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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: What do you listen to while playing?
by Olivia Grace 
Dec 13th 2011 at 8:00AM
I don't listen to music while raiding, and especially not while PvPing. I need the audio cues to establish whether my spells are coming off, whether I'm critting (restoration shaman make a funny little noise when that happens), whether certain effects are landing, whether that warrior is Bladestorming, and so on. Of course there are visual clues as well, and for many people they will be sufficient, but I often find that, particularly in the Arena, I need all the help I can get! Also, while I do my best to keep track of every player at all times, in a 5v5 match, it's quite feasible that I can't keep my camera pointing at all 10 people, so the audio helps a great deal. I also find that music or TV can be distracting.
This is, of course, not leveled as a criticism to those who do play with music in the background, as ever with gaming is a case of diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. I can completely understand the use of music as a motivational tool or to amp yourself up for something challenging or to calm yourself down when things aren't going as you'd hoped.
But while I'm questing, or running dungeons, leveling professions, or running laps of Stormwind chatting to friends, I will often have some music playing or even the TV on in the background. I personally prefer some fairly easy listening, light music, to relax me while other players nerd rage. I'm currently leveling a discipline priest for the new Arena season, so there's sometimes a bit of anger coming my way when wipes happen, and music helps me stay calm! And, of course, there's the perennial Battleground rage to contend with, and music can help me maintain my Zen and laugh at it.
I listen mostly to fairly relaxed, mellow songs while I'm playing. Lana del Rey's Video Games is a current favorite, a very dear man recently introduced me to a lot of Van Morrison where I was only aware of a small part of his catalog, so that's on a lot. I also love listening to classical music while playing; Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique is a particular favorite.
Do you listen to music while playing? Do you have the TV on in the background? And if so, what's your preference in listening material?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 5)
Bloodfurnace Dalvengyr Dec 13th 2011 10:33AM
I like to set the mood for specific things I'm doing.
For leveling, I'll usually throw on some Smooth Jazz or something fellow like Acoustic Alchemy, Boney James, Grover Washington Jr and such
For PvP, it's gotta be metal, anything from Metallica, Megadeth, Misery Signals, Dream Theater, Symphony X, Asking Alexandria, As I Lay Dying etc.
For Raiding I don't listen to anything, I would rather hear people on vent, and the DBM warnings.
Greenjojo Dec 13th 2011 10:35AM
Raiding is generally some type of electro or dubstep - usually just grab some mixes from GoingQuantum on YouTube.
Farming is usually some kind of super hyper house/trance.
PVP is metal. Generally starts with various Death Metal groups(As Blood Runs Black, After the Spire, At the Gates, The Absence etc), will progress into melodic death metal(Amon Amarth, As I lay dying, Dark Tranquility etc) then thrash(Metallica, Megadeath, Blatant Disarray). If it's one of those late night pvp grinds, after about 14 beers I'll end up in some weird place like "classic" rock(Bad Co., ZZtop) or stoner metal(Mastadon, The Sword).
Keeping WoW and vent through my headset and everything else through the speakers doesn't really cause any issues for me, and can still hear audio queues.
Llowe Dec 13th 2011 10:42AM
So many things. Sometimes WoW insider podcasts, or the default game music. But often I'll try to find something appropriate to the zone or raid or RP setting I'm in.
I like mostly-instrumental mood music for wow. Pop music or music with a lot of lyrics is kind of off-putting usually.
Folk metal, like Aarni.
The more hardcore metal was great in the gothic darkness of Wrath of the Lich King but I haven't been feeling it so much in Cata.
Sometimes you want soundtrack music, Gustavo Santaolalla or Thomas Newman or anything you like.
Gothic/world/darkwave like Dead Can Dance (I think I actually discovered this band because an official forum CM quoted them in their signature a few years ago, definitely good WoW music.
Ambient/experimental/noise, like Brian Eno, Tim Hecker, Oneohtrix Point Never
Abstract hip-hop stuff, Flying Lotus, Ras G and the Afrikan Space Program
Psych Folk, this is perfect for so many WoW moods. Shalabi Effect, Barn Owl, No-Neck Blues Band, Pelt
Sometimes, you want straight up psychedelia. The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3 / Spiritualized, maybe Animal Collective if you have latent hipster tendencies or Throbbing Gristle if you're awesome enough.
And sometimes, classical music. Airy or brooding, your choice. Classical music encompasses oodles of stuff that can only be described as "epic." Appropriate, no?
Prelimar Dec 14th 2011 12:48AM
thank you -- anyone who also likes Brian Eno and Dead Can Dance is someone i'm going to pay attention to when they make recommendations. i wasn't familiar with Tim Hecker or Oneohtrix Point Never, but i like them both!
