Any solution to this crap ?

I am using Ableton Live12 / Windows10/KOMPLETE-14

I add Komplete Kontrol VST v2.9.6 to the track, then inside it I select KONTAKT7
I load the instrument patch
I Save the project

—————————————————————————Next time I open the same project KONTAKT7 is replaced with KONTAKT 8 DEMO (or I see the pop-up message asking to BUY Kontakt8).
—————————————————————————Same thing happens when I double click an instrument in KK left panel - it automatically places Kontakt8 Player in the right panel and opens the patch.I am not interested in buying and I only have license for Kontakt7 (that is I own KOMPLETE-12-Pro). Because of endless problems with NI software I rather want to keep what I have and do not want to upgrade (unless I have no choice).
This problem basically prevents me from using KONTAKT, because I cannot have projects with Kontakt8 player, and Kontakt8 Demo stops working after few min.NI does not allow keeping two instances of KK (which is ridiculous), so I cannot update KK because all my old projects will not open anymore.
This whole irresponsible NI software development is a nightmare.
I even uninstalled Kontakt8 DEMO to resolve the problem but this stupid software keeps pushing new version through my throat. Out of all music software I've used in last 30 years NI plugins are the worst ever.
——————————————————————————Created a ticket with NI, but as usually it is going to take several weeks for them to reply, while I am stuck.
I wonder if anybody has similar problem, or have a solution to this ?Thank you for reading this.

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Vocalpoint

Turn this off…

aka

I have this disabled and still get my KONTAKT7 replaced with KONTAKT8 DEMO every single time. I am super furious about this. I cannot work.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/253431#Comment_253431

Works here for me. With it off - I get Kontakt 7 (full). With it on - I get Kontakt 8 (Full)

Maybe it does not work with Kontakt 8 (Player)?

One sure way to fix this is to uninstall K8 Player.

But do remember that KK v2.9.6 - is retired and unsupported.

While I use it here as well - be aware that we are on our own for any issues.

JesterMgee

Maybe remove Kontakt 8 demo if you use Kontakt 7 or just delete the VST3 plugin?

It is possible to use some of your grey matter and either not install new versions that do not apply, or make backups so if things like this happen you can roll back. I still use Kontakt 6 because I prefer it so I just choose not to install later versions anymore and revert to my backups if needed.

We all get frustrated sometimes but it's never a good look when that spills out as childish words on an adult forum…

aka

Thank you for replying. I remember you - you are known to me as "super nice and helpful being" and I really appreciate that. You must be the only guy on internet scanning the screen for the posts and people who need help - and you have guaranteed first row in heaven. haha!

Sometime ago based on your recommendation I reverted back to KK 2.9…. and kept Kontakt7.
Unfortunately at some point I wasn't paying enough attention to NI installers and Kontakt8 demo got installed automatically by NA. Since then I have these problems.

For that same reason I have no installed latest KK. I have also uninstalled KONTAKT8 (through typical Windows uninstall process). What I do not understand, is why after that I'm still getting Kontakt8 demo loaded into KK upon opening. When I checked my folders I do not even see a folder for Kontakt8 under NI.

Of course I do have more than one OS backup, but it is not that easy to deal with that. First it is huge (my PC OS takes around 1.5+ Tb. Second I have many other software which I cannot reverse back, so the restoration must be selective and I think I made a mistake backing up an OS IMAGE , but not specific folder. I would have to see if I could resotre just NI folder (haven't tried that yet). another problem is that I do not remember precisely when the problem with KK/Kontakt8 precisely started.

I am considering reopening all my old projects and bouncing all tracks , then installing latest IN plugins, but this would require probably a week of work and time :-(

I hate to waste my time like this, but I am also planing to setup LIVE+NI+Projects on my laptop over the weekend and see if this will happen on another PC.

The only reason I updated to Kontakt7 was the ZOOM feature. I just could not stand super tiny fonts.

