Native Instruments Reviews

I've been using Native Instruments products for years. Their customer support is solid, and they have a large community of users as well as a forum for tutorials for discussions, tutorials, and other resources. Their products have excellent build quality, and their software receives regular updates. There's a lot to explore on their site in terms of software and hardware selection, and everything I've gotten from them has been worth the money.

I own 2 Komplete Kontrol keyboard, the Maschine and the Komplete Ultimate Collector's Series software suite. Their products fulfill all my musical needs. They offer great tutorial and are always upgrading ways to learn and use their products.

Bit of learning curve but that means there's lots of depth and flexibility. The number of 3rd party virtual instruments is staggering as well. Tips- wait for sales when the new version is about to come= out-the old version is usually a great deal.

Every single time I've had an issue with my products, which unfortunately has been often as my license got resold to another customer causing me all sorts of problems, the customer service team at NI has proven to be undertrained and generally clueless both at a technical level and at the level of their interpersonal skills. Last time I wrote a review stating that their staff sound like a bunch of stoned teens and quite frankly I wish it was a hyperbole. Right now I'm two weeks waiting for somebody to get back to me since the last "assistant" dropped the conversation leaving me with a link to an article within their website which had a link to tech support whom never got back to me. My only option was to write to the original unhelpful person who hasn't replied as yet...

NI if you are listening my request is #2201905 and the person who unskillfully dealt with it is Julia

I bought the Complete Audio 6 new but my computer iMac OS.10.15.4 does not read your product and no-one shows any respond.

Incredibile products! M32 keyboard and Komple Audio interfaces = QUALITY!

Few years back I bought Komple Kontrol S61 and I simply fell in love with it! Especially when I got an incredible sound bundle of Komplete Ultimate 11 with it, my every morning became beautiful while exploring warm and realistic sounds by Native Instruments.

And keeping faith on NI, when they launched M32, the smaller and portable version of the same, I bought it Immediately!

But, sorry to say.. It’s Completely disappointing!

I mean, since you are using the same software of Komple Kontrol, how can you expect the same 'Two windows' option not to open, when you just shift to their own smaller hardware??

Before buying KK M32, I had actually bought a small KORG microKEY Air, a Bluetooth portable keyboard, which works fantastic with Logic and Garage Band on iPad. But, it had some compatibility issues with NI plug-ins. Further, The Toggler Knob, which is superb while browsing sounds on my Komplete Kontrol S61, I always used to miss while working with the KORG microKEY.

So, when I saw the similer knob on KK M32, I was the happiest! But, when you connect this small thing, it basically doesn’t open the Twin window! You have to do the 90% of the operations using your computer mosue!

Then why the hell you need this Wired keyboard when you already have a Bluetooth option by KORG!

So, friends .. DO NOT go for KK M32 considering your previous experience with KK S61 or 49.

This one is KOMPLETELY disappointing !!

10 days no reply to my email on support. They don't care

For five years I’ve been using a plugin called “Kontakt 5” for more realistic instruments in my arrangements. More recently I got a new Mac so I had to transfer all my files.

The installer for Kontakt 5 does not work with this version of the Mac. I reached out to Native Instruments, the company behind the program, and began by posting in their forums. I got a few responses from… one guy, who seemed to be an owner of the products and not affiliated with the actual company. I never got a proper solution, but he tried.

I scrounged through their website about a hundred times over trying to find a contact button to reach the company directly or find a solution. It’s absolutely ridiculous how bad their website is considering the high-grade nature of the product itself. There are many links that take the user to a page where options are seen for a second, and then a “wizard” appears in front of all the options and redirects the screen to a “one size fits all” questionnaire.

I eventually posted the absolute most elaborate diagnosis of the problem on the forum that Native Instruments responds to directly with people who are part of their team. I had screenshots of the error, my Mac type, etc. all kinds of things.
I get a response from a guy named Jeremy who says -

The installer on this CD is not compatible with MacOs Catalina. Please download and install Native Access. Log-in with your NI account details and install Kontakt 5 from there :

It didn’t work. I wanted to be polite because I appreciated the fact that the guy actually responded.

I posted a potentially even more elaborate response to show him why I wasn’t able to use the solution he provided. It only linked me to the demo version of the software and I couldn’t find a way to verify that I had previously purchased the full version of the software.

