My Maschine Controller Does Not Start

When starting your Maschine 2 software, the controller doesn't react as expected. In this case, its display remains black or displays the Maschine Groove Production screensaver.
Maschine_and_Computer.png

Click on the operating system you are using below to reveal the steps.

macOS

This behavior can be caused by different factors. Click the possible causes one by one to be redirected to the corresponding troubleshooting steps below:

  1. The Maschine software is not up to date
  2. Enable Full Disk Access for Maschine
  3. The HAL plug-in folder contains drivers which are not supported
  4. The NIHardwareAgent or NIHostIntegrationAgent services are not running in the background
  5. The Maschine hardware was powered on before the computer (Maschine MK3 and Studio only)
  6. Your Maschine model is not supported by current Mac systems
  7. The computer's system drive is formatted in a case-sensitive format
  8. There is an issue with the USB connection
  9. Issue with the FB360 plug-in (Pro Tools 2018 and above only)

1. The Maschine software is not up to date

Download and install the latest version of Maschine from the Updates tab (or the Available tab if it hasn't been installed yet) in Native Access. If your operating system does not support the latest software update, you can download the corresponding compatible version from here.

2. Enable Full Disk Access for Maschine 2

It may be necessary to grant Full Disk Access to Maschine 2 in order for it to work correctly. More information on Full Disk Access can be found at the Apple website.

  1. Open your Mac's System Preferences and click Security & Privacy.
  2. Under the Privacy tab, choose Full Disk Access from the side bar.
  3. Click the lock icon in the bottom left of the window and enter your macOS password.
  4. Ensure that Maschine 2 appears in the list.
    If it does not appear in this list, click the + icon and add the location of MASCHINE 2 from:
    Mac HD: Applications > Native Instruments > Maschine 2 > Maschine 2.app.
  5. Once completed, click the lock icon again.
    Maschine2FullDisk.png

3. The HAL plug-in folder contains drivers which are not supported

Your Maschine controller may not start when an outdated version of the AVID CoreAudio plug-in is installed under OS X 10.10.5 or higher. The solutions are as follows:

3.1. Update the AVID CoreAudio Driver

In most cases, the issue will be fixed after the installation of the latest update of the AVID CoreAudio Driver. If installing the latest update of the AVID CoreAudio Driver is not an option or the issue persists, please continue:

3.2. Removing the AVID CoreAudio Plug-in

Disclaimer: This procedure describes the manual uninstallation of a third-party manufacturer component. Native Instruments cannot be held responsible for any damages to your system caused by following these instructions.

  1. Open Finder and navigate to the folder:
    macOS 10.14 (or older): Macintosh HD > Library > Audio > Plug-Ins > HAL
    macOS 10.15: Macintosh HD > System > Library > Audio > Plug-ins > HAL
  2. Copy the "Avid CoreAudio.plugin" to another location, for example, the Desktop.
  3. Delete the "Avid CoreAudio.plugin" from the HAL Plug-in folder.
  4. Type in the admin password when prompted.
  5. Restart your computer.

While you can fully use Pro Tools without the Avid CoreAudio plug-in, it is not possible to monitor the audio output of any CoreAudio application using your Avid HD audio interface after removing the file. If you should require this functionality again, move the file back to its original location in the HAL folder and restart your computer.

3.3 Updating / Removing Other Plug-ins

If there are more ".plug-in" files in this folder, visit the manufacturer's website and install the latest updates for these plug-ins. Should the problem persist, try temporarily removing the ".plugin" files from the HAL folder as explained in step 2 above.

4. The NIHardwareAgent or NIHostIntegrationAgent services are not running in the background

Make sure that both the NIHardwareAgent and the NIHostIntegrationAgent applications are set as startup items.

  1. Open your Mac's System Preferences and choose Users & Groups.
  2. Make sure your account is selected under Current User and go to the Login Items tab. Verify if both NIHardwareAgent and NIHostIntegrationAgent are listed in the login items.
    1_macOS_LoginItems.png
  3. If any of these two items are missing from the list, add them by clicking the '+' icon.
    6_macOS_NIHardwareAgentMissing.png
  4. Navigate to the following location:
    Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Native Instruments > Hardware
  5. Select the missing service and click Add, as shown below.
    7_macOS_Add.png

Note: If the services are missing from the Hardware folder, please reinstall MASCHINE 2 from Native Access as per this article.

The NIHardwareAgent and NIHostIntegrationAgent services are now set as a login items. Restart your computer, start the MASCHINE software and check if your controller starts as expected. If this is not the case, continue troubleshooting. 

5. The MASCHINE hardware was powered on before the computer (Maschine MK3 and Studio only)

The correct sequence to connect and power up your device is:

  1. Switch on your computer.
  2. Connect your Maschine MK3 or Studio (if it is not already connected).
  3. Press the power switch on the rear panel of the controller to switch it on.

