Music in the shop?

[Bobby O'Neal]

Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what do you like? I usually have something playing, unless my planer is screaming at that particular moment. Mostly Pandora with a wide range of artist stations. Michael McDonald, Ray Lamontagne, Atreyu. All depends on the mood. Anybody else?

[Paul McGaha]

Hi Bobby,

I use a Dewalt jobsite radio tuned to one of the local classic rock stations. Usually play it pretty low.

I have a pair of bookshelf speakers that arent currently in use. One of these days I may install the speakers in the shop and run some speaker wires to the family room stereo which is right next door and set up for remote speakers. It probably would be a nice upgrade to what I have.

PHM

[Roger Myers]

Pandora or the ITunes.. Can be a wide range from classical to rock... Favorites include Allison Krauss, Dylan, Delbert Mclinton, John Fogarty, most any blues...Celtic..I like Celtic Spirit....
Roger

[Bobby O'Neal]

I also go the bookshelf speaker route. Computer speakers actually. Just plug my phone in to them.

[Mike Wilkins]

Contemporary jazz on the Sirius radio through a stereo receiver. Also have a large stack of CD's to play, but not much since the satellite radio enter the shop. All inside a dust proof cabinet.

[David Nelson1]

I don't listen to music while I'm working because I'll get distracted trying to listen to just the bass line. Besides it would have to be turned up pretty loud to overcome the ringing in my ears. I wear hearing protection anytime anything louder than a hand sander is operating. 30+ years of jet noise has taken it toll on my hearing.

[Dick Brown]

Just a little MP3 player with charger, 700+ songs on it and adding, some downloaded from Youtube and converted to MP3, a lot of old stuff from records converted to MP3,'s and all sent to a wired in suround system. Fun to see what all is available on Youtube. I am 77 years old and some of the stuff was playing on Edison records when I was in three cornered pants.

[alex grams]

I ran an auxilliary feed from my computer to the radio in my shop hidden in a cabinet. Then I ran wires for the speakers to the overhead, where I made a small carcass/cabinet that I made a faceframe for with some white cotton stretched across it. This keeps dust out and lets sound through.

Music Selection is a broad range:
Robert Earl Keen/older Country (Haggard,Willie,Jennings)
Classic Rock (Zep,Doors,Stones,Moody Blues,Pink Floyd, Beach Boys, Beatles, etc)
Modern (Ben Folds,Killers,etc)

usually the music is at a decent level. I find it no more distracting than running a tools + Dust collector. And when I am running tools and have earplugs in, they usually hide the music.

[jeffrey bailey]

Pandora listening to the blues greats. John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, RL Burnside, Lightning Hopkins, etc

[Peter Quinn]

I'm running pandora through my iphone via house wifi into a Makita job site radio that came with my chop box. Music varies from Pat Martino to Radio Head, sometimes blues, SRV, BB king station, Mazzy Starr, funk. Depends on my mood and what I'm doing. If I'm preparing stock, it tends to be music that moves a bit more, sort of bouncing through the process in a zen like fashion, but with a back beat. If I'm working on drawings or a complicate layout, I shut it off or turn it way down with something mellow on.

[Mark Patoka]

I have an older radio sitting on the bench that I don't care if it fills with sawdust. My reception is spotty in the garage but I listen to either the country station or oldies rock, whichever comes in best. I don't find it a distraction at all.

[Mike Heidrick]

Have a receiver and dvd player and some pioneer speakers 12" in an eclosed server rack (its also my battery charging area and the outlets are handy) with a door and a TV on top. I jam whatever is on the local radio or whatever I want from my ipod. Local guy bought a radio station and plays whatever he wants. Beatles to Black Eyed Peas is his moto. Its a pretty sweet station.

[Stephen Cherry]

Mostly classic rap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5rRZdiu1UE

[Bobby O'Neal]

It's interesting how music permeates woodworking. I suppose it could be several factors. Appreciation for beautiful instruments made in our favorite medium. Or maybe that it's just one artist appreciating another.

[Chris Tsutsui]

I have a cheap stereo sherwood receiver right now powering two JBL Studio speakers I got on ebay and upgraded the crossovers components. The speakers are on CRT tv wall mounts that I got on clearance and the receiver is also above my head level and remote operated.

I can only play my basic FM radio stations.

Eventually I'll get some sort of docking station and join the whole iphone/ipod movement.

[Dan Hulbert]

I have an old radio shack stereo that I keep tuned to the local NPR station. I find music too distracting. When I listen to music, I LISTEN. I can't use it for background noise. After 30 years of working in cube farms, I can tune voices in or out with ease.

[Bruce Page]

I have my iTouch wired into a bookshelf system. I listen to either my personal iTunes library, or Pandora (mostly Pandora, love it!). I can't remember the last time I listened to over the air radio.

