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Fable decoded a self playing piano file format and built an encoder and decoder for it

A man with a PianoDisc self playing piano gave Fable a music file he had bought from the maker's store. Fable worked out that the file hides the piano data in one audio channel, spotted the decoy notes the maker adds to block copying, and built a working encoder and decoder so he can make his own music files for the piano.

How it works

  1. He buys a music file from the maker's store
  2. He gives the file to Fable
  3. Fable decodes the format and finds the piano data carried in the right audio channel
  4. Fable explains the decoy notes added to block copying
  5. Fable builds an encoder that adds the decoy notes and a decoder that removes them

Why it’s worth knowing

The agent reverse engineered a closed piano format, including the decoy notes meant to stop exactly that, in one evening.

Where it’s from

Summarized from a public post on news.ycombinator.com. See the original ↗

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