Rob Hubbard - Tandy maestro?

[Cloudschatze]

Well, this took me completely by surprise. I'm sure most people know Rob Hubbard from his work with the C64, but he was apparently adept with the Tandy as well...

Skate or Die! - Intro

Kings of the Beach - Intro
(For what it's worth, the Ad Lib version is rather impressive as well.)

Jordan vs. Bird: One-on-One - Intro

688 Attack Sub - Intro

Tandy 3-voice music + noise-channel drums + PWM digital sounds (through the SN76496) = pretty freaking cool stuff.

Rob Hubbard, a Tandy maestro... Who knew?

[Stefan_L]

Best Tandy music i ever heard
I checked up Tandy at wiki and it has a DAC also, never knew that.

[NewRisingSUn]

Arpeggios are of the devil, no matter which device. I have never been a fan of Hubbard's C64 work for that reason, and that Kings of the Beach thing is likewise unlistenable. (Like the samples, though.)

I did like his MT-32 music for Budokan though.

[Cloudschatze]

I checked up Tandy at wiki and it has a DAC also, never knew that.

The "PSSJ" chip is one of the cooler features of the later Tandy 1000 systems, IMO, and was first available in the SL, way back in 1988, pre-dating even the Sound Blaster. Interestingly enough, the DAC can instead be used as a fourth tone channel, with selectable waveform (pulse, ramp, triangle), and pulse width. I still hope to find a commercial example where this is used, someday...

The posted tunes would sound a bit better had they used the DAC proper. These apparently do pulse-width modulation through the SN76496 megacell.

... that Kings of the Beach thing is likewise unlistenable.

Good thing I didn't record the "registration" tune, muahaha...

I'm actually a bit perplexed by Kings of the Beach. While it's debatable as to which introduction is better, be it the Ad Lib or Tandy version, Tandy definitely seems to be the intended playback device for the in-game music/effects, since it's all PC Speaker stuff otherwise. Why have just an Ad Lib intro? Skate or Die! is similarly odd, having that nice, "Tandy" introduction, but PC Speaker stuff in-game.

[jharris01]

I had a Tandy 1000 SL way back then. Played Leisure Suit Larry 3, King's Quest EGA and Indy: Last Crusade on Tandy 3 voice (and loved it!  ). The system came with GW-BASIC on a floppy disk. In the included manual there were instructions how to program both the 3-voice and DAC. Note commands were written similar to "C3L8G3L16" (note-lenght). You type many lines of note data and feed it to each individual channel.

Another way to enjoy the Tandy 3-voice/DAC was with a program called "Music" (i think that was the name). It was part of the Deskmate software suite that came with the computer. The program was a WYSIWYG music sheet. Nothing like what Voyetra was doing, but enough to do something useful. You could play your creations and print them. If you had access to PC-Link there was a Tandy section there where you could download Deskmate Music files posted by other PC-Link users. Music also used the DAC with a piano instrument patch but that's all I can remember.

EDIT: Here is a sample scan (The Muppet Show theme) printed in dot matrix from DeskMate Music. Downloaded from PC-Link. Notice how polyphony would never go over three notes.

[Cloudschatze]

Music also used the DAC with a piano instrument patch but that's all I can remember.

I'll have to double-check, but I think the version that came with my RLX skips the tone-generator completely, and instead plays 3-"channel" PCM, MOD-type stuff. That would have been rather interesting in games, if not for all of the other sound options available at that point.


I've added two additional Hubbard findings to the parent post. The One-on-One intro is good for a laugh (Max Headroom, anyone?), and hey, no arpeggiated chords this time.

[BlueMax]

I loved those games on my 1000SX!  I did what the intro asked - press the spacebar for the test tone, then turn up the volume!

[BlueMax]

I'm actually a bit perplexed by Kings of the Beach. While it's debatable as to which introduction is better, be it the Ad Lib or Tandy version, Tandy definitely seems to be the intended playback device for the in-game music/effects, since it's all PC Speaker stuff otherwise. Why have just an Ad Lib intro? Skate or Die! is similarly odd, having that nice, "Tandy" introduction, but PC Speaker stuff in-game.

