Kernel Panic for Kontakt players 7 and 8 on a Mac Studio M2 Ultra

Ryan Knaggs

I have a Mac Studio M2 Ultra 192GB with Sequoia 15.5 

Odyssey G9 Neo monitor.

Computer will immediately reboot when I tried the following when executing the Kontakt 7 or the latest Kontakt 8 players:

1. I have tried to set different resolutions on my G9 monitor (All of them), also, changed 60Hz or 120Hz refresh rate for the G9 monitor that is plugged into the HDMI port on the back of the computer with the cable that came with the monitor. (Same Problem)
2. Plugged my monitor into different ports. (Same Problem)
3. Launch Kontakt 7 natively without any other software such as DAWs or other plugins. (Same Problem)
4. Launch Kontakt 8 natively without any other software such as DAWs or other plugins. (Same Problem)
5. Reinstalled Kontakt 7 and 8 (Latest) then opened the software again. (Same Problem)
6. Updated my Mac OS to the latest version. (Same Problem)
7. I also had re-install the mac OS the initial time, but the kernel panic still happened. (Same Problem)

I just don’t understand why this is still an issue since 2023.  I don’t have this problem running Kontakt version 6 where the computer freezes and reboots due to some kernel panic.  The Kontakt version 7 and 8 players are the only applications that have caused this kernel panic.  I didn’t even know what a kernel panic was until I had this issue with my new mac studio back in 2023 and started the initial kontakt 7 player.

I purchased the Komplete Upgrade to get the latest Kontakt 8 player, thinking that this Kernel Panic problem would be solved, but no.

Why is this such a problem?

Because of this problem, I’m forced to using an older Mac Pro to get by.  Again other VST software apps and plug-ins do not cause kernel panics.

Is there a fix for this?  So far, I have been waiting for 1.5 years for it! It is starting to really frustrate me and also is causing production issues for me in my business! Can someone please tell me the solution for this?

Ryan Knaggs

RKM Productions

Ryan Knaggs

Success

After 2 full days of testing the kernel panic rebooting attempts, I found a solution to fix the Kernel Panic reboot problem.  Below is the hardware and configuration that I used to fix this terrible problem.

OWC Thunderbolt Hub (Purchased from OWC)

8K HTMI Cable (Purchased from Amazon) plugged into HUB (Center) Thunderbolt connector to the Odyssey G9 NEO monitor 57".

Monitor HDMI version set to 2.0+ (This is a Odyssey G9 internal HDMI version setting by default)

Odyssey G95NC monitor resolution set to 5120 X 1440 (Default) and Use as “Main display”, this is the highest setting that you can switch this to.

Additional monitors that I used:

Now plugin each thunderbolt monitors.

1. Right monitor:
   1. Apple thunderbolt monitor 2550 X 1440 plugged into thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter plugged into “Same” OWC Thunderbolt Hub next to the Odyssey G9 NEO HDMI 8K cable
2. Left Monitor:
   1. Apple thunderbolt monitor 2550 X 1440 plugged into thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 adapter plugged into the back thunderbolt port on the mac studio computer.

So far the Mac studio has not been having kernel panic reboot problems.

I believe the new 8K HDMI cable that is plugged into the OWC thunderbolt hub (Instead of plugging it into the back of the mac studio) is preventing this kernel panic.  Secondly, with my additional thunderbolt monitors I have one plugged into the same OWC thunderbolt hub, while the other thunderbolt monitor is plugged directly into the mac studio.

It’s a really weird configuration but it seems to work.   The only small drawback is my Odyssey G9 Neo 57” monitor was set to screen resolutions 7680 X 2160, but now the highest resolution is 5120 X 1440 (Default) because I had to plugin the monitor with the 8K HDMI cable into the OWC Thunderbolt hub.

All output for all monitors is set to a refresh rate of 60Hz.

But the good news is that it’s all working without kernel panic reboots.

One really important question still remains… “Why is Kontakt 7 and 8 (Latest version of June of 2025) when launched causing kernel panics on a Mac Studio M2 Ultra Latest Mac OS as of June 2025 ? “ to begin with?  Again, I had to come up with some weird configuration and hardware setup to get this to work.  This is the only software that causes kernel panics unless you come up with some strange configuration like I did.  But one thing is for sure, it is related to the Mac Studio displays.  So strange.

Ryan Knaggs

RKM Productions

Ryan Knaggs

Maybe this will help NI to re-evaluate the problem with Kontakt 7 and 8. If so, maybe a discount on my next copy of Komplete Ultimate Collectors Edition version X? LOL

Ryan.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/231773#Comment_231773

Or they will just wait - as already communicated in the "other" thread on this - for Apple to fix this issue.

It has already been clarified that this not an NI problem.

VP