I could use the serial number included with the product to verify that I had the purchase right? Not if I don’t have the serial number from a product I purchased literally five years ago.

On the website it tells you that you can view all your serial numbers online, and folks are often linked to that section when mentioning the fact that they’ve lost their serial numbers. Not. That section of the website was totally void of any and all purchase information and I outlined that in a screenshot response. I don’t know if this is specific to me or if they literally shut down everyone’s ability to view all of their product’s serial numbers for re-downloads. I assume it’s the latter.
Finally, I showed the ID of my original purchase from 2015 to prove that I did purchase the software. I told him that I appreciated the response and if there was anything they could do with the information I provided, I’d be grateful.

And, Native instruments removed my response so no one else would see it and refused to respond.

Wonderfully, the top of the post that I made says that my question was “answered” in green so all viewers can just assume everything is hunky dory.

Fortunately for me, I didn’t mention the fact that I may have a solution. Somewhere in the depths of my old laptop, you may actually be able to view the serial number within the program itself if it’s already been totally downloaded. I may just have to dig up that serial number and then maybe… maybe I can get my instruments back without forking over another $400.

Some good stuff but RAM eaters, and antipiracy paranoia means very helpless, slow, annoying acess software, only works when you are new user, if you change your daw or mac, be ready to suffer and reinstall ALL again, no recover, options

I didn't even need to read the reviews (though I did glance) to see why they have two stars overall... I'm just going around to every place I can post a review and posting about this because it is beyond ridiculous.

Horrible, non-existent Customer Service. I've purchased a new computer, trying to load Komplete 10 on it so I can get up and running again (luckily I'm realistic about the world I live in, so I have a backup, but for various reasons, it would be great to be on the new computer for my gigs, of which I have many). I ran into an issue, have tried to no avail to get ahold of someone, and am unable to join the forum (which is still telling me I have "insufficient privileges" to post - even though I received an email that said I was all set... but, since I can't contact anyone, I can't find out about that either...).

So now I am forced to find other options for VST's and samples for my MainStage set ups. I asked a friend what the options are that they use, and they mentioned Native Instruments, and I said, "NOPE! Never again... At least until I see that they have pulled their heads out of their rear ends and are providing some customer service."

What company in their right mind doesn't offer Customer Service?

Absolutely love Komplete the very best software Ive ever bought

Customer service is non-existent.
It used to be a good company but, sadly, not anymore.
On September 2019 they laid out 20% of its workforce, but the CEO didn't fire himself.
Stay away from this company.

Native Instrument used to be really helpful, if you had any problems or issues with their soft & hardware, always remedying the obstacle
Nowadays it's a totally different scenario.
There isn't anybody there at all, to advise or help in any which way.
I had a problem, so I emailed them before Christmas and never got an acknowledgement or help with an installation issue. Since then l have tried several avenues, to get this problem resolved, to no avail.
In future, there is no way l'll be spending my money with any new purchases with Native Instruments.

I was a loyal customer for years, products were great and everything was going well until the past 2 years . AVOID THIS COMPANY AT ALL COSTS. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get ahold of customer service and you’ll be stuck with faulty gear forever. They seem great until you encounter a problem and then it’s the end of road. Save yourselves- there are many of great alternatives out there. Sad to see NI take this road, but it’s the truth

dropped 4,000$ online this past weekend 2k Saturday went as planned, no problems with the purchase or downloads, however I purchased all the remaining possible expansion packs and instruments on Sunday for another 2k, and now nothing.... can't even download, can't get support to to respond, nothing.. I really have zero issues with their site and I obviously love the equipment I purchased otherwise I wouldn't have taken such a big risk however they need a KOMPLETE OVERHAUL of their customer service department, because this is insane, if I spend that much money for an 'INSTANT' download, then I should get a download, and I'm not expecting instantly, maybe an hour or two, maybe worst case scenario 24 hours... I'm on hour 30 now, 2,000$ on the line and haven't gotten one word from their support..
this is sickening to know with the amount of money I have sunk into their products this past month alone.
Equipment is fantastic
customer support is not there... yet, so be aware and don't make my mistake and spend thousands without understanding what you may be getting yourself into
if they follow through with some sort of an apology, e-voucher or something I may change my mind about purchasing again from them in the future however right now, they won't get one more dime from me until they do their jobs and SUPPORT !