Listen carefully in Skate Or Die - it may be simple one tone music playing, but you'll get sound effects at the same time, something NOT happening with the standard PC Squeaker. 

[Laust]

Very nice, 688 Attack Sub is quite atmospheric and the samples really add something compared to the Adlib version. For the others, I have to admit, I prefer the C64 versions since they offer a bit more variety than just square wave

Any chance you can post the Adlib version of Kings of the Beach somewhere? for some reason I could never get that game to run.

[Cloudschatze]

Listen carefully in Skate Or Die - it may be simple one tone music playing, but you'll get sound effects at the same time, something NOT happening with the standard PC Squeaker. 

I did notice this - it gives the impression that the game may have been rushed. That, or perhaps someone was just a bit lazy.

... I prefer the C64 versions since they offer a bit more variety than just square wave

Any chance you can post the Adlib version of Kings of the Beach somewhere? for some reason I could never get that game to run.

I recently uploaded "videos" of both the C64 and Ad Lib output to YouTube:

Rob Hubbard - "Kings of the Beach" C64 Intro

Rob Hubbard - "Kings of the Beach" PC Intro [Ad Lib]

While the 44.1KHz recording rate doesn't do it complete justice, the C64 intro is my least favorite. 

I'm not sure if it's intended, but the Ad Lib playback seems comparatively fast. I recorded it from a 486 with its internal cache disabled, but might try it on a slower system, to see if that makes any difference.


It's funny, but I figured that Rob Hubbard might have some interesting, nostalgic things to say about his work with the SN76496. I found a presentation in which he destroys that supposition by referring to the "TI" chip as being both "really awful" and "really horrible". 

[Great Hierophant]

It's funny, but I figured that Rob Hubbard might have some interesting, nostalgic things to say about his work with the SN76496. I found a presentation in which he destroys that supposition by referring to the "TI" chip as being both "really awful" and "really horrible". 

I didn't think Hubbard did ports of his music.  Typically, it is the porting company's musician that converts the music.  Even though he may have hated the TI chip, he was one of the few that could really make it sound interesting.   

[BlueMax]

...he sure had fun with the Adlib card though!  And while the Tandy 1000's TI chip was inferior to the SID, it beat the pants off the PC ear-bleeder!

[endre1952]

He worked with the MT-32 too!

http://endre1952.tar.hu/indy500_intro.mp3
http://endre1952.tar.hu/populous_intro.mp3
http://endre1952.tar.hu/skiordie_intro.mp3

These were recorded on my CM-32L, but I'm fairly convinced they were composed on a first gen. MT-32.

[Cloudschatze]

He worked with the MT-32 too!

Yeah... I don't think I'll be referring to Rob Hubbard as an "MT-32 maestro" anytime soon, however. In fact, most of his MT-32 work prior to 1990 seems pretty average, with some of it being downright terrible (Low Blow, Lakers vs. Celtics).

[BlueMax]

Would you have the 688 Attack Sub ADLIB version in an MP3 for download? 

Please? 

[Laust]

I can offer an Ogg Vorbis version.

[Great Hierophant]

He worked with the MT-32 too!

Yeah... I don't think I'll be referring to Rob Hubbard as an "MT-32 maestro" anytime soon, however. In fact, most of his MT-32 work prior to 1990 seems pretty average, with some of it being downright terrible (Low Blow, Lakers vs. Celtics).

Are you sure Hubbard did all those conversions himself?

[Cloudschatze]

Yeah... I don't think I'll be referring to Rob Hubbard as an "MT-32 maestro" anytime soon, however. In fact, most of his MT-32 work prior to 1990 seems pretty average, with some of it being downright terrible (Low Blow, Lakers vs. Celtics).

Are you sure Hubbard did all those conversions himself?

Without asking him personally, no, but I don't have any reason to disbelieve the credits either.

[BlueMax]

I can offer an Ogg Vorbis version.

Big thanks!  I constantly loaded the game just to listen to this title!

The very long Microprose intro was another good one.  Gotta' find that.

[endre1952]

Which Microprose intro is that? A Microprose game similar to 688 Sub Attack is Silent Service 2, which does support the MT-32, but I don't recall a long intro in that one. Or perhaps you mean 1942 Task Force?