Another program on an old record from the 80s? Yes, once again. This time, it’s a hidden message on the record The Bermuda Triangle by Isao Tomita.
Instead of repeating all the previous articles each time, I’ll refer you to the dedicated page, which explains what I do with vinyl records and lists all the pages containing programs, explanations, etc.
The record
So, the case presented here is a bit special. Firstly, it’s not a program but two messages. Secondly, they are integrated into the tracks, in two segments of a few seconds. If you go to the artist’s website (deceased), you will find this text, also present on Western editions of the record (cassette, vinyl, etc.).
A Coded Message
Each side of this record contains coded data in the form of certain sound effects. The message can be recovered if the electrical signal from the record is interfaced with the input of a micro computer programmed to the TARBEL System.
The thing to know is that the system in question is Tarbell (with two L’s), a protocol used in the seventies for encoding on audio cassettes. Since the album dates back to 1979, it’s quite logical.
The first piece of good news is that the messages are known. There are indeed two, the first in the first track (A1), the second in the second track of the second side (B2).
THIS IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, OVER. SLOW DOWN. TARGET 50 MILES OFF SOUTH FLORIDA, A GIANT PYRAMID AT OCEAN BOTTOM.
THIS IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, OVER. LOOK OUT! THE CYLINDRICAL OBJECT JUST LIKE THE ONE EXPLODED OVER SIBERIA AND CRASHED INTO TUNGUSKA IN 1908, HAS JUST COME INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM.
On my Japanese record, the explanations are more detailed (I’m providing an approximate translation), with details about the level, the encoding type (it’s ASCII), the too-low level, etc.
It’s very rough, but somewhat understandable
The messages
So, I got the vinyl and a copy of the CD to try to decode it. Without success. So, I went to ask the question on a Facebook group dedicated to old computers from the seventies that used Tarbell encoding, like (notably) the Altair 8800. And I got help from Nino and Richard (thank you!). There’s also a forum thread on the subject. From what I understand, Tarbell operates at 1,500 bits/s with encoding that requires two bits (01 is decoded as 0, 10 is 1), and synchronization is sometimes tricky. On a vinyl record that can have errors due to dust or wear, and given the fairly low level, it’s complicated.
But Nino persevered, and after a few tries, including cleaning the audio, he managed to decode the text. He even has a program for it. There are explanations on decoding the record at this address. It should also be noted that the messages are longer than expected, with asterisks.
********** THIS IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, OVER. SLOW DOWN.
TARGET 50 MILES OFF SOUTH FLORIDA, A GIANT PYRAMID AT
OCEAN BOTTOM. *********
********** THIS IS THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, OVER. LOOK OUT!
THE CYLINDRICAL OBJECT JUST LIKE THE ONE EXPLODED OVER
SIBERIA AND CRASHED INTO TUSNGUSKA IN 1908, HAS JUST
COME INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. ************ ***********
So, thanks to Nico, Richard, and the people on the forum.
