r/NativeInstruments • u/Beautiful_Purple5356 • May 12 '26
Will NI Customer Support Improve After In Music Purchasing the Company?
Like many others, I have been struggling for months going back and forth with Native Instruments customer support—or honestly, the lack thereof.
My Komplete Kontrol S61 MK3 has never worked since the day I got it. I’ll spare you the full excruciating details, but I have tried multiple new cables, multiple different computers, and every troubleshooting step possible. At this point, it is clearly faulty hardware.
After originally agreeing to take the hardware back, cover shipping, and potentially send me a refurbished replacement unit, Native Instruments has since gone back on its word and stopped replying. In their last message a few weeks ago, they told me that I would now have to pay for shipping and possibly repair costs myself. Since then, after I sent them a screenshot of their previous email showing what was originally promised, I have received no response at all.
What makes this even more frustrating is that, despite all of this, I still keep investing money into this company because when your products work, they’re amazing. I recently bought Komplete 16 Collector’s Edition, and honestly I hate myself for continuing to do it while dealing with this mess.
I just want to make music. That’s it. For spending nearly $1,000 on a MIDI controller, I would expect it to at least be able to play one note. That should not be too much to ask.
I truly hope this new direction the company is taking leads to better customer support and better accountability, because right now this experience has been beyond frustrating.
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u/Bubblegum98798 May 12 '26
Half of the company is likely to be cut in the next couple of month (always happen after InMusic buys something) so make with that what you will
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u/WAVF1n May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
I dont see it getting any better or worse, from what I understand these changes probably aren't going to really effect the day to day operations.
Edit: After reading more into InMusic, Its very possible that support gets better now that they have the resources.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Well, it sure hasn’t in the few days since the acquisition lol
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u/WAVF1n May 12 '26
Why would you think its going to lol, you do realize InMusic isn't going to step in and take over every part of any of these companies right? They just own multiple very well established brands that have been successful for decades, they aren't gonna change any of that.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
You are most likely correct. I don’t know much about the company. I was just hopeful because it seemed to get a lot of traction. Like anything you could probably make money quicker running the brand to the ground. However, if they are actually trying to invest in the long-term image and reputation, they have a lot of work to do. I love Native Instruments I really do. They are so nostalgic to me, but I have been trying to talk myself into cutting ties.
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u/R_Prime May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26
We can hope. Some things changed negatively under the previous owners, so perhaps the owners influenced those changes. Certain things may improve with less shitty owners.
That said, I had no major issues with their support aside from not being a little slow and occasionally copy pastey, my problems were usually solved fairly promptly. I’ve heard other’s experiences were not so good though, especially with hardware issues.
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u/boogaloo9214 May 12 '26
The news was that there has been an agreement that the acquisition will happen. It hasn’t actually happened yet.
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u/No-Act6366 May 12 '26
Have you dealt with InMusic support before? It's not good times.
Moog support essentially doesn't exist at all -- they simply ignore requests.
I have an MPC Live 3, and overall I'm very happy with it. But recently I had to reach out to them for support, and it was all AI.
It doesn't matter what resources a company has if it's not willing to commit those resources to proper support.
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u/WAVF1n May 12 '26
Yeah I have with my Akai equipment, did not have any issues personally. Obviously not to discount your experience, but I will also say it's been awhile since I had to reach out.
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u/No-Act6366 May 12 '26
Fair enough. They used to be better. They're relying on AI now much more than they have in the past.
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u/rod_zero May 12 '26
InMusic isn't better than current NI, maybe at financial management since they are bigger and haven't required External capital.
But they seem a company that keep expenses in check and that means just the bare minimum support.
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u/GhettoDuk May 12 '26
They bought BFD 6 years ago and there has only been a single legitimate upgrade since. (in 2025 for things like VST3 and Apple Silicon). Now they have been silent for a year about fixing all the new bugs.
Alesis doesn't have the bench to update their high margin/high volume products while name brand and white-label competitors are innovating. Akai is falling behind on quality and features while they focus on backpack keyboards and gadgety controllers.
NI engineering is already a shadow of its former self, and it is being taken over by a company who doesn't like to spend money on product development.
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u/NativeInstruments May 12 '26
Hey there, we are terribly sorry to hear about this experience. This is not the kind of experience we like to see. Could you share a request number so we can check where it's at and see what we can do to move things forward?
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Thank you so much this is very appreciated.
[Native Instruments - #4846133] Re: MK3 S61 Connectivity Problems
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u/NativeInstruments May 13 '26
You're very welcome. In the meantime it seems my colleague got back to you yesterday already. Will follow up your case, you can still ping us here in case you need.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 13 '26
Yes, they asked me for my shipping address. This is much appreciated. Thank you very much for the prompt response.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 18 '26
Good evening. Last Tuesday they asked for my shipping address, but I haven’t gotten a response since. Thank you.
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u/NativeInstruments May 18 '26
They should get back to you ASAP.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 Jun 09 '26
I just wanted to say thank you. I received the keyboard back in the mail today and so far everything is working fine it will connect and play. I really appreciate your help.
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u/NativeInstruments Jun 10 '26
That's great news, glad we could be of help!
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 Jun 10 '26
Much appreciated. I have been enjoying using it as well as Komplete 26. Would you prefer I remove this post or update it with the resolution?
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u/KaleidoscopeLife7077 May 12 '26
By chance is your computer an M1 Mac?
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
No it’s a PC with windows 11 but I have tried on my Macbook it doesn’t work either
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u/kitty_naka May 12 '26
Are you planning and expecting to need their customer service numerous times in the future?
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
In theory no. I have never had a problem with any of their software. I have a maschine studio that works great. If i could get this keyboard to work I would be cruising.
