# Music in the shop



## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

Personally I listen to earbuds when I'm my shop (Don't want anybody else to hear the trash I listen to) but I always make sure the cord is tucked under my shirt or in my jacket to ensure it doesn't get caught in anything. However I have seen YouTube videos where very experienced woodworkers don't do that and that concerns me. Some people ban music in their shops as a safety concern and that makes sense (It would drive me insane but it makes sense). Some people like it and some don't. Anybody have an opinion on this matter?


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## allpurpose (Mar 24, 2016)

I have a nice Oontz wireless speaker I run off my cell phone . Great sound for the size.
I like old jazz and oddly enough Latin Tango sounds.
Why I like the wireless speakers. No cords except when charging. I can put it up out of the way so nothing to trip over. 
My taste in music is what I call 'music to keep the morons away with ' and it generally works..
I don't see any particular safety issues listening to music. If I lose concentration it's not from music, it's mostly lack of sleep from insomnia.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't see the harm in it if you restrain the wires. I try listening to the radio now and then in the shop but usually something offensive comes on the radio and I have to go across the shop to turn it off and then it stays off. It would help if I had something more portable.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

My spouse's old boombox has a second life in our garage. It can play CDs, although it never occurred to me to bring one out to the garage. If I want music, I listen to the radio. I enjoy background music when I am doing something tedious and reasonably quiet, like hand sharpening tools using plates, hand sanding, assembly/gluing, etc. I do not play the music loud. I want to hear the phone and other important sounds.

Where we live, there is an excellent selection of stations to listen to. I listen to all kinds of music, modern and old, jazz, rock, classical, and more, but not talk radio. Music has always been a part of our family, and it is hard for me to imagine life without some music playing in the background. 

It is very early in the morning on a Sunday. I am up doing some remote computer work (when the other employees are not on the systems). There is music in the background, of course. To avoid disturbing the family, I wear headphones. 

One other *important comment*: 

*HEARING PROTECTION IS ESSENTIAL IN A SHOP!!* 

Otherwise, you can't enjoy that beautiful music to its fullest, and eventually not at all. I had a friend who was a shop professional. He never wore hearing protection. By the time I met him, he didn't need it - he was completely and utterly deaf. It was entirely preventable, and his very personal, lifetime grief. Don't let it happen to you.


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## highfigh (Oct 8, 2017)

I do low voltage audio/video work and in my case, I really need my hearing to be intact. That doesn't mean I don't like it loud at times, but I carry hearing protection at all times and use it religiously in the shop. I have been using silicone rubber ear plugs for a long time and they work well enough that my hearing is actually very good for someone who will be 61 in April. I also find that I have more credibility when I don't answer customer questions about sound quality with "Huh?". 

I have a Sony STR-5800 receiver from about 1978 with a pair of 8" two-way speakers- the speakers are in the upper corners of the wall and that adds to their bass output, which means I have about the best sounding garage system in the neighborhood. I have a 5 disc CD player connected, but I usually plug my iPhone into one of the AUX jacks and stream Pandora or the music on the phone. At a moderate level, I can hear the music and protect my ears. 

I have worked on jobs with a contractor who's profoundly deaf and he'll gladly tell anyone around that he's very hard of hearing even though it was completely his fault. He told me that when he did construction, he would have his head very close to the circular saw. First, that seems like a good way to get splinters in his eyes, but I can't imagine being so close to the saw without some kind of hearing protection yet he wants us to speak slower and more clearly because HE caused his own deafness. 

As far as 'trash', if you like it, carry on, Montescuieu. I did car audio and on Fridays, a friend had a show on a college station which I liked for the wide range of extremely off music. One day, one of the guys I worked with had enough and said "This isn't music!", so I replied "Yes it is- it has melody, rhythm and harmony".


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

I have a stereo and a designated iPod out in the shop. If I'm in there, the music is on and you can bet that it is heavy metal from one band or another. The shop is my place to unwind and enjoy the experience and music that I enjoy just adds to that. I don't see anything wrong with music in the shop, although I'm not a fan of earbuds because they restrict the hearing too much for my liking. As much as I like the music, I also like to hear what is going on around me.


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## highfigh (Oct 8, 2017)

Kenbo said:


> I have a stereo and a designated iPod out in the shop. If I'm in there, the music is on and you can bet that it is heavy metal from one band or another. The shop is my place to unwind and enjoy the experience and music that I enjoy just adds to that. I don't see anything wrong with music in the shop, although I'm not a fan of earbuds because they restrict the hearing too much for my liking. As much as I like the music, I also like to hear what is going on around me.


Definitely agree on being able to hear what's going on around me. I play a lot of old Prog and Fusion, so I'm sure my neighbors think I'm weird. I don't care- better weird than boring.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

I have my shop wired with surround sound. Don't have neighbors on the side my overhead doors face, so I can play it as loud as I want. Never know what you might hear, everything from modern/outlaw country to Metallica. 
Mike Hawkins


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## Cowboy18 (Aug 21, 2017)

Classic Country, Classic Rock, Old Motown Soul, and talk radio is always playing in my shop sun up to sun down.
I mostly play the Old Soul music when my lady is around, she sings along with it and it makes her happy. Which
in turn usually ends up making me happy, watching her get her boogie on.


