I have a little speaker in my work area (as well as a 1980s shortwave radio that still works!). I often listen to classic WWI/WWII songs like Tipperary and We’ll Meet Again. A current favorite of mine is an a East German satire band called IFA Wartburg which has a jazzy yet propagandistic feel to it. Sometimes I listen to Soviet disco as well! Then some days I listen to German/Dutch techno and French music. Really all over the place!
I’m a podcast guy so I’m currently working through the Plastic Posse Podcast backlog. Otherwise I love audiobooks; I reserve music for when I’m working in the woodshop and can’t afford to be distracted. In those cases I’m usually playing some focus-encouraging Spotify list, like synthwave or lofi.
Wow, that’s a blast from the past. I used to love listening to Art Bell!
Depends on my mood…sometimes its just instrumental like the Skyrim or Last of Us soundtracks…sometimes its 40s Junction on Sirius XM, and sometimes its modeling podcasts like my buddy Rob’s Modeling Insanity podcast or Plastic Posse…
I can listen to any of the music I have when building models, but I cannot do the same when I am at work. I found the “angry” stuff interferes with my higher cognitive functions. Once I was working on the weekend by myself and brought along all my angry music to go with my mood. I kept turning up the volume until I realized I could no longer do my engineering calculations. And I didn’t realize the accountant guy next door was also working the weekend. Oops. I felt terrible. I’m pretty sure he had a hard time running the balance sheets while Twisted Sister thundered through the walls.
After that, it was only softer, nicer music at work.
But at home, I usually just choose a long playlist, so I don’t have to keep looking up to pick another. I will sometimes match the music to the model if I can. I must have listened to the Aliens soundtrack endless times while working on the Halcyon APC.
I have a long set of liked songs on Spotify that I play. I pretty much just play that list over and over there are like 1000 songs on it.
I grew up in the 80s and 90s so most of my list is 80s hair bands, late 80s punk, 90s grunge, and early 00s rock. And sprinkle in some rap and hip hop here and there.
My music is very eclectic, a mix of Two Steps from Hell, David Bowie, Dire Straits, Savage Garden, Queen, some old Beatles stuff, lots of stuff from the 80s and 90s and when I’m in the mood, talk radio. This really shows my age
Like most folks, I have pretty eclectic tastes, so workshop music varies a lot. Of late, I’ve been listening to Pink Floyd albums, mostly getting ready for the release of the remastered Pompeii show. Before that, I would usually use a Pandora “radio station” that I set based on type of music, be it synthwave, 80s hair metal, 70s funk, piano jazz, sultry lounge music, R&B, Gaelic music, or stoner rock / doom metal. Pandora will play similar types of music to my selection, so I often find new bands or rediscover old ones that way.
Best part of the office being in the same basement as the workbench is that I don’t bother my coworkers with loud music.
I use sirius xm in my hobby room. Usually hair metal or ozzy’s boneyard. Occasionally 80’s on 8. When I’m in the garage I have an old ipod with 10000 songs on it that I jam to.
I’m a classical music junkie and have a 5 CD spindle and say 800 CDs to prove it. On thing I like about the hobby is that it goes well with music.
Eric
I will either have Spotify running in the background which I have several playlists from classical to death metal. Just depends on my mood. But I usually stream a show while building.