OST since I'm making a mystery :D

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:12 am
by ppppantsu
Anime OSTs. specially shingeki no kyojin OSTs and song covers. >w<

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:08 am
by briannavon
Kpop , video game songs and just anything that inspires me! :mrgreen:

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:09 am
by Fungii
Has to be something that fits the mood of whatever I'm writing. If I'm listening to say, ska punk while writing a death scene, I tend to be unable to focus.
Usually I'll be listening to the same track until the scene is over or I'm done writing for the day.

Re: What are you listening to while you write?

Posted: Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:02 pm
by Shinoki
When I'm thinking up plots and writing out the web:
I work best when listening to a web radio such as something on Kz station
That works best with idols/comedians you like doing the radio show
As it helps you drone out noises leaving you with only the choice of basically writing,
for me: Japanese radio (Kz station) is the best, but who knows about you?
(Note that I've never tried when actually doing the detailed writing, but I do get good plots like that)

When I do detailed writing and well, actual writing:
Anime OP/ED
That's all I can say.
The thing is: for idol MVs and such--they tend to have a drama part in some that throws you off.
I just watch some anime and during the times when the op/ed is playing I write

Otherwise, I find that instrumentals work fine, but i like songs with vocals
Things such as Dear You (full version) that are long and don't loop and get dull are great in my point of view.
Though if you have a large (as in large 2 hours+) playlist:
that's good too. Just don't have anything where they're just talking or else it'll be distracting.
Really, the best thing is something that doesn't make you feel like you're bored because you're not listening to anything,
but at the same time is really easy to drone out since once you start to drone it out,
at least for me: you're more efficient with your writing since you're attending the writing to the point of blocking out the noise