CDave Dec 13th 2011 10:45AM
I usually have an episode of South Park, Top Gear, or football playing on my 2nd monitor or other computer.
But I pvp to this: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=xn8_iGnwnPU
Caz Dec 13th 2011 10:48AM
I only listen to the game while playing - with a few rare exceptions. I might sometimes turn on the TV and listen to the History Channel.
Welldead Dec 13th 2011 10:55AM
For raiding? i would listen to Disturbed. For leveling? i would listen to Gorillaz and for pvping? Avenged sevenfold. Now for dungeoning? i would say Rammstein cause it just mixes with the dungeons nuff said :)
Luotian Dec 13th 2011 10:58AM
I listen to different things depending on what I'm playing. If I'm on my dwarf Shaman, nothing but Flogging Molly will do. For the others...it usually depends on my mood. Sometimes when playing my main, its the Hunter song (the Out!DPS song) on repeat because nothing makes me feel more epic than that song.
shomechely Dec 13th 2011 11:02AM
My husband DJ's for me on raid nights, so he chooses the play lists. Some nights it's disco, some times it's heavy metal. Some nights it's Lonely Island. I have to make sure my push to talk is enabled otherwise my raid would get to hear me singing along "I'm on a boat *&#!"
Zak Dec 13th 2011 11:01AM
I listen to NPR while playing. Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (the NPR quiz show) is a favorite.
rfranzoy Dec 13th 2011 11:13AM
I listen to the opie and anthony show while grinding professions and doing dungeons and when the show is over i switch to ron and fez, fishing while listening to opie attack fat erock is the most relaxing thing in the world, and since i have done the same dungeons dozens of times i prefer to listen to some radio while doing it.
kalias Dec 13th 2011 11:26AM
These days I listen a lot to Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra and such.
When I did AV at lvl 60 I usually put on Machinae Supremacy's version of Gianna Sisters when riding out of the cave. Whenever I hear that music now I'm instantly transported back in time to snowy white Alterac Valley :)
When raiding and farming heroics at 70 as a shadowpriest I listened to a lot of Meshuggah. Proper spriest music in my opinion.
In some Zones I have to turn down outside music when entering. Storm Peaks, Mulgore, Nagrand and Silithus come to mind.
Prelimar Dec 13th 2011 11:33AM
i have always listened to the in-game music (and sounds) while playing. it's excellent, and don't get nearly enough credit, in my opinion. turning off the in-game music would be like turning off the visual spell effects, to me. why would i want to turn off part of what makes the game immersive?
Chetti Dec 13th 2011 12:17PM
I don't usually have anything playing while I play, if I do, its podcasts or something. Most of the time I'm chatting in vent, and since I use a laptop (that is not the computer I play wow on) that uses its built in mic and speakers, I don't want to miss what people are saying OR blast their eardrums with something like Metallica or Pantera (my usual music of choice). There is a tv in the room, that is hardly ever on. I can see the screen, so if there is a movie or something on (abc's HP marathon a few weeks ago played straight through) I can glance at it. During raids though, I don't have anything but game sounds going. I'm relatively new to raiding and don't want to miss anything or mess anything up, so I do my best to not be distracted. :)
philip.montgomery Dec 13th 2011 12:37PM
I always have to have the tv on, I don't even know why but I like the background noise and I think it's really nice during a winter evening to crawl up in the couch with my laptop, put some movie on, get some snacks and just chill... I have to admit that I've sometimes pretended I was sick to my friends so that I could just stay at home and do just that...
I think every once in a while it's good to have a little alone time
Morloch-KT Dec 13th 2011 12:43PM
For dungeons and raids:
Step 1. Build a Pandora station around this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCnn7WEQIDI
Step 2. Feel like the greatest badass ever.
Saitenyo Dec 13th 2011 1:14PM
Normally I just listen to the in-game music, since I like it and it helps with immersion.
I did occasionally used to run raids while listening to the LotR soundtrack (all 3 albums back to back) and that was pretty epic.
Roguebert@Ulduar Dec 13th 2011 1:22PM
Wow music most of the time.
Buuuuut... when I PVP on my rogue, I want to get funked up... so make my funk the P-Funk!
When I tank a dungeon on my overgeared warrior, I listen to: http://www.last.fm/music/Mastodon/_/Blood%2520and%2520Thunder?ac=blood%20and%20th
For reference look at http://www.wowhead.com/spell=84615/blood-and-thunder#comments .
Jeff Dec 13th 2011 1:32PM
Movie Trailer music; i.e. Two Steps from Hell, Immediate, Audiomachine, Epic, City of the Fallen, etc.
Alvysinger Dec 13th 2011 6:35PM
Daft Punk. Listening to Robot Rock is a very good choice for boss battles.