Avoid these guys like the plague.
They offer no real support, and want you to just buy a new product if there is a problem with your current one.

Avoid this company like the plague. Downloaded and followed instructions for a purchase (The Grandeur piano plugin). Didn't work and still didn't after many hours trying to get it work. Now seeking a refund. The email sent is very vague as to how to send an email. Horrible site.

I have waited for months to get a serial number unregistered on a product that was brand new. By brand new I mean I broke the factory seal on the box. Their customer support team has given me no actual help so I have a product that cost me over $200 that may as well be just a paper weight. If you have any problems with your serial number just return the product immediately they will not help you.

I need tech-support/support ticket and it is impossible to get in touch with them. For days now I’ve been trying to figure it out and going through the Menu options. I can’t even scroll to the chat area on the website. The chat area is very bad and there’s only a small window to chat. The site gets stuck and is of poor quality. This is the worst company!I’ve just unsubscribed to their mailing list. I invested A lot in Maschine 2.0 Years ago and I need to reinstall it! when they did the update they changed the software completely which would’ve messed me up So I stayed with 2.0 and have no more options for 2.0! And it is now useless. Shame on you native instruments for not caring

I’ve been using native instrument products for years.
They are of good quality.
I’ve hardly ever encountered any problems at work.
I cast a negative vote because it is practically impossible to get in touch with the company.. in 2020 this is unacceptable ! ! !
I need assistance and for days I sent mail and fax... no answer ! ! ! !
Shameful! ! ! ! !

A few days ago I downloaded their free plugin RAUM onto my iMac. Upon trying to use it in Audacity it crashed my computer twice and completely destroyed a song I was working on for a full week. Naturally I deleted the plugin yet after doing some sleuthing around my hard drive I discovered hidden extensions they left on my iMac that launch each time I turn on my computer!!! No other plugins I have ever downloaded do this. It's very suspicious to say the least. Also, on twitter they are claiming to haver over three-hundred thousand followers and yet almost all of their tweets have fewer than fifty 'likes'. How is that even possible? By comparison, a world-trusted manufacturer like KORG only has a little over one-hundred thousand followers. This company is clearly buying it's followers. I don't trust this company AT ALL and I strongly recommend anyone seeking their products to look towards better brands.

I don't want to hear any kind of response from this company as I am not interested and I will NEVER trust this company again!

I currently own an S61 mk1 which I bought new and therefore came with complete Select. An opportunity arose to buy a used S25 which would come in handy whilst travelling. I checked with the seller that the HW wasn’t registered and they confirmed it wasn’t. Having read the following page on the N.I. website I naturally thought another licence for select would be ‘attached’ to the S25 HW:

Selling or Buying a Native Instruments Product Second-Hand

On the above NI page it states:

Product packages consisting of hardware and software bundles can only be sold or given to third parties free of charge as a whole. The individual components of a bundle may not be sold or transferred separately. The software activation requires the prior registration of the hardware. Therefore, the software can not be sold separately from the hardware.

When I registered the S25 there were no other Select licences applied to my account. When I raised a ticket querying this Ni.I. i got somebody called 'KD' offering little or no help whatsoever:

"As mentioned in my last reply if there was any Software that was included like the one you received with the New controller that would have been given to you by the private seller.
In theory, all controllers do ship with Komplete select when purchased new from an authorized retailer.
When purchased from a private seller then that all depends on what item was sold and what was included in the sale"

What N.I. are now saying is yes, the bundled software can be separated and what I’ve bought is just the hardware. It’s absolutely contradictory to the advice given on their own website. I always thought that if you could legitimately the HW then the bundled software would stay with it.

I consider myself to be quite loyal to N.I. as I also own Komplete audio 6 and Maschine mk3 but this has really annoyed me.

I have to say that I can understand where most of these reviews come from. While it's not as easy as a phone call, the support folks are actually pretty professional and efficient. I had an issue with the registration of my product and jumped on the chat. I was then able to solve everything in a matter of minutes.
The support can be a bit confusing at start but if you struggle, the chat is a good option!

Bought an item from them and they refuse to give a refund, even though it is faulty. I found the CEO's email and emailed him. He does not respond. I am not surprised when they have a poor rating here and an F on BBB. Save yourselves a headache and buy from a reputable company.