[Larry Fox]

I have an XM / Sirius radio in the shop that I mostly tune to the Jazz and modern / alternative rock stations when it is on. This about 1/2 the time. The other half of the time I just want some funk / R&B so I switch over to the WWOZ iPhone streaming app for whatever they have on or switch over to Pandora for some Trombone Shorty / Papa Grows Funk / The Meters etc. I have to have music in the shop - otherwise the buzzing of the light ballasts drives me nuts.

[Larry Browning]

This is really interesting. When I built my shop 2006 or 7 maybe. I decided to run a cat5 cable down there. I bought a Roku Soundbridge internet radio tuner which allowed me to receive all sorts of internet radio stations (but not Pandora). I'm still using it, and love it, even though I wish I could get it to play Pandora. Not much chance of that, because Roku learned that streaming TV was more profitable than just music, so they have dropped support for the Soundbridge. Nobody else here on the forum had ever even heard of streaming music over the internet. Now it seems like the most common way of listening to music in the shop. Hmmm, time marches on.

[Neil Brooks]

iPod.
Powered computer speakers (amazing sound, really !).
Mostly rock and roll -- mostly Grateful Dead :)

Fairly loud, but ... since I wear my earmuffs for the power tool use ... I think I can easily negate the 'distraction' factor. Plus, music -- for me -- is easier to ignore than talk.

Long live rock & roll !

[Ray Newman]

I hahve two radios in the shop:

--One is a half-way-decent unit tuned to the local classical FM station.

-- The other does double duty as a clock and is tuned to the local talk shows. I also utilize the clock radio as an alarm clock when I need to limit time in the shop for various and sundry reasons.

But it seems as if the older I get, I value solitude and the sound of tools working the wood rather than listening to music, the news which can be depressing, commercials, etc.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Older radio/CD player.
Nothing fancy, just something to add some white noise.

[J.R. Rutter]

Streaming Pandora to a bulletproof old Marantz 2230 through some B&W speakers! Mostly electronica to get an upbeat bass line and stay motivated - loud when the equipment is running.

[Eric DeSilva]

Wow. Lot of Pandora love here. I use an older receiver and some sealed NHT speakers connected up to a Squeezebox--a little thin client device that allows me to access the songs/playlists on my server via ethernet. According to Last.FM, which tracks what I listen too, recently I've been listening to a lot of The Clash, The Cults, Vampire Weekend, Best Coast, The Vaccines, and The Pretenders. My only regret is that my squeezeboxes won't let me access Spotify, which is what I use to preview music I discover using Last.FM and other sources.

[Ralph Butts]

I have a multi zoned HTPC with several media center extenders throughout the house including one in the shop (garage). I can access a plethora of media content including iTunes, Pandora, Sirius, internet content and my own 25k+ selection of ripped content plus TV and movies. Jeffrey I lot your music selection. I am a big John Lee Hooker fan. I enjoy just about every genre of music in the shop ranging from blues, jazz, classical and rock. Just about everything except maybe techno is welcome during my play time in the shop.

[Larry Edgerton]

400w amp , nice Infinity towers and a CD changer with mostly blues/Jazz. Cartridge system so I can select by my mood. Some old rock and roll too. Like the Dead and CCR.

Never, never, never ever a radio! Commercials drive me nuts. Insult to what little intelligence I have.

Larry

[Mark Engel]

I picked up a Harmon Kardon stereo receiver on Ebay. Speakers are JBL in-wall speakers, 2-6" and 2-8", both pairs have 3/4" tweeters. An 80 gb Ipod Classic contains the music. It is plugged into a Dynex dock with a remote control.

Music is 90% jazz/fusion and 10% classic rock. (Steely Dan, Dylan, CSNY...)

[Stephen Cherry]

Streaming Pandora to a bulletproof old Marantz 2230 through some B&W speakers! Mostly electronica to get an upbeat bass line and stay motivated - loud when the equipment is running.

As usual, JR has the nicest toys.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Highly sophisticated sound system in my shop--old boom box. Plays country, oldies, classical and sports radio. Strange combo huh?

[Ken Shoemaker]

Iphone plugged into a small stereo system that rocks the shop with COUNTRY !!!! It out screams the plane and jointer , so it's all good.

[Aaron Conway]

My iPod plugged into a dock playing mostly gospel/praise & worship music. I figure I need all the inspiration and divine help I can get while working in the shop. ;)

[Mike Cruz]

My brother gave me an old stereo receiver (pretty good one actually, just aged), and I picked up a couple of good old 3 foot tall stereo speakers off CL for $30. Local country radio station kicks on whenever I'm in there.

But I do have an issue with your initial question...what do you mean "work"?

[Bobby O'Neal]

My brother gave me an old stereo receiver (pretty good one actually, just aged), and I picked up a couple of good old 3 foot tall stereo speakers off CL for $30. Local country radio station kicks on whenever I'm in there. But I do have an issue with your initial question...what do you mean "work"? Good point. It's all in the wording.

[James Jackson]

Why yes, I listen to toons while working.

