Artist Feature #17: Rob Hubbard

[@SRDhain]

The last track was beautifully wistful. Rob's a legend. He set such a high bar for what the C64 was musically capable of.

[@Nikos8BitStereo]

Another masterful Artist Feature you produced, Rob Hubbard is an absolute genius and really I feel is the inspiration for so many people getting into composing for the SID and making something great out of it for the world of Video Game Music, truly the master of the Chiptune and a legend that is respected and admired for so many good reasons. I figured this would have been like Jeroen Tel's in terms of length because of just how many amazing C64 songs Rob composed for, but like any mix, I feel you craft as much as you need to and what fits, and this still did plenty justice for his career! The transitions, information/history included, and quality of songs chosen is remarkable as always! Really his whole C64 career can be described as just banger after banger (of course there are some tracks from games he did just for the money and isn't proud of or just public domain/classic music rearranged beat for beat), but back in my college days I downloaded the whole HVSC collection, loaded up SID Player, and listened away to his works, its how I found many C64 composers and Hubbard's games were many of those listens, he is one of many where I have listened to each games and SID track he put out, he was that amazing to me, much like Jeroen Tel. And the mix you put together in his C64 era is as fine crafted as can possibly be, I always leaned toward the longer pieces he did, and as he said in an interview, playing games for hours giving the player such interesting and well composed tunes really helped the experience I'm sure, and its nice the coverage Hubbard's work got in magazines, and it's so great seeing such interest and praise given even back in the day. The Sanxion remix piece is beautiful, and can see why the original is one of his favorite pieces, but for me, that favorite (next to Knuckle Busters) goes to what was featured next which I was so glad on Delta, I love that repetition, the build up is spine tingling, and the "On the Run" inspiration from Pink Floyd is pretty clear, but its masterful throughout that whole piece. And was so happy you included more of my favorites with ACE 2, Arcade Classics, and of course, one of the most famous C64 tracks of all time, Skate or Die. I love the "digi sampling" was essentially an error that was just synonymous with composers going: "welp I got a new sound to work with", and because of that the Skate or Die Title Theme is so iconic and beloved, on top of just being an amazing tune Rob Hubbard was capable of producing (also loved the cracked version is what is the most popular, which yes I prefer the PAL speed but both still rock). It was really nice seeing one of his DOS compositions appear, still did great for games and the multiple sound versions on it, but I get why they aren't talked about as much for the little he did, just like the console with the next title on The Immortal, an absolutely brilliant soundtrack and top contender for pushing the sound limits of the console, the samples are great and Hubbard using the DPCM channel for the sawtooth waveform is pure genius, and the "Opening Room" track always felt perfectly melancholy when seeing "Rob was the only person to use this technique in the NES's lifetime", because it's an amazing use of the sample channel only challenged next to Sunsoft's Bass. I see why Skate or Die 2 couldn't fit into the mix but hot damn that is a powerful OST as well, the samples are off the hook! Also knew Populous had to be featured, great track, and wish Hubbard worked more on the Amiga, but great to see it Orchestrated on the Game Music Concert CD, love that CD series! But thankfully we have another era Hubbard got to be fairly well known for, the 16-Bit era of the Mega Drive! Loved hearing what he did on that magical YM2612 soundchip! He was probably right what American audiences liked more with shorter and punchier tunes, but you know what, in a way, was probably best because we got to see Hubbard compose in such a way and give us the tracks he did in the home console era, and as such gave us his immediate mastering of the DAC sample playback, while it was intense, and his early FM work pushing the modulators hard, its a bit of a charming piece what was done at that time, and I mean Genesis OST's later would still push hard and be mixed just loudly, but I love it all the same, just like the DAC Drums you added on the Road Rash 2 track, love that kind of effort you put into these mixes! And I totally understand why Rob didn't like composing on the SNES, between the RAM limit, general softer palette of the Sampling, and my guess of just not having that much time to work with the system, it felt inferior to the soundchips of the C64 and Genesis, but definitely the "Current Status" track is his best on that console, it still sounds great and his that Hubbard charm! And the beauty of that PGA Tour Redbook quality track, mmm, it's so magical. Interesting as well on Rob's mixed feelings of when having that Redbook audio quality freedom but the summarization of restrictions shifting from Hardware to Budget encapsulates it perfectly, as long as you make a catchy and bangin' OST, doesn't matter too much :P The Back in Time album is one of those things I love hearing, especially when Rob's era of composing started to halt in the 90's, but his status was already legendary amongst VGM composers and for helping to inspire so many in the C64 era, but it was great to see it lead to more live performances and revisiting his old music in unique ways, hearing the Orchestrated versions of Monty on the Run is so powerful, to think a 3 sound channel SID tune can be arranged into Orchestration so beautifully. "Monty's Journey" segment into "Rikki" tears me up every single time, because it also reminds me of what Rob Hubbard has accomplished for himself and others, and what he has given us in the world of VGM, truly Video Game Music and Chiptunes would not as it is without him, he deserves all the praise and accolades in his career, as do you anosci, thank you for giving us another incredible mix and Artist Feature, truly a reminder to appreciate such beautiful works of art, you efforts much like Hubbard's are inspiring and deserve all the love, thank you. 💙

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

much love

[@YouOpaOpa]

Man, the soundtrack for The Immortal is engraved in my brain since I was 7. I’ll be an old man forgetting my grandkids names and I’ll still be whistling those songs.