JesterMgee

Yeah the issue with these download managers is as convenient as they are to stay up-to-date they are not all that flexible when it comes to one choosing to sit with a certain version of something. In a world that is constantly pushing the user to update, upgrade, re-subscribe and move with the times it forgets those of us that prefer to just take a step back and be content with something that "just works". I'm usually the first to state if you aren't up to date then you can't complain however, like VP I am still using 2 year old versions of software by choice because for me, it works far better than latest versions and I feel it does what I need it too.

The thing to remember tho, is if you choose to not "keep up with the Joneses" then you have to ensure you make conscious decisions when it comes to doing any kind of update, assessing if what you are going to update will affect what you have in place and if unsure, taking steps such as backups in case something goes awry.

If you are on Windows, check in your Program Files\Common Files\VST3 folder for a Kontakt 8 plugin and just remove it. That should prevent it from being selected and it should default back to the previous version

Matthew_NI

NI does not allow keeping two instances of KK (which is ridiculous), so I cannot update KK because all my old projects will not open anymore.

This is not true. While we certainly don't advise doing so, it can be done (LINK).

when I double click an instrument in KK left panel - it automatically places Kontakt8 Player in the right panel and opens the patch

Make sure you've opened Komplete Kontrol standalone and plug-in settings, navigate to the plug-ins tab, and deselect this option if you have not already done so. If unchecked, it should never open the latest version, and continue opening Kontakt 7 (if that's what was on your track).

Screenshot 2026-01-10 at 8.20.57 AM.png

I even uninstalled Kontakt8 DEMO to resolve the problem but this stupid software keeps pushing new version through my throat

I'm not sure I quite understand. If you've actually uninstalled it, then there would be no reminders whatsoever on your system after the first. You'd only see Kontakt 7.

The one exception to that rule would be if a particular sound library has been updated to take advantage of any new features in Kontakt 8, in which case your choices are to either use Kontakt 8 Player (free) or Kontakt 8 (paid) or to downgrade that library to an earlier version (via your user account).

I see the pop-up message asking to BUY Kontakt8

This should only ever appear once, and then never again. It writes to a file on disk after displaying that message once, to ensure it's never shown again. If it is showing repeatedly, either you're inadvertently removing that file during the various back and forths, or there's an error with read/write permissions that support could help you resolve.

I cannot have projects with Kontakt8 player

I'm just curious - why not? Hundreds of thousands of people have both Kontakt 7 full and Kontakt 8 Player installed and running side by side.

What I would say, is that if you were using Komplete Kontrol 3, I would expect this to work flawlessly. Komplete Kontrol 3 is significantly more stable, and has resolved hundreds of miscellaneous hosting bugs across many environments (some specific to Ableton, in fact).

But if you're using Komplete Kontrol 2, then whilst it should work, there's no guarantee that it will. This product has been end of life since mid/late 2023, during which time there have been numerous OS updates, and to both Kontakt 7 and Kontakt 8.

I understand that you received, and took advice to downgrade to KK2. I'd ask you anew to consider if the downgrade is in fact worth it. For users of Kontrol S MK1, it is. For users of a small number of other features (e.g. Drag and Drop) it may also be. Although some other features (e.g. Sub Banks and Tag Editing) were recently re-added to KK3.

The fact you have older projects containing KK2 that would no longer open if KK2 was uninstalled on your system is a very valid concern. This is why we have worked very hard to introduce migration.

Although this article (LINK) talks about Kontakt, it applies to Komplete Kontrol 2 vs 3 as well. Migration works in most major DAWs, allowing users seamless continuation through major version updates. Unfortunately Ableton are yet to implement support for this mechanism (which is not exclusive to us, but part of everyday plug-in standards). We continue to suggest that they do. Perhaps some of your frustration is best directed (productively, politely) to their support team? Would that they add support like other DAWs, many of your problems would be solved in a future proofed way.

Now, if none of the above helps, you've also done the right thing - creating a ticket in our system. A support agent will be with you in due course to troubleshoot more specifically.

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