I wanted to offer this to this community first… For the past seven years I’ve been playing synth at my church (I’ve played piano/synth since I was a kid). It’s been a lot of fun and I’ve grown so much as a musician and a sound designer. I have a condition called Dystonia, which causes my muscles to contract and move into painful positions. It started in 2001. Now, 22 years later, the nerve damage to my fingers is bad enough that I can’t control them well enough to play dependably - and the Dystonia is progressing. I always knew the day would come when I would stop playing at any type of professional level, and that day came a few months ago. Time to hang up the keys.
Cantabile has been my engine since I started using plugins for my sounds and effects. I’m a plugin junkie, so I own SO many different brands. Most, if not all, of my software is transferrable. Just to name a few, I own Omnishphere (+Moog), Komplete Ultimate 13, various Waves, UVI, Isotope, Korg, Air, Arturia, IK Multimedia. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. They are all legit licenses. I also have Ableton and Cubase.
As far as gear is concerned, I have TWO EACH of Arturia Keylab Essentials 61 and m-audio Code 61 keyboards in terrific condition (although 2 of the Code 61s have defects that don’t affect playing). One set of Essentials/Code 61 was for programming/practicing at home (so, about 4 hours per week), one for the greenroom at my church (1 hour/week) and the stage set (about 2-3 hours per week). I have two Focusrite 6i6 interfaces. I also have various pedals and controllers. I have some older keyboard controllers ranging from 2-4 octaves, including two or three strap-on (dare I say “keytar”) models. Everything has been in a smoke-free environment.
I’ll put together a full list for anyone interested. Just let me know. I’ll be working on it through the weekend. I suppose I’m open to selling “the whole enchilada”, which would be all of my plugins and my extremely beefy, basically new ASUS laptop - ready to go. Only serious inquires on that possibility. The computer alone was $3000.
So, that’s it. I’ll still play some as a hobby… maybe get back into some composing.
Thanks for everyone’s help throughout the years and to @brad for building such a great engine. I couldn’t have pulled it all together without Cantabile.
I am sorry to hear of your situation but am thankful you got a lot of years in before it got to be to much. One of the best guitarists around my area that i know is going through a similar thing and is trying to get used to life without playing live music in it. I’m glad you will still be doing stuff in the studio and wish you all the best in the future!
Sorry to hear your Dystonia is getting in the way of your gig at the church. One heads up I thought of while reading your post is that IK makes you pay about $20 to transfer a license. Another heads up is that shipping costs went way up during Covid for some reason - make sure you know what it’s really going to cost. A final bit of advice is that packing gear for shipment is a big, time consuming job.
I’m mentioning all this because I recently participated in selling and shipping a studio full of gear for someone who was no longer capable.
Reverb has been good for guitars, amps and keyboards. We used eBay for interfaces, mics, stands and other misc gear.
In the end we tired of the process and sold what was left through an online estate sale service and got fairly good prices for the remaining items.
Thanks for the tips. I sell stuff on eBay all the time (mainly Star Trek collectibles right now), so I’m privy to all of the fees involved. Yes, shipping is terrible. In the past when I’ve shipped keyboards I’ve gone to U-Haul to get boxes. I have a ton of packing materials, so that should be okay.
The biggest task for me is just inventorying all of the plugins. iLok makes that a little easier, but every company seems to have their own licensing program these days. I’ll just have to go through them one by one. If I can’t find direct buyers, there’s a site called https://knobcloud.com/ that helps with selling licenses.
Hi, Tim…
I don’t reply much to this forum, but my heart really breaks for you. I am experiencing only mild to moderate tendonitis, and after 60 years of guitar playing, I’m dreading the time to come when I have to stop being in my passion. God bless you, Brother, and I pray that you can find joy as you grow through this!
My heart goes out to you as well. I was the keyboard player in a Christian band here in the UK when I met my future wife, and got together on the basis of supporting each other in our ministry - she was worship leader at her church, and for Nottingham Youth for Christ. But before we could work together I developed RSI on the computer keyboards at British Telecom, which put a stop to music for nearly 30 years, so I know what it is like to go without. I did pa work instead, but could always here the keyboard parts which should have been played, if only I could.
Unlike your situation, my condition became manageable, and 4 years ago got back into playing - on synth keyboards, as 15 minutes on any with weighted keys wrecked my arms again for 2 or 3 days. The synth keyboard is fine and doesn’t effect me, so long as I don’t play for hours on end.
It will be interesting to see how you get on with composing, and maybe recording. Please keep us posted!