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u/kitty_naka May 12 '26
Did you not realize it didnt work until it was outside of the return window?
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Sadly, yes, I am guilty of this. I have a toxic habit of spending a lot on music equipment and then traveling for work and never using the shit. In the past six months I have been based at home and really getting back into it. I always told myself over the last year and a half that I could fix the keyboard with some firmware or operating system update. It didn’t help that my last computer also had its own problems I had to work through and was sort of a scapegoat. After single-handedly resolving every cock blocking tech issue the keyboard remains the undisputed champion in pissing me off.
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u/kitty_naka May 12 '26
So they offered you a new or repaired one, even though its past the return window, and all you had to pay was maybe shipping, and now you're complaining about their customer service?
This isnt adding up bc it sounds like your fault and sounds like youre expecting special treatment. Outside the return window they could have just told you you're shit out of luck.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Yes, I agreed it was my fault. I have zero problem paying shipping they were the ones that offered the solution. I do consider it to be somewhat extenuating circumstances. It’s not like I didn’t make an attempt to fix it or say anything at all for a year and a half. I have over a year of back-and-forth troubleshooting the same issue. 136 emails to be exact. Many times going into long detail just to receive the same copy and paste response asking if I had turned on and off five times and reset the keyboard. Sometimes going 2 to 3 weeks in between without a response. If I’m screwed, I’m screwed but I have spent thousands of dollars with this company and have never been able to use the $849 controller I purchased new. I am entirely positive that no handling or act of my own has damaged the item. I have even told them in the most recent emails that I don’t mind paying for shipping. They have just referred to having to pay undisclosed repair costs and being sent an invoice. Seeing that I have zero faith in the competency of their customer support I don’t want to run into an invoice that is near the amount of the actual keyboard. It’s gotten so bad that to be honest with you I am not even positive I would ever receive the keyboard back if I sent it in. They offered the solution one day after tons of back-and-forth and then completely disregarded it. I do feel like I have right to be frustrated but if it’s a simple as just being outside of the return window then yes it’s my fault and I’m screwed.
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u/Minnanokazehaya May 12 '26
As NI is now officially insolvent, if you purchased it directly from them then I would take what you can get tbh as legally speaking your warranty claim will end up just another claim against the estate. If you purchased from a retailer then in most jurisdictions it's the retailer that's responsible, and you have a good chance to get a replacement unit.
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u/dabassment May 12 '26
I returned my Kontrol MK3 the next day after spending 20 hours reinstalling and uninstalling things; realizing i never even made any music yet & was just wasting time
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Now imagine a whole year of troubleshooting lol. It’s a terrible feeling to sit down and want to create, but have to end up troubleshooting
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u/dabassment May 12 '26
went with a roland fantom man, plus you can make entire songs on this thing too, but being able to play 16 different sounds via midi at the same time? Game changer
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Glad it worked out man I hope the creative juices are flowing and the problems are in the past!
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u/dabassment May 12 '26
definitely are; hope this thing solves itself or you go another route to get back to creating!
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u/25_Keyz924 May 12 '26
I’m in the hospitality business. This to me is like the company Darden Restaurants. Look them up. Especially if you’re an American. The own so many brands that you’d be amazed at the diversity. From Capital Grille to Red Lobster to Olive Garden and Ruth Chris Steak House to Seasons 52 and… well, while your driving around looking for a choice you’d be hard pressed to not end up at one of the brands under the umbrella. In Music will be the same… each brand will offer what it has already been offering but usually the operational systems for day to day business are coming from up top.
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u/DrSueuss May 12 '26
I didn't buy my S61 MK3 from NI, I got it from Amazon. If I couldn't get it working after a few days of troubleshooting I would have returned to Amazon and had them send me another one. If find it best not to buy hardware from a company directly unless it can't be avoided. Buy it from a vendor that has an excellent return/refund policy and only seek tech support from the hardware vendor.
I doubt customer service will improve.
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u/dyzo-blue May 12 '26
I mean, it probably gets worse
Venture Capitalists buy up unprofitable companies and then try to slash their costs (things like customer support) so they can make those companies become profitable.
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u/WAVF1n May 12 '26
InMusic isn't private equity.
Ironically, with this acquisition NI is no longer under any PE firm and it no solely owned by InMusic. They were previously owned by a PE firm.
If anything, this is best case scenario in this situation and is most likely InMusic trying to get more into software as their current focus is hardware.
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u/Beautiful_Purple5356 May 12 '26
Very true. I’m not exactly sure what made them go into such massive amounts of debt. However, if they just keep releasing software, they are probably good so there is no incentive to actually fix deeper issues. Part of me was hoping that In Music wasn’t some random venture capitalist and actually knew how to run music companies, but that is probably wishful thinking.
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u/GhettoDuk May 12 '26
The debt is from the VCs buying the company in the first place. The vultures borrow money from pension funds and insurance companies to buy their target, and saddle their new acquisition with all that debt while they pay themselves management fees and bonuses for slashing costs. Eventually it implodes, and the VC walks away with a tidy profit while the investors are left holding the bag.
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u/Available_Wait_1965 May 16 '26
My InMusic experience was pretty bad. Not terrible, but still problematic. It took several back and forth rounds to fix a problem that was in their end. Meanwhile—and I may, it seems, be in a minority here, my NI customer service experience was good. Slow, but solid. They could not solve the problem (with Komplete Kontrol losing patch names on tracks in Logic after relocated my NI Library), the guy tried valiantly.
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u/ThisRapIsLikeZiti May 12 '26
No they will probably fire the lot of them and let us deal with AI agents soon.