Local Classic Rock station, Gilbert and Sullivan operas, Jimmy Buffet, Musicals, & C-SPAN the exact mix is dependent on the level on concentration required for the work. The more familiar and enjoyable music allows for enjoyment while preforming repetitive tasks, if the work at hand is unusual or problematic, the toons go off supporting full focus of attention.

This musical smorgasbord served up with BOSE 901's and a system to drive them and the remote speakers in the storage area.

Music is an important feature in my shop.

jrj


211952211953

[Neil Brooks]

Those 901s are classics !

[J.R. Rutter]

I've been listening to a lot of The Clash, The Cults, Vampire Weekend, Best Coast, The Vaccines, and The Pretenders.
:THUMBUP:


As usual, JR has the nicest toys.
Ha, yard sale finds! Funny that people get rid of the old stuff that is nicer than their shiny new gear...


Those 901s are classics !
I think they sound great up near the ceiling like that.

[Alan Wright]

I have speakers hooked into a separate computer with 25,000 MP3's to choose from, but I never turn it on. I have a 32 inch tv built into the wall. It's one of those big tube Sony ones. I used to have the same RCA, but it died (too much saw dust, I guess). I got the sony for $100 off Craigs list. I watch sports, CNN... whatever. I can smoke cigars in my shop, so sometimes I tell my wife i'm going to "work" in my shop and I just sit and smoke and watch TV. Wouldn't be too productive in a commercial shop, but since I am a hobbyist, I can do wahtever I want. I still seem to make a lot of sawdust, but the TV is ALWAYS on.

[Neil Brooks]

sometimes I tell my wife i'm going to "work" in my shop and I just sit and smoke and watch TV.

First rule of Fight Club: you don't talk about Fight Club ;)

[Trevor Walsh]

I prefer not to listen to anything while working, I think better and get less distracted, at the workshop NPR is on 24/7. I mean that, the radio never gets turned off. My students/monitors at the school shop always listen to something, but I'm not that much older than them so I don't know why it breaks down that way.

[kevin nee]

I have a 300 CD player with 280 Cds all chosen by me Put it on shuffle
and I was in the shop untill 2 AM last night. Gotta have music?no commercials!

[Frank Drew]

I guess I'm in the distinct minority here, along with Dan and Trevor, that doesn't like music in the workshop, finds it distracting. I used to listen to music in the shop but I found that if something comes on I like, I want to listen to it, which takes my mind away from the job at hand; if I don't listen to it, it's just background noise, kind of what's the point?

But I think some people like music, or tv, on all the time; I have friends and relatives like that -- most public spaces are like that. I listen to the radio in the car, but, other than that, I like a bit of peace and quite now and then.

[Aleks Hunter]

Ipod with earbuds inside the headphone hearing suppression when I'm sawing logs, or retired home theatre system in the shop generally tuned to NPR. I love music, but really want to end the day with ten intact fingers, so think getting into a "groove" is an unacceptable risk. Yeah the odds are slim, but the stakes aren't.

[Caron Miller]

Do you listen to music while you work? If so, what do you like? I usually have something playing, unless my planer is screaming at that particular moment. Mostly Pandora with a wide range of artist stations. Michael McDonald, Ray Lamontagne, Atreyu. All depends on the mood. Anybody else?

Rock on!!!

[Robert Chapman]

My favorite music in the shop is the sound of my tools working and when my tools are not working sometimes I can almost hear my brain working. I really enjoy just the sounds of my shop. I really do need to disconnect that damn phone!

[David Nelson1]

My favorite music in the shop is the sound of my tools working and when my tools are not working sometimes I can almost hear my brain working. I really enjoy just the sounds of my shop. I really do need to disconnect that damn phone!

Phone, you have a phone?:D That's one reason I go there is to get away from that stupid thing.

[Richard Wagner]

I believe that distractions while working in the shop are hazardous to my health. Therefore, I do not have a radio/TV in the shop. I have a computer there but rationalize that if I am using the computer I am not using a power tool.

[Neil Brooks]

Idunno why, but ... I find it humorous that Richard Wagner (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wagner) doesn't listen to music, while he works ;)

[george leonard]

I hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Cary Falk]

I guess that I am one of the very few that has a TV that is always on. I have it on the Discovery channel most of the time. If a power tool is on I can't hear the TV so I am usually watching the tv or running a tool.

[Larry Browning]

I guess that I am one of the very few that has a TV that is always on. I have it on the Discovery channel most of the time. If a power tool is on I can't hear the TV so I am usually watching the tv or running a tool.
Just don't be watching the TV WHILE running a tool! That has disaster written all over it!:eek:

[Don Morris]

I love listening to music. Played the solo piano piece at high school graduation. Mom played professionally. So the family was always listening to music. But shop tools are dangerous and I treat them as such. I give them my entire concentration. The local running club will not let you wear ear pieces during a sponsored run, because you can't concentrate well enough to be safe. Similar to trying to text while driving. Music while shopping...sure, music while working in a woodworking shop...not when I have a power tool on.