My condolences as well. I’ve been working around tendonitis for several years, hoping to keep it at bay for as long as possible. I had to give up guitar and focus on (semi-weighted) keyboards, and selling my guitars – especially my Ric 12-string – was a sad episode. Hopefully, you’ll find a way to stay active in music composing and production!
Thanks, guys. Your compassion means more than you can know. Not being able to play really is a loss. If nothing else, I really appreciate your moral support. And my heart goes out to anyone else who has had to stop playing. It’s a hard thing to give up.
I’m still working on the software list, but it’s going faster now. I’ll post it ASAP.
Two things. I’m moved by your responses. I didn’t expect that. So I’d like to reply to each of you individually. It means a lot.
@dsteinschneider - I’ve sent this question to IK Multimedia, but do they seriously charge $20 for each serial number? I have close to 75 serial numbers. There has to be a different approach. If you know anything, I’m still working on my VST list and this system is really confusing to me.
Thanks for all the wisdom and the racks and modifications and all that cool stuff that you have contributed. While I didn’t reply to everything you’ve posted, I’ve read a lot and really appreciate it!
God is always good and that gives me peace, even when things are bad. I have friends and mentors that have lost their abilities to play. It’s just hard. Like losing a limb. But I thank God for the years that I did get to play and to perform and do all the fun stuff that comes with being a musician. I wouldn’t trade it for anything and I’ve had a good run. I believe in life after music and I’ll find something else to contribute. I hope that when that day comes for you, that God will give you the wisdom and peace as to know what to do next.
Hey, Sausagefingers (LOL)! It’s so cool that you met your wife through music. My wife can play… the radio (Dad-joke). It’s been frustrating to ask my wife and kids, “Could you hear that cool synth part I played during {insert song here}?” and then to get these blank stares. Or for one of them to say, “Hey, I heard this really cool string section. Was that a track?” – No, that was me really trying to sound like a string quartet. After a while I just told the family, “When I ask if you heard something I played, just say ‘Yes!’”
I’m so glad you can play again. I played with three different piano players that played a Nord Stage 3. When they would feel my synth-action keys they would make a face. “How do you play that way?” I’d have to explain, “You’re the piano player, so you have piano weighted keys. I’m a synth player and this is what a synth feels like.”
Have fun and thanks for serving. If I ever get across the pond, I’ll look you up.
Hi drawbars! Oh, man. If you’re anything like my worship leader, who is an excellent guitar player (electric and acoustic), I can relate by proxy. He loves his guitars. There’s a row of them – probably a dozen – just in our greenroom alone. Each one is like one of his children. I can image how hard it is to lose - not only the ability to play - but to lose those special instruments. It’s more intimate for guitarists, I think. I see a keyboard and think, “You’re totally a totally replaceable piece of plastic.” I know it’s harder for guitarists.
I’m glad you can move to keys for now. Grow where you’re planted!
Thanks! To be fair, I started on piano, and was never that good a guitarist, OK on rhythm, couldn’t solo to save my life. So keyboards has been a better match all around. But I grew up watching every move the Beatles made, and I wanted a Rick 12 since A Hard Day’s Night …
… until I played one, and found the narrow neck didn’t suit my big hands. But the 625-12 has a wider neck, and it’s smaller and lighter, making it easier to play keys and guitar in the same song. I even had an AC30 to play it through. Yeah, for some reason it’s easier to bond with a guitar than most keyboards. A B-3 is a notable exception, and maybe a really great piano like a Steinway or Bosendorfer.
Have you seen the “Star Trek Continues” web series? Its actually pretty darn good imo for a non commercial all volunteer fan production. I used to play music at a mega church with “Kirk” many moons ago. Super talented guy.
Green room? Wow! Sounds like you are at a megachurch. I play keys in a little village church in a leafy suburb of Derby, which itself is a town that thinks it is a city! It is roughly right in the middle of England, and the church has a congregation of about 40 mostly oldies like me! The band is way ahead of what you would expect for a church the size and age profile of ours so we are blessed in that regard.
You should contact IK_Peter (his handle on IK’s forum), he’s a great resource on several discussion boards including IK’s. Maybe you can work out some arrangement with them. Here is his profile at the Bandlab Cakewalk community:
But the 625-12 has a wider neck, and it’s smaller and lighter, making it easier to play keys and guitar in the same song. I even had an AC30 to play it through. Yeah, for some reason it’s easier to bond with a guitar than most keyboards. A B-3 is a notable exception, and maybe a really great piano like a Steinway or Bosendorfer.