What music do you listen to while processing?

I just read an interview with Marsel Van Oosten in East & West Magazine and he mentioned how he listens to some heavy rock stuff while processing images (which of course is in contrast to the quiet and solitude most of us seek and experience while making the images. So, I was wondering what others listen to while culling or processing stuff...

As for me, I'm in Marsel's camp. Usually listening to harder stuff or techno which I feel really gets the creative juices flowing... plus the fast pace tends to motivate me to get something done.

- Luke

Sometimes I listen to classical, sometimes bluegrass and/or acoustic flatpicking guitar, and sometimes nothing at all.

When I am printing or scanning, I'll likely pull out my guitar and pick a few tunes.

--P

Dan Gibson's Solitudes.. look it up, real quality! Puts me right back in that forest or mountain scene where I took the picture I'm processing.

I m more into underground psychedelic stuff but mostly downbeat, mostly while processing i listen to albums from Ultimae Rec.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2KcdmAoZVE

Whatever I can find.

It varies from NPR/Public Radio/Classical/Bluegrass/jazz to a station out of where I use to live (alternative and what was the 90's college radio scene), my personal collections which is all of the above and more, or Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres hockey games.

In short, almost anything that feels right for the day.

The Beatles, of course. Is there anything else?

Sweet sweet silence. Maybe a snore from the dog once in awhile.

Metallica, Patty Griffin, The Beatles.

I just dump a box of roofing nails into a blender and let it run on my desk... why do you ask?


Long-time classical listener for anything brain-intensive such as studying for Microsoft Cert exams, etc. Mozart symphonies and piano concertos are great there... preview Mozart's Piano Concerto 23, third movement, called "Allegro Assai", and you'll see what I mean.

I don't listen to anything specifically while processing images. Rather, I listen based upon my mood. Or, I'll put iTunes on "Shuffle" or select a Pandora station and roll with it. Lately I've been listening to a lot of old blues music, both while at my desk and in the truck on the way to a sunrise or sunset location.

I can range anywhere from classical to classic heavy metal and everything in-between. The image will dictate the music! Great music is great music and has no bounds. In general the music is usually powerful or evokes emotion.

Example might be as follows:

Birds of Pray: Sousa Marches, Wagner (The ride of the Valkyries) or Black Sabbath (Back in the Ozzy Days)
Waterfowl: Nothing like a good waltz.
Rural Landscapes: Grateful Dead, U2 or Yes

I guess you can say my musical tastes are quite diverse.

You will never catch me with top 50 LOL.

You asked for it Luke! LOL

Mike

Interesting thread Luke. Over the years my processing has been accompanied by the likes of John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Jamie Cullum and some classic rock. But more often than not I've got smooth jazz, jazz or sometimes a blues station dialed in to break the silence. It's all good depending on my mood.

Like several others, it depends on my mood, but there are some definite patterns: Strictly instrumental, no vocals. Low key and quiet. Relaxation is essential to my creative process. Some typical selections:

Robert Fripp's Soundscapes and Churchscapes
Brian Eno's ambient selections
Dan Gidson's Solitudes (good choice Benjamin!)
Various lesser known ambient selections

The volume is often set so the music becomes a kind of white noise background or only slightly higher. The idea is to isolate me from as many distractions as possible, so my attention remains entirely focused on the image and where I am trying to go with it.

Hey luke,
Music has always been a big part of my processing routine. In the wet lab days I would put in 5 CD's (small flat disc w/music) in the changer, hit random and pipe it to the dark room. Now, I'll pull up pandora and find a mood or a type of music that fits my work at the moment. I have about 50 stations built, currently, but I may go and see what some of my friends are listening to and hook in. Recently, it has been singer/songwriter type of folk with a dose of flat pick/finger picking upbeat instrumental.
If I get nostalgic for the old wet lab days, I'll plug my Ipod with my album and cd collection into my system, open a jar of used developer (aroma therapy), set my screen to go dark after a minute of no use, turn out the lights and hack images.
Neil

I usually listen to Celtic music (both instrumental and Gaelic singing from Ireland, Scotland, and Cape Breton artists..... stuff most people have never heard of I am sure) especially if I am processing images from Cape Breton (reminds me of the place). Sometimes I also listen to classic rock or soft jazz.

Some examples..... if anyone cares.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3jOdiUBjUQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs_JHxfzAq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOlPwY9z0qY&feature=related
http://www.colingrant.ca/?p=97
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAnNFiSlCv8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPQltka8ANg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7rKE-e1490
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcE9mXfyrgs

I typically go the softer and mellower route. Usually trance music, sometimes Stan Getz Plays Jobim or Nat King Cole.

