Abletonator, The Only Way To Compose The Classics

Lovers of 8-bit NES soundtracks already know about YCMK Magical 8-bit Plug-In, freeware that brings retro instrumentation to various sound editing programs. But during the process of making game music, wouldn't it be great if it felt like you were actually playing a video game? That's the philosophy behind the Abletonator, a Windows XP PC running Ableton Live 6 in arcade cabinet form. Featuring a 19-inch LCD, 2-octave MIDI keyboard, 8 tracks of joystick navigation and plenty of arcade-style buttons, feel free to inquire about scoring a unit of your own. But whatever they're asking is a small price to become a button-mashing Beethoven.

Abletonator [Abletonator via Create Digital Music]

Someone call Scooby!

Yesterday we wrote about the haunted Ms. Pac-Man that a Bostonian was giving away because it made his little girl cry and his wife run screaming from the house.

We, and many of you, made jokes and laughed, saying how much we wish we could have gotten a free "haunted" Ms. Pac-Man cabinet. Well, apparently, the person who did land it isn't so happy today. Was it a scam? No, says the new owner, but it was freakin' haunted!!!

Everyone knows that Ms. Pac Man is filled with ghosts, four of them to be specific. But a fifth ghost?

That's what a Boston-area Craigslister claimed when he was contacted to ask why he was giving away a Ms. Pac Man cabinet for free.

Someone on ArcadeControls.com contacted the cabinet owner for the explanation, which involves poltergeist, a crying 3-year-old and a "dark figure."

The Playable Pac-Man Costume

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