Horror Aficionados discussion
Background noise while you read?
I learned to read with background noise by ignoring my parents as a teenager while reading. lolI prefer no background noise but can tune everything out.
I often listen to a playlist of classical/music soundtracks I made. I can't read when people are talking or there are lyrics in music.
I usually have a campfire video on or rain sounds while reading. Gotta set the cozy ambience, haha. They're quiet enough that they don't disturb my reading but the sounds are soothing. Here are a few that I often have playing:Campfire: https://youtu.be/E77jmtut1Zc
Rain: https://youtu.be/gnVx0-Y_s0Y
99% of the time I listen to classical music
I have a hard time processing anything other than what I’m reading once I’m immersed. Between a small child and a partner that likes to scroll through videos though I’ve been reading in silence lately for the novelty.
I can read with a tv or anything in the background really.However, my partner really struggles so we have a white noise machine to block out any annoying distractions
I can read with the TV on or the stereo. I can read while my husband drives, lots of people have problems with this. And because I read most of my books on my kindle I can read in the dark. Truthfully I can read just about anywhere, I've been doing that since I was a kid.
I used to need 100% silence, but now I enjoy white noise while I read. Kinda hones me in. Certain books work well with specific soundtracks as well like jungle noises for Jurassic Park, blizzard sounds for The Terror, things like that.
Blaine wrote: "I used to need 100% silence, but now I enjoy white noise while I read. Kinda hones me in. Certain books work well with specific soundtracks as well like jungle noises for Jurassic Park, blizzard so..."I try to match my book to outside sounds too using Spotify background nature sounds. I recently read a book called The Nest about man-eating roaches (was really fun & great) and I paired it with sounds from the woods, adds to the experience haha!
I prefer to read in silence, but sometimes there are stories that are so rich in atmosphere that I can't help but put on some videos of thunderstorms or fire crackling in the background.
Mod
I prefer to read in silence, but I can read in noisy situations if necessary, such as travel, mindless TV, etc. However, music tends to distract me from reading because I start counting beats.
i can read with anything in the background, usually my partner playing fifa! it just doesn't bother me, i can drown it out
I don't deliberately put on any kind of background noise, but as others have said, life goes on around me and it doesn't bother me. I can read in a line, in a waiting room, at the kitchen counter while waiting for a timer, makes no never mind to me.
Unfortunately, my ignorant neighbors! I live in an elderly/disabled 55+ apartment building but you would think I'm surrounded by 20 year olds that have no consideration! Sorry for the rant!
Usually, I'll throw on something I'm not interested in watching or instrumental music like jazz or lately chill and synth-wave. Anything with lyrics would distract me and I'd likely end up singing along rather than writing or worse writing down the lyrics lol.
I usually put on rain and thunderstorm sounds or I will have a tv show I don't watch in the background.
I’ve recently discovered brown noise and like to have this on through headphones while I’m reading. I’ve found I can immerse myself a lot more. My partner listens to tv loudly and watches offensive power tool videos 🤣 brown noise has been a godsend.
What a fantastic thread. I vacillate between silence and atmospheric black metal, particularly Hermóðr, Annorkoth Totalselfhatred and Agalloch.When I do choose to listen to music, it needs to strike the right balance between creating a cozy mood while not distracting from the reading.
i usually put on brown noise, as the constant unchanging buzz helps me concentrate, but this particular playlist of the more calm, ambient songs from the Silent Hill games really helps set the mood for reading some horror!https://youtu.be/Yxd-X8P-GtY
I prefer silence when I'm reading....so I can concentrate on the book and not what's going on in the background.(((;ꏿ_ꏿ;)))
Lately I've been listening to either Lo-fi or classical music as I read. I can't listen to anything with lyrics though, as I'll focus on those. But it's like my brain can't quiet without something in the background...
I have an ambient music/noise playlist on YouTube. Some of them are just rain or fireplace sounds, some are quiet jazz or classical or cello music. The channel nobody is a recent find and I've been listening to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcSk_... while reading lately.
I put on shuffle my Favorites playlist on Spotify and let it run... At some point, I get so engrossed by the reading, that I stop paying attention to the music and it becomes background noise.
