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Rob Hubbard

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Rob Hubbard is a British composer who became known in the 1980s for his music for microcomputers, above all the Commodore 64. He began with music as a child, played in bands and worked as a studio musician in the late 1970s. Then he taught himself to program in BASIC and machine code. He chose the Commodore 64 because it had more memory than other machines, and because he had heard that musicians ought to get involved with computers.

Music and breakthrough

Between 1985 and 1989 he wrote or arranged music for more than seventy-five games, as a freelancer and often for British publishers. Well-known pieces include Commando, Monty on the Run, Sanxion, International Karate and Crazy Comets. His favourites included Sanxion and International Karate. In 1988 he moved to Electronic Arts in the United States, where he was the first employee to focus entirely on sound and music. Later he also wrote for the Amiga, the Atari ST and the Mega Drive, including for Populous, Road Rash and Desert Strike.

Influence

Hubbard got the very most out of the SID sound chip. His pieces have real melodies, fast arpeggios and an almost orchestral density, despite the limited channels. He even got samples to play by using the chip's volume register. He showed many later makers of chiptune and game music what such a small machine could sound like. His music is nowadays played live by rock bands and orchestras, and in 2016 he received an honorary doctorate from Abertay University.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Monty on the Run and notice how much is going on at once: a driving melody, an almost danceable bass line and quick ornaments. Remember that all of this comes from a single small sound chip.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists8-bit and chiptune