This troubleshooting guide helps you resolve issues related to your NI hardware not being recognized on your Windows system. The symptoms include the following:
- The LEDs on the hardware do not light up / do not flash when connecting it to the USB port.
- The USB LED on the connected device is blinking.
- Audio interfaces only: The device is not available from the list of device drivers in the audio settings of your audio application or Windows operating system.
This article is divided in the following chapters:
- Troubleshooting the hardware device
- Troubleshooting the device driver and firmware
- Verifying the hardware status
1.Troubleshooting the Hardware Device
To find out whether the problem may relate to the hardware device itself, please perform the following connectivity tests:
Verifying the USB Connection
- Try out another USB cable, ensuring that the other USB cable is functioning correctly when connecting a different USB device. If possible, try a USB cable that meets the specifications required by NI devices, as explained in this article.
- Try connecting the device via a powered USB hub. This is especially important for devices that do not operate with external power supply (see next section).
- Make sure that you are connecting the sound card to a USB 2.0 port. Although it is common to operate a NI audio interface via a USB 3.0 port as they are found in new generation computers, some systems may pose some connectivity issues with USB 3.0 ports. USB 1.0 is not supported.
Verifying the External Power Supply
Some NI devices require an external power supply for their operation, in which case it is worth trying a different power supply. We strongly recommend to try out only another official NI power supply unit (18W or 40W depending on your NI device model model - see below).
NI Hardware Devices Requiring a 18W Power Supply
- MASCHINE STUDIO
- KOMPLETE KONTROL S88 / S61 / S49 / S25
- TRAKTOR KONTROL S5 / S4 / S2
- TRAKTOR AUDIO 2 (optional, required only for its use with iOS)
- TRAKTOR KONTROL Z1 (optional, required only for its use with iOS)
- TRAKTOR AUDIO 6 (optional)
- TRAKTOR AUDIO 10 (optional if the latest firmware has been installed)
NI Hardware Devices Requiring a 40W Power Supply
- TRAKTOR KONTROL S8
- TRAKTOR KONTROL D2
Warning: If you attempt to use another third-party power supply, make sure that it has the same specifications as the NI power supply (output wattage and current), otherwise there is a risk of losing the device's warranty.
Test the Device on a Different Computer
It is also useful to test the NI device on another computer. Make sure that the second computer is meeting the product's system specifications and that the device's driver has been installed. If the device fails to light up on the second computer, the hardware could be defective. In this case, please contact our technical support team via the support form.
2. Troubleshooting the Device Driver and Firmware
If the driver and / or firmware of your NI device has not been correctly installed or is not up-to-date, your device may not be recognized and the light(s) on the device will blink upon connecting it to your system. Follow the steps below in order to ensure that you have installed the driver / firmware correctly:
Device Driver
All NI devices require a driver installation on Windows. If the driver version of the corresponding device is not up-to-date, your device may not be recognized or may cause performance issues. Follow the steps below in order to ensure that you are using the latest device driver version for your operating system.
Determining the Driver Version (Audio Interfaces)
The version number of the currently installed driver for your NI audio interface can be identified as follows:
- Navigate to the driver's folder: C: > Program Files > Native Instruments > *Device Name* Driver
- Start the control panel application located in this folder, for example "niks8cpl.exe" for the TRAKTOR KONTROL S8.
- Click the 'NI' logo on the upper right corner of the control panel. This will open an 'About'- screen where you can read the Version number of the driver. In the example below, we see that the driver version is 4.1.0 for the TRAKTOR KONTROL S8 driver.
Determining the Driver Version (Controllers)
NI devices that function only as controllers and not as audio interfaces (e.g. MASCHINE, TRAKTOR KONTROL F1, KOMPLETE KONTROL keyboard) do not offer a control panel. The version number of the currently installed driver for NI controller devices can be identified as follows:
- Navigate to the driver's folder: C: > Program Files > Native Instruments > *Device Name* Driver
- Double-click on any of the files ending with '.inf' in the driver folder. The file will open as a text file in a program such as Notepad.
- Verify the Version number in the row DriverVer. In the example below, we see that the driver version is 3.0.2 for the TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 driver.
After having identified the driver's version number, go to our Drivers & Other Files page and check if there are newer driver versions available. If so, download and install the latest driver version for your device and operating system. Make sure to disconnect your NI device before running the driver installation.
Device Firmware
A firmware is a specific type of software which is directly installed on your hardware device. Many NI hardware products offer updates for their firmware. If the firmware version of your device is not up-to-date, your device may not be recognized or you may experience performance issues. Read this article and make sure the latest firmware is installed on your device.
3. Verifying the Hardware Status
Verify the hardware status of your device in order to determine if it is being correctly recognized by your Windows system:
- Make sure your NI device is connected to your computer's USB port.
- Open the Start menu and type 'devmgmt.msc' in the search bar, then hit the Enter key to open the Windows Device Manager.
- Expand the entries Sound, video and game controllers and Universal Serial Bus devices. If an exclamation mark appears next to your device entry (see picture), install the driver manually as explained below:
- Right-click on the device entry and select Update Driver Software... from the menu that appears.
- In the window that opens, choose Browse my computer for driver software.
- Browse to the following directory: C: > Program Files > Native Instruments > *Device Name* Driver > Inf
- Click OK to load the driver.
If your NI device is not being recognized after having performed the troubleshooting steps described in this article, you may require an individual troubleshooting. In this case please contact our support team directly here.
Note: Further help regarding computer performance issues and other audio problems can be found in the articles linked under Related Articles below.