Rob Hubbard - A Life in Music
Born in Hull
Robert John Hubbard is born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. He shows early aptitude for music, receiving formal training through school and later music college, developing skills across piano, guitar, and theory.
Session Musician
After completing his formal training, Hubbard works as a studio session musician and music teacher. He gains extensive practical experience across genres and develops the compositional discipline that would later make his SID work distinctive.
Discovers the C64
A friend introduces Hubbard to the Commodore 64. He reads the SID chip technical documentation thoroughly and begins experimenting with the machine's three oscillators, noise channel, and filter. His classical training gives him an immediate advantage - where other early composers guessed at harmony, Hubbard understood it formally.
His first compositions appear: Action Biker (Mastertronic), Lazy Jones (Terminal Software), and Skool Daze (Microsphere).
The Breakthrough Year
Commando (Elite Systems, 1985) establishes Hubbard as the leading voice in C64 music. His title theme - a driving march with rich counterpoint and a militaristic energy - was unlike anything the machine had produced. The gaming press noticed immediately.
The same year produces Monty on the Run (Gremlin), The Last V8, Mikie, One Man and His Droid, Chimera, and Thing on a Spring. The pace is extraordinary - multiple full-quality soundtracks delivered in a single calendar year.
The SID Peak
The most productive year of his C64 career. Sanxion (Thalamus) delivers the famous loader sequence - a dramatic orchestral piece that became one of the most celebrated SID compositions ever written. Delta (Thalamus) and Thrust (Superior Software) follow, along with International Karate, Uridium, Zoids, Flash Gordon, Miami Vice, and more.
Golden Joystick Award
Voted Best Music composer at the 1987 Golden Joystick Awards - the first time a video game composer had been recognised at a major industry event in the UK. The year also sees Knucklebusters, Auf Wiedersehen Monty, International Karate +, Rasputin, Krakout, and Skate or Die! (Electronic Arts).
Joins Electronic Arts
Rob Hubbard joins Electronic Arts as Director of Music - one of the first senior in-house music roles at a major publisher. He relocates to California and begins overseeing audio across EA's growing catalogue: Amiga, PC, Sega Mega Drive, and later console platforms. The move effectively ends his freelance C64 period.
The EA Years
Hubbard works at EA through the 16-bit and 32-bit eras, scoring and overseeing audio for numerous titles including Speedball, RoboCop, Target Renegade, and many others. He builds and leads audio teams, mentors younger composers, and ensures that EA's audio output keeps pace with the hardware advances of the era. He retires from the industry around 2002.
Retirement and Live Performances
In retirement, Hubbard makes occasional public appearances. Most notable are his appearances at the X demoscene party (X'2023 Q&A session) and at 8-Bit Symphony concerts - live orchestral performances of C64-era music that have brought his compositions to new audiences.
His HVSC archive continues to grow as researchers and the scene community document his full output. As of 2026, the collection contains 80+ SID files spanning his entire C64 period.
See Interviews for recent Q&A sessions and Videos for live performance footage.