There are some good suggestions among the comments to this thread at zenhabits.

I can’t listen to anything while I work on type or design. It is okay if I am doing home maintenance stuff but I get too distracted for even things like kerning. When I listen to music, I really listen or watch. My favorite music is opera so it is not so repetitive as pop music. I also like blues and R&B when I am driving a distance.

ChrisL

“Golden Bowls” by Karma Moffett.

It keeps me calm.

pbc

My listening habits are listed at Last.fm. Join the Typophile group.

Metal and Rock music mainly, but I’ll sample anything. I usually put a film on in the background instead of music, I find that relaxes me more.

Classical is playing at Peet’s right now. Would be great for that. On a side-note, I see it is in time with Eric West’s animated gif of the cat with the machine gun. What’s the word for that...something like oxymoronic...incongruent, I guess.

http://www.dungen-music.com/

http://www.ufomammut.com/

LOL. I read this as a thread on using kerning when typesetting music, which is not the same. I could just see someone with an advertising background, kerning all the notes until they touched each other.

(Apologies for being silly ... I am on holidays.)

No need to apologise, I did the same. I blame it on the kids I teach.

strapping young lad for compressed typefaces and bohren und der club of gore for extended ones ;-)

i was up all last night listening to Hearts of Space while i was doing my own font crunching. That along with podcasts of “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me,” “Mugglecast,” and “This American Life.”

Electronic, trip hop, down tempo, etc. All good for design needs. But, if you notice I listen to all kinds of music. :^> My listening habits are also listed at Last.fm.

I must admit that when I first saw Kris’s post, I thought of seeing him with Finale open on his desktop trying to kern a run of 32nd notes into a measure to keep it the same width as the staff above :-)

ChrisL

Um, me too.

What I listen to when I work depends on what the “work” is at the time. The music can range from bodhran-dominant Celtic and 70s rock, opera from Carmen to Nixon in China, Palastrina to Philip Glass, and George Strait.

I’ve never worked on kerning tables, but my job does involve lots of repetitive Illustrator work. I find Kraftwerk the perfect accompaniment, a particular favourite being Man Machine. It sounds like a well-running electronic machine, and makes me feel as if the computer and I are at one. It’s rarely the case in fact, but if I feel that way it helps.

Too bad Chris doesn’t listen to music while he kerns, or else he would surely recommend Archie Bell & The Drells “Tighten It Up”.

”... he would surely recommend Archie Bell & The Drells “Tighten It Up”.”

Steve! the tune is called “Do The Tighten Up” :-)

ChrisL

Anything by Beethoven. Or Dimmu Borgir. Blondie is kind of fun, too.

Wait — are you supposed to kern your fonts?

the tune is called “Do The Tighten Up” :-)

Hey, it’s not like I have my 8-tracks here in Moscow! :-)

I once did an ad that was a silly little piece of music I wrote (a brithday song for someone actually). I wrote it out in Illustrator (that was really fun). When I showed it they didn’t like where the words fell and asked me to just move a couple of things around. I had to explain that music doesn’t work that way - you can’t put 5 quarter notes in 4/4 time.

So I ended up rewritting the song a wee bit so we wouldn’t look like idiots.

And needless to say I will never, ever try that again.

That is my tale of “kerning music”.

pbc

LOL, I can’t say I blame you Paul. Sounds too much like hard work. I have no musical ability whatsoever, so I give you credit. Now for something simpler, where was I up to with my serif font…

Weeman - great to see you around here. Get to work on that serif (sound of whips cracking and drums beating)… :)

pbc

Thanks Paul, I’m still learning to swim amongst the sharks around here. It’s been a while since I saw you on a “forum”, hope you’re well.

ahm a gettin! ahm a gettin! (runs off to work on font and throw drum away)

Take Care

Bach’s fugues in interpretation of Glenn Gould. Perfectly balanced, pure, precise, extremely rhythmical and architecturally structured. Anybody?

http://www.pandora.com/
That has got me through a day of lightening Gohan.

I don’t kern, but I do like to listen to music.

Stefan Bodzin; Ellen Allien; Monolake; Wunderbarend; James Holden; Steve Reich; Joris Voorn; Photek

T.

How about Jerome Kern.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.

The Buddha Machine

I’ve gotta vote for Pandora, too. I’ve already tailored it in my leisure time with my own impression of old-school Live 105. I try not to pick any channels where I’ll get distracted by anything new and interesting. Now, when I’ve got work to do, it just streams along, perfectly and transparently.

(update: Kris- I just loaded all the bands you listed into a new channel. It sounds very promising for doing exactly this sort of work!)

i agree totally with this music theme, it has usually a continuous rithm and it is easy to keep you in a good machine like movement situation, electro and trance for me.. also acid jazz can be interesting

Stephen,
I found that same album in a thrift store! Its my favorite! I don’t know what it sounds like though. I love the overprints too.

Others,
I listen to Electronica and Dance too. My favs being House and Trance. Kernkraft is sweet, Franz & Shape is fitting, The Orb, Underworld, Deep Dish, Crystal Method, Dabrye is great, and Felix da Housecat.

i’ve been working on kerning CLASSES for 2 days, listening to soundtracks (LOTR, the Illusionist) while doing so makes the work seem more dramatic and important. >^p

Sold out limited edition.
Font: Italican by Graham Meade

... Last.fm. Join the Typophile group.

I tried joining some time back, but I’m still in limbo. Is there a secret password to get approved?

I think your password has to be kerned :-)

ChrisL

Whoops. It looks as the group’s “Owner” I was the only one who could accept members. I’ve accepted all pending members and made it so any member can accept new applicants.