[@a.b.8606]

The effort is you put outstanding. I grew up listening to these as a kid in Kuwait. This type of music brings me so much joy because it exposed to all these magical sounds and genres. Your channel brings these wonderful memories back. What your doing is amazing deserves a big round of applause.

[@malikmartin]

If I remember right, he used to pop in over on #nesdev. Cool dude.

[@envanligfjant]

Fantastic mix, thank you for your hard work in tribute of Dr. Rob Hubbard!

[@geminielectro]

Awesome mix. Rob Hubbard is the god of the C64 and SID.

[@GordonBraicks]

His sounddesign on the SID chip is out of this world compared to the general competition.

[@digivince]

Love the mixes and work that you put in to cataloging and showing off these pieces of music history. "Cheese melts amber yellow but Sibelius melts red. The music is bleeding. I bring up the drop-down but it's filled with gore."

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

I am very glad that I've seen the video that you're referencing, lmao

[@RabbinzonMeloman]

Cool videos, mary thanks GST Channel 😎👍

[@bigarmsg]

I love these mixes. They’re not just catchy, but informative as well. Keep up the great work!

[@tharkthax3960]

Very nice! He did some great tunes on atari 8 bit and the speccy too.

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

Love this mix. I love Rob Hubbard's NES score of Skate or Die 2 & The Immortal.

[@aperry383]

Thank you for compiling all this information, found it very interesting. I did t know much about Rob after Skate or Die although I know he did some EA games like Road Rash but that was it. I was a 13yo boy when I read his interview in Zzap64 and had already been a fan of his music, even my mum's comment on Monty on the Run will always stick with me. I still play his music and some parts of his tines really take me back to better days when we didn't have a care in the world.

[@geminielectro]

16:56 Wow!!!! This is impressive for a Genesis and doesn't sound like an FM soundtrack!

[@stevenallan5822]

Thanks for this, it's Robs work on the C64 that I fondly remember, so many great tracks, he was a legend on the SID.

[@rrjanik]

omg we need more!

[@Zawmbbeh]

first video and I adore the way you transition these tracks into one another while telling their stories. so cohesive

[@deathtoll2001]

Amazing depiction of the journey! All it would take to feel like I was watching this on the History or Discovery channel is a voiceover. Thanks for you hard work and for sharing!

[@machshfive]

I live under a rock so I just discovered this channel, these are amazing,10/10 transitions, insta sub holy cow

[@whizatit]

WHY... does this not have more views and likes? Was he so obscure to the world that almost no-one cares? This has been on the web 2 years now, I remember at least HALF of most things listed here! 2 years 594 likes 69 comments is not enough 😞

[@scrubsandwich1050]

I love this mans music so thank you for making a mix of it. I’d have to say my favorite is Warhawk, though I haven’t listened to all his work. I’ve been writing my own music for the Sega Genesis and I still take inspiration from just that one track of his.

[@yoshimitsu1977]

Great mix, thank you for your priceless service to humanity

[@thehistoryofchingfordwater8933]

Amazing

[@Piesonscreations]

Another fantastic mix. Don't think there was a single track in here that I didn't like.

[@Stushcinta]

Always love these videos you make, you put so much care and love into them.

[@Mordi]

Interesting and well-produced video as always!

[@StooCambridgeArtist]

Sterling work putting this video together It took me right back to my teenage years! Great job!

[@2fbMusic]

I love your mix, and the great information that come with them, and the music nostalgic it allways gives me.. thanks

[@MastermindAtWork]

Where did get the audio for PGA Tour on the 3do, it sounds so nice

[@anana89]

Amazing video for an amazing artist

[@L-in-oleum]

16:40 ...not sure if that's in the original soundtrack or a sneaky addition of the Thriller intro :D

[@liberispuritatem]

Your work in KZbin is always unique. Thanks for another awesome journey!

[@f.k.b.16]

16:07 Great Transition from song to song!!

[@awanderer5446]

Great video, thank you!

[@ROTTERDXM]

This guy! Respect for the music tracking skills

[@PrimitiveBaroque]

Zzap! 64 cover tape is majestic.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

oh! I forgot to add a link to that in the description. Thanks for reminding me!

