MASCHINE 2 Error Message: "Error. *NI Product* could not be loaded" (Windows)

Symptom

When trying to load a preset from the MASCHINE 2 Browser, you get the following error message mentioning a particular Native Instruments product:

Error: *NI Product* could not be loaded.

Cause

This means MASCHINE is unable to locate the NI plug-in associated with the preset. This can occur if:

• KONTAKT or REAKTOR have not yet been installed.
• Your NI plug-ins have been moved after the initial installation or deleted.
• Your NI plug-in location is missing in MASCHINE.
• Your harddrive has been renamed.

Solutions

To solve the issue, please follow the steps in this video:

Additionally, you can find all the troubleshooting steps below: 

Install KONTAKT and REAKTOR

Many NI instruments require the KONTAKT or REAKTOR Players to function and thus, these must also be installed.

1. Open Native Access.
2. Click the Installed products tab and check if both, KONTAKT and REAKTOR are installed.
   
3. If KONTAKT and / or REAKTOR are missing in the Installed products list, open the Not installed tab and install the missing products.
   

Using the Repair Function

If you notice there is a yellow REPAIR button, repair the installation as explained in this article or this video. After reinstalling or if you don't see a REPAIR button, proceed with the instructions below.

Plug-in Location

MASCHINE needs to be informed of where your plug-ins have been installed to. This is only an issue if you have chosen a custom location for your NI plug-ins, or if you have moved them after installation.  The following will explain how to ensure MASCHINE is accessing the folder in which your plug-ins exist.

1. Open Native Access' preferences.   
   
   
2. Take note of the VST 64 location:
   
   
3. In the above example, we have chosen the custom location C:/VSTPlugins.  
4. Next, open MASCHINE standalone and navigate to the Preferences.
5. Under Plug-ins > Locations, the VST 64 location from Native Access must be added to the list. To do this, click the Add button:
   
6. Browse to the location of your 64-bit VST folder and click OK to confirm.
7. Your plug-in folder has been added to the list.  Click the Rescan button so that MASCHINE can add the new plug-ins:
   
   

You should now be able to load your plug-ins in MASCHINE.

Rescanning your MASCHINE Plug-in Database 

If the above steps have not resolved the issue, you will need to reset the MASCHINE database. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Close MASCHINE and press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type in %localappdata% and click OK.
   
   This will open the Appdata > Local folder.
3. Navigate to the Native Instruments folder and delete the Maschine 2 folder you find here.
   
   
4. Now restart MASCHINE 2.  It will take some moments to reinitialize it's database.
5. If you have any custom VST folders, you would need to add these again to MASCHINE 2 under: Preferences > Plug-ins > Locations.