Max

My 3 years old generally hangs out w/me when I process - so lots of nursery rhymes for me with occasional questions like "daddy, when can we go for a bike ride?"

Johnny Cash
Alan Jackson and other specific country songs that have mandolin,violin intricate guitar
Sound track to "Last of the Mohicans" and "Legends of the Fall"
Steveie Ray Vaughn if feeling like jammin'.

I have a Pandora station with Kodachrome, the Paul Simon song, as the first seed song.

Alien Guitar Abduction, of course!

whatever is on TV is my usual background noise, though I will sometimes listen to online stations playing 80s Hair Metal and other 80s rock, sometimes country also

Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Radiohead, or some mix thereof...

I typically don't listen to music while I'm processing photos. Not sure why as I do it when painting and when doing many other tasks.

I tend to like music that isn't too busy and doesn't draw you in too much when I'm working with precision, so I avoid parts of my playlist such as Eels, Gorillaz, Nirvana, the White Stripes or Dave Matthews Band and I head towards quieter works.

Here's a sampling of things that would find their way into my playlist for photo processing

Arvo Part "Tabula Rasa" and the 75 Year Celebration Collection are quite nice.
Beck "Sea Change" or "Modern Guilt"
Chemical Brothers - mid tempo less vocal pieces like The Private Psychedelic Reel
Groove Armada "Vertigo"
Iron and Wine "Our Endless Numbered Days"
Moby "Wait For Me"
Messiaen "Quartet for the End of Time"
Neko Case "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"
Pink Floyd
Radiohead "OK Computer" through "In Rainbows"

**edit Having considered Luke's point about getting something done, being a LF photographer, I've got to focus on cloning dust for hours on end rather than editing digital shoots, so my post processing work requires more focus and fine detail work than energy.

I typically don't listen to music when I'm working on my images but I sometimes have the tv on. I don't really watch it, but it's there in the background.

I'm thrilled with how many have participated so far... seems to be a pretty common thread of jazz/bluegrass/instrumental. Since many of you are throwing in specifics... I'll add a few that I'm sure many of you don't listen too... guess I'm showing my youth!

Billy Talent
Senses Fail
Daft Punk

And I'm sure there are a few of you out there familiar with the wonderful band "The Cure" which are always a good listen, image processing or not!

I usually like to listen to something that's got a theme concerning nature. Here's one example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_EyXPs2_Jk&feature=player_embedded

Always the jokester CVT....

Beatles, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Loreena McKennitt, Pearl Jam, Alanis, etc.

I usually don't listen to anything while processing, but occasionally I might turn on some nice classical such as Rachmaninov's "Symphonic Dances" or Respighi's "Pines of Rome" - something light and pleasing without too much drama. Other times I might be in the mood for some good ole country like Martina McBride, George Strait, Willie Nelson, etc. If I'm in a different mood I love Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Durante (yes, Jimmy Durante!), Frank Sinatra, Etta James, etc.

I listen to every kind of music, from country/rock (Alan Jackson, Toby Keith, River County / ZZ Top, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young) to fusion (Steps Ahead, Yellow Jackets, Wim Mertens) or classical (Ravel's "Bolero", Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an exhibition and, like Bill, Respighi's "Pines of Rome").

Most of the time no music, but if in the mood it could be anything from Hendrix to Bach to Coltrane. I'm a musician and I like to compose Ambient, New Age music (for lack of a better term). Sometimes it's fun to listen to my own music.

I tune in to www.morow.com which plays progressive rock all day long and the playlist justs suits my taste.

"deep breakfast" by Ray Lynch is my starter CD. From there I can go anywhere!

I listen to my i-tunes library on "shuffle". It can go from Chopin to The Clash in the blink of an eye and it's almost always a pleasant surprise, as I haven't listened to all sides of all my albums(remember vinyl)? in a while. Great thread.

I'd never heard of Ray Lynch. Gracias!

Like Bruce, I put my i-tunes on shuffle. Nothing beats Ronnie James Dio after Patsy Cline followed by Frank Sinatra.

Vinyl? Hell yeah! I have my old 70's vintage turntable hooked up to my modern day audio/video system. Digital is OK, but give me the nuances of vinyl any day of the week.

I have 15,000 tunes stored on my computer that get played back at random while I'm processing. Every single tune is one that I've chosen so that I NEVER get a bad tune.

Tim