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## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

highfigh said:


> As far as 'trash', if you like it, carry on, Montescuieu. I did car audio and on Fridays, a friend had a show on a college station which I liked for the wide range of extremely off music. One day, one of the guys I worked with had enough and said "This isn't music!", so I replied "Yes it is- it has melody, rhythm and harmony".


By "Trash" I meant... Well have you seen my username?


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

My old clock radio went belly up and had to toss it. No more music. Looking for a new alarm clock/CD player for the bedroom so I can listen to a bunch of background CDs. I only listen to classical music. When we moved here in '88, there was a classical C&W station and a classical rock station. They changed formats. I got into listening to classical music when studying while in seminary. Can't shake the habit.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

I use an 18 volt AM/FM radio in the shop or when working outside. Usually a country station. It's turned up so you can only hear it if nothing else is running.


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

My old iPhone 4S is on Wi-Fi and I have the K-LOVE Christian radio app playing all day long. I have an old computer subwoofer and pair of tweeters beside my toolbox and it's at a volume I can talk over if I get a phone call or someone walks in. So I hear I when I'm not running equipment. It's not distracting and I don't have to worry about what gets played - it's always good stuff.

David


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

İ love to listen to the radio in low voice i love the tunein digital radio in my phone there isnt her distracted while listening to the radio my productivity increases...

Lenovo A7000-a cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

I have an old RCA mini stereo I listen to in the shop, it even has a remote control so I can turn it up or down from a distance

I listen to mostly to KHYI from the DFW metromess, they play more local up and coming country music from bands.Pretty good stuff you never hear from Nashvegas 

I used to listen to a bunch of talk radio but it has gotten so divisive I quit listening to it


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## CaptainMike (Aug 27, 2017)

My shop is wired for surround as well and I stream whatever I feel like listening to on SiriusXM. Mostly classic country, but mix in some rock, Sinatra, talk radio, and history/politics podcasts.


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## UnleveledDesigns (Oct 16, 2017)

My shop always has music on when i am in there. 
Old surround sound to outdoor speakers and shop speakers using Sonos as music supply. LOVE it. 
I've been looking into the earplug style Bluetooth headphones or possibly just using my noise canceling. Does anyone have experience with either of those options?


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## tewitt1949 (Nov 26, 2013)

I've got an old TV and a stereo. Usually watch/listen to TV.


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## FishFactory (Nov 8, 2013)

[quoteq=firehawkmph;1775913]I have my shop wired with surround sound. Don't have neighbors on the side my overhead doors face, so I can play it as loud as I want. Never know what you might hear, everything from modern/outlaw country to Metallica. 
Mike Hawkins[/quote]

This. I almost always have my hearing protection on in the shop, easier than taking them on and off. My speakers are usually cranked up so I can hear them over the low noise of the DC and the air filter running. Usually something hard playing, Metallica, Volbeat, etc.


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## new2woodwrk (Mar 16, 2015)

I have a cheap Sony radio/cd player I blast my music in my garage. I would put one of my good stereos in the garage and wire up a bunch of speakers but I don't want to with all the dust blowing everywhere

I bring out the day's CD's when I'm working in there since the radio stations in my area are really really bad.

I listen to Classic rock 50's through the 80's - sometimes a little classical, but it is not very often. I have a bunch of collected works and a bunch of albums I still have to transfer to CD.

Rap and hip hop are banned from my garage and my ears on a permanent basis!


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## zyglrox (Dec 24, 2017)

Planning on rigging up some sort of 2.1 system. Preferably something I can somewhat cart around. Until then, it's headphones. 

I like listening to music while I work... ...and while doing anything I can listen to music while doing. I enjoy many genres and eras of rock and metal... ...especially the heavier, headier, more progressive stuff, in general. That's my bread and butter. I love music with energy and power and just... scale.

But when working in the garage, it wears me down and bogs out my focus long before I'm hours deep into working on something (say... sanding large quantities of rough boards through 3-4 grits.) I just get fatigued and start to lose my motivation. I much prefer more ambient, easy going electronic music (Boards of Canada, mostly.) That or some laid back jazz. Maybe some instrumental hip-hop beats here and there. Keeps me calm and focused. Plus, I don't feel like I've got someone in my head trying to steal my attention away from what I'm doing... ...like that annoying buddy who leans over you and tries to make smalltalk while you're trying to take measurements for difficult joints. That's what loud, heavy music is to me in the shop.

I use ear protection when I run heavy equipment. Even if I had earbuds I wouldn't use them while running any kind of saw other than a hand saw. Otherwise I may screw up a nice board, at best...


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

I'm a bit different...In my shop.....Vintage Pioneer 125 wpc receiver,Radio Shack EQ with 100cd and Bose speakers..

No music when overly complicated but as soon as I'm in a rhythm it on...Corrosion of conformity, In this moment or Mudvayne..

No one comes in my shop>


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