Mod
I figured everyone here would want to read in a completely silent environment... how else would you be able to determine whether the creaks at your front door aren't from the wind?All jokes aside, I tend to read when it's quiet - dead silence seems too unbearable for me - but I've also been able to read in waiting rooms or in big spaces full of conversation as long as it isn't too distracting. I have on very few occasions read with the radio tuned to a local classical music station on a medium-to-low volume, but it's been a long while since I've done it; I may have to try it out again.
I actively work on a music playlist I think is fitting for whatever book I'm reading and listen to it during the moments I'm not working on it. Sometimes I'll read a bit, and the overall mood of the scene is like "ooh!!! this makes me think of that one creepy song by poe!!" and I'll add it in to a playlist & edit it later if I can.I usually listen to music when reading (or some sort of general background noise?), but my music taste varies, and what fits the book varies, so I can't really pinpoint what exactly I listen to!
I like to read with music on. for a time I read without music and didn’t realize it until one day.
I thought it odd as I always need to have music.
I also like to match my background noise to what I'm reading. I just recently read the short novel Sacculina which is a horror at sea. I put on a video of the moonlight on the dark ocean with the sounds of a really quiet cello and ocean waves. And if I'm reading a winter set story, I'll often play a video that has a background of blizzards or just falling snow. I think someone mentioned playing horror movie soundtracks in the background and that's an excellent idea I'll have to try.
I have ADHD and I've learned that when I'm trying to read I like to listen to Lofi music or brown noise. It keeps me focused on what I'm reading and relaxes me as well!
Such a great subject! i enjoy atmospheric black metal at low levels to create a mood and to cancel out any ambient sounds (or whatever melody might have infiltrated my head during the day). Hermodr, Agalloch, Winterfylleth and Unreqvited are some faves.
I have a lot of music saved as bookmarks and I treat it as a active to-do list. Once I listen to one Album/LP I delete it and either go to another or find more. Good way to stay engaged when I'm always listening to something new. Most of what I listen to mainly is with no vocals to avoid distractions. Otherwise I don't mind reading without music if I'm not reading at home. Synthwave, lounge, ambient and classical are a few I gravitate to.
tons of different vibes with and without music, and no worries of ads like on youtube mobile
Generally go to youtube and find a video or rain/thunderstorms......
honestly most of the time I just have to suck it up while my bf plays drums in the next room lol, it's white noise at this point
honestly most of the time I just have to suck it up while my bf plays drums in the next room lol, it's white noise at this point
When I'm reading it doesn't really matter what's on. If the story is good I get lost in that and don't hear anything else.When I'm writing I mostly need quiet. Sometimes I try to pick music to match the tone I'm trying to achieve, but often I just find it a distraction.
Normally I was open to anything. Lately it has been silence. Perhaps it means there is no one there to interrupt me.
I've been listening to a lot of our LPs lately while reading!
I struggle to read with any distractions but one artists work allows me to block out noise. I would recommend Steve Roach especially something like "The Magnificent Void", ambient soundscapes without distracting rhythm or melody. Works for me and I'm easily distracted!
I use my old studying playlist from university to read! It’s all classical music.
I absolutely love the eerie yet calming atmosphere. Perfect for reading something spooky!👻https://youtu.be/Zd9__mOUVzU
I tend to primarily read at night while in bed, and I always have a Twitch stream playing on my iPad while reading, though the volume is so low that I can't understand what they're saying, thus I don't get distracted while also getting the added benefit of making my dumb brain not itchy in the silence, heh.
If I'm in a quiet place, I like silence while I'm reading. If I'm commuting on the train or somewhere out and about, I'll put on some wordless music, or maybe music without English words. I use background noise when I sleep, so if I try to do it while I'm reading, I get really tired.
I like the sound of a fan or rain when I’m reading, I can’t concentrate with much of anything else in the background & definitely not dead silence
Usually my son playing on the Nintendo Switch or watching Netflix. Even if I try to read in my room he will come in because 'he likes to be around me'.
Same here. I don't know how people can concentrate otherwise.