[@wetbadger2174]

This guy's thetan level must be through the roof

[@delboy3k1]

Great stuff. Would have liked a bit more info on the early game "cofuzion" as we know a lot about thing on a spring and little about confuzion such as...didvrob compose it ? If so who was the band on side 2 of the tape singing it ? If not composed by rob is this just a conversion of that tune and a start of his music engine ? Stuff like that :-) brilliant video thanks :-)

[@mgrinz.ireneuszukaszdzitko1348]

Extra sid music and more computer impress.🤗☺🙂😙

[@Nukle0n]

Hearing a lot of stereo in this mix, which some people have pointed out was never Hubbard's strong suit. Once he started composing music for things like the Game Boy he'd always nestle himself safely in the confines of mono.

[@EuropeanQoheleth]

Huh, PGA Tour 96. I played that on PC a lot as a kid.

[@EdgyNumber1]

*GST,* Have you considered doing a feature on Matt _'Last Ninja'_ Gray, yet?

[@senseiken]

Delta has a lot of hidden tunes inside the music data also.

[@oscar_charlie]

Who did the remix you used for track 6 (Formula 1 Simulator)? Is that Rob's original synth track? Thought it might be Marcel Donne's remix, but it's not.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

It is indeed Rob's original synth track!

[@oscar_charlie]

Wow, that is amazing! Is it available anywhere? I'd like to listen to the whole track.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

@@oscar_charlie yep! though it's only available as part of a box set. google "Project Hubbard: 9 Disc Box Set" and thatll bring you to it there's a lot of good stuff to be found in there

[@f.k.b.16]

I like how the closed captions start off by saying, " NO NO NO NO NO NO...... NO.... SO"

[@markvd1008]

0:08 Pff, the captions are spamming "no." why?

[@poble]

no

[@dendroleon]

unreal

[@flmalegre]

IK sounds so much like Forbidden Colours by Ryuichi Sakamoto, I wonder why I've never made the connection.

[@davidgjam7600]

It's like a mix between that and more techno-pop YMO stuff

[@R1SC-C64]

That comets 97 theme sounds like it’s from a Yamaha mu128-mu1000-mu2000

[@c64audio]

It was mostly MU80, correct.

[@schwarzenegger_begger8810]

8:52 That wouldn't be out of place in Battletoads

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

Where can I find that list of Hubbard's work by year?

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

Are you referring to the timeline I showed throughout the video, starting at 0:17 ? that's an asset I created just for the video.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@GSTChannelVEVO Indeed. Is it complete? I assume that at the very least to your knowledge it is.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

@@incumbentvinyl9291 The version you see in the video is somewhat incomplete, in that there were instances where three games were released at the same month and I only had room for 2 spots. plus it doesn't really handle cases where different ports of the same game were released at different times ...but it's as complete as I could make it with these limitations in mind

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@GSTChannelVEVO Alright, thanks for the video!

[@RichardM-kv4uu]

This should really have featured Jet Set Willy on the Atari, that tune is amazing considering the hardware it was made on!

[@ronvanderlee7298]

Which Atari version? As I believe Rob did for any.

[@pekkahorttanainen8812]

Superb mix! But there's no videogame music like SID music... maybe it's a nostalgic thing since I grew up with a C64, but the later music just doesn't make an equal impact...

[@sergiocornaga]

Zoids!

[@ostradiemgi5469]

Oh wow, the orchestra and chiptune together is beautiful. Most of the time I don't like arrangements of chiptune. They never capture what I like about them. But Monty on the Run was pretty good. I'm impressed the violinst pulled the melody off. And I guess this explains why his Genesis music is so plain. Though the patches are totally on him.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

These orchestral arrangements have two noticeable advantages: 1. Rob had an orchestral style in mind when he wrote the chip version 2. Rob had direct control over the orchestral arrangement of course, it's still possible that the thing you liked about a song is separate from what the composer intended, but the above is generally going to be a good combo!

[@Daclaem]

i appreciated the video , but One Man And His Droid is definitly missing here.?

[@Nikku4211]

Remember kids, "Inspiration" is very "original" and certainly "won't" get you into any legal trouble. Honestly, I'm sick of hearing SID, so I'm disappointed to see some of Rob's earlier non-SID video game music be skipped.

[@GSTChannelVEVO]

funny story, Rob wasn't worried about legal trouble from the times he was asked to cover existing songs because he figured "that's the publisher's problem" as for SIDs, I personally love the soundchip, but I can't really argue about the lack of non-SID representation in here. I wanted to include more (especially some of his POKEY work) but building these mixes is a bit of a puzzle, and I couldn't quite fit them in there. sorry about that

[@Nikku4211]

@@GSTChannelVEVO I understand why a lot of people like the SID, but it's much easier for me to appreciate music on sound chips that aren't as popular as the SID, or sound chips that aren't as ""versatile"" as the SID.