Cheeze Machine

Almost a year ago exactly, I went out looking for an ARP OMNI 2. I'd been missing that gooey, swirling wash that you hear on Tangerine Dream, JMJ, and even "Closer" by Joy Division. I came home with a battered hulk of a thing that may have once been an OMNI 2 (it was) for $200. I've used it on just about everything until now. Bick Tick's Cheeze Machine will have the OMNI's chair in this year's ensemble. The lush, artificial pads, the phased "Equinoxe" sweeps, it does it all, and without the noise floor of the OMNI 2. It sounds marvellous, and the GUI is gorgeous! Okay, it doesn't have any rust-colored leather panels like the OMNI (YUCK), but the wood grain and brushed aluminum panel makes one look for the "Univox" nameplate. I'm giving it high marks for features, 'cause it has a built in reverb, and hey, this is 1977, right? That's a bonus! Never bothered to look for documentation, as it says all I need right on the front-panel. There are a smattering of good presets (twice as many as my ARP!), and I've already used one or two in songs with little tweaking. It does seem to sit nicely into any track, more than some modern string pads. It's stable as heck, never a glitch (though I can't figure out how to set my Prophet on top of it!). And it's from Big Tick, so the support, if needed, would be great. As for value, see the above figure to understand what I would pay for this sound. Thanks, Tick!