6. Your Maschine model is not supported by current macOS systems

There are three different Maschine controller models. If you are using the first-generation Maschine MK1 (out of production), it might not be recognized by your macOS system as it is no longer supported on macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or later. The Maschine MK1 model is pictured below:
8_macOS_MASCHINE_MK1.jpeg

Although it is not officially supported, the following workaround might help you get it running on macOS 10.12, 10.13, and 10.14:

Note: This workaround is not working on macOS 10.15 (or higher) anymore.

  1. Delete the Maschine Controller Driver .plist file:
    Macintosh HD > Library > Preferences > com. native-instruments.Maschine Controller.plist
  2. Delete the "NIUSBMaschineController" file from here:
    Macintosh HD > System > Library > Extensions
  3. Restart your computer.
  4. Install the 2.8.0 driver Maschine driver again. You will find the "MASCHINE Controller Driver 2.8.0 - Mac OS X 10.9 - 10.11" from the Drivers & Other Files page of our website.
  5. Additional step for macOS 10.13 and 10.14: once the driver's installation is finished, open the Apple System Preferences and navigate to Security & Privacy option. Click to accept, if you are requested to "ALLOW" the Native Instruments driver here.

7. The computer's system drive is formatted in a case-sensitive format

Case-sensitive hard drive formats are not supported by Native Instruments products and will prevent the Maschine controller to start as expected. This article explains how to find out if your hard drive's format is case-sensitive. If it is not, continue troubleshooting.

8. The USB cable or the USB hub is not supported

Use the original USB cable provided with your Maschine controller. If not available anymore, this article contains information that will help you choose a suitable USB cable.

If possible, always connect your Maschine controller directly to your computer's USB port. If you must use a USB hub, make sure it is powered by its own power supply.

9. Issue with the FB360 plug-in (Pro Tools 2018 and above users only)

This issue is related to the Facebook 360 plug-ins, which install automatically with AVID Pro Tools 2018.10 and above. Our development team is already working with AVID to resolve the issue. In the meantime, please follow the steps below if you encounter an issue in Pro Tools:

  1. Go to the following location on your computer:
    Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Avid > Audio > Plug-ins
  2. Remove the following plug-ins from the folder:
    • FB360-Control-ambiX.aaxplugin
    • FB360-Converter-ambiX.aaxplugin
    • FB360-Mix-Loudness-ambiX.aaxplugin
    • FB360-Spatialiser-ambiX.aaxplugin
    • FB360-Stereo-Loudness-ambiX.aaxplugin
  3. Once those plug-ins have been removed from the Plug-ins folder, restart your computer.
  4. Start Maschine as a plug-in in Pro Tools while your controller is connected and powered on to verify that it is now detected.
Windows

This behavior can be caused by different factors. Click the possible causes one by one to be redirected to the corresponding troubleshooting steps below in the article.

  1. The Maschine software is not up to date
  2. Enable the software to run as administrator
  3. The driver or firmware is not installed correctly
  4. There is an issue with the USB connection
  5. The NIHardwareAgent or NIHostIntegrationAgent services are not running in the background

1. The MASCHINE software is not up to date

Download and install the latest version of Maschine from the Updates tab (or the Available tab if it hasn't been installed yet) in Native Access. If your operating system does not support the latest software update, you can download the last supported version from here. 

2. Enable the software to run as administrator

Note: The following procedure requires Maschine 2.6.9 (or higher).

  1. Ensure that your Maschine controller is disconnected and that neither the Maschine software nor any other Native Instruments or audio applications are running.
  2. Right-click on the Maschine 2 shortcut and select Properties.
    1_Win_Properties.png
  3. In the Properties window, click on Advanced in the Shortcut tab.
    2_Win_Advanced.png
  4. Enable the option Run as administrator in the Advanced Properties menu and confirm with OK.
    3_Win_RunAsAdmin.png
  5. Click on Apply and then OK to confirm and leave the Properties

    Note: Depending on your Windows Account Settings, you may receive a warning message. In this case, click on Continue to confirm the changes.

    4_Win_OkApply.png

Now Maschine will always start with administrator rights, ensuring that the connection between the hardware and the software is established.

3. The driver or firmware is not installed correctly

To make sure that the Maschine driver and firmware are installed correctly, follow the instructions in chapter 2 and 3 in the Windows section of this article.

4. The USB cable or the USB hub is not supported

Use the original USB cable provided with your Maschine controller. If not available anymore, this article contains information that will help you choose a suitable USB cable.

If possible, always connect your Maschine controller directly to your computer's USB port. If you must use a USB hub, make sure it is powered by its own power supply.

5. The NIHardwareAgent or NIHostIntegrationAgent services are not running in the background

Make sure that the services NIHardwareAgent and NIHostIntegrationAgent are running on your computer. Follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Start button, type Task Manager, and press the Enter key on your keyboard to open the Windows Task Manager. Choose the Services tab.

    Note: If the Services tab is not directly available, expand the view by clicking 'More details' in the lower-left corner of the window.

  2. Search the list and check if the Status of the services NIHostIntegrationAgent and NIHardwareService is set to Running:
    5_Win_NIHostNIHWS.png
  3. If not, right-click the respective entry and choose Start from the context menu:
    6_Win_StartProcesses.png
  4. Restart your computer.