S49 Mk2 - Connection Problems

Hello, I've installed Cubase 15 on my new PC and I'm having trouble connecting my Komplete Kontrol S49 Mk2 keyboard. I have KK software version 3.5.3.0 from January 22, 2026 installed (according to the installed apps directory), but when I press a key, there's no sound. Cubase isn't showing any MIDI data reception. Both screens on the S49 remain dark, and no buttons work except for the mute and solo buttons, which both function perfectly. So the keyboard is connected to the PC. When I press keys, the corresponding blue LEDs above the S49's keyboard light up, so it's responding. But I can't hear anything. I've owned the keyboard for about 10 years now. What can I do? Thanks for any help!

When I run firmware updater 1.4.0 from May 17, 2019, it doesn't recognize any connected keyboard.

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PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/254795#Comment_254795

is there really no one who can help me with my problem?

If you want to make sure that someone notice your post then please use the quote below their post or ping them by using the at like I do you here : @Luckyman001 (just be sure that it wraps correctly as it did in example here).

When I start the keyboard using an external power supply (power pack), the MIDI screen mentioned above appears.

That is as should be

When attaching keyboard to the PC then you can still use the power supply also.

When I start the keyboard while it is connected to the PC, the MIDI screen does not appear.

I'm not a technician.

Thank you very much for the included screenshots. That enable us to see a very basic problem.

There is something wrong with you keyboard driver installation .

The yellow triangle with a exclamation mark tells that there is something wrong with the installation , please notice such things if you look in Windows device manager.

You need to both uninstall the Komplete Kontrol app but also the drivers should be uninstalled separately (you need to do that because the Komplete Kontrol app will otherwise will not be able to update the drivers).

Then reboot and reinstall the Komplete Kontrol app with the drivers.

You can also try uninstalling the drivers and reinstall from here : https://www.native-instruments.com/fileadmin/drivers/komplete_kontrol/Komplete_Kontrol_MK2_500_PC.zip

Until solved then this 'yellow triangle with the exclamation mark' is the issue you should focus on !

The problem could also be a conflict with other software or hardware on the computer.

To get a hint of the problem then check the info in the device manager for the keyboard drivers.

All comments

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/49803/s49-mk2-connection-problems

Both screens on the S49 remain dark, and no buttons work except for the mute and solo buttons, which both function perfectly.

When I run firmware updater 1.4.0 from May 17, 2019, it doesn't recognize any connected keyboard.

I've owned the keyboard for about 10 years now.

You leave out the important piece of information . If you have owned the keyboard for 10 years and actually used it then you should know that as soon as you turn on the keyboard while connected/powered then the screens should turn on in Midi mode. Does that happen ? If it does turn on screens in Midi mode then in the same manner then after a computer reboot then run Komplete Kontrol standalone app to see if it communicates with the keyboard.

However then based on your description then my guess is that there is no Midi mode on screens when first you turn on the keyboard. You can try disconnecting it from the computer for some hours or a day and then attach a power supply and then power up keyboard without it being connected to the computer to see if you get the Midi mode on the screens. If not then it is likely that your keyboard is defect…

Luckyman001

Thanks for your reply! Does it start in MIDI mode? I just looked at the two displays and saw a bar with MIDI channels at the top and bottom, but otherwise the displays were black. I've now turned the keyboard off and restarted it. The displays now show ‘Komplete Kontrol’ on the left and ‘Smart Keyboard Controller’ on the right. The MIDI channels I just mentioned are no longer there. I will now disconnect the keyboard and try again tomorrow.

Luckyman001

I would like to add that the keyboard worked fine with the old PC until the day before yesterday, but it doesn't work with the new PC. That's why I don't know if the problem lies with the keyboard. But I don't know much about technology. 😟

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/254625#Comment_254625

I just looked at the two displays and saw a bar with MIDI channels at the top and bottom, but otherwise the displays were black.

The screens should look like this when keyboard is turned on

I would like to add that the keyboard worked fine with the old PC until the day before yesterday, but it doesn't work with the new PC.

If it looks like on the picture when turned on then either you didn't properly install the keyboard on the new PC or there could be a problem with the cable or the USB port.

I have KK software version 3.5.3.0 from January 22, 2026 installed (according to the installed apps directory), but when I press a key, there's no sound.

If the keyboard is installed correctly with the KK software then you should have the The NIHardwareAgent and NIHostIntegrationAgent services running in TaskManager processes and you should find the keyboard in computers Device Manager's Software devices.

Check out the Komplete Kontrol Keyboard Troubleshooting Guide and the My Native Instruments Hardware Device is Not Recognized .

Also you need to setup the keyboard in the Komplete Kontrol stand alone app before use in the DAW…

I hope that some of the above will help.

Luckyman001

Thank you again.

1.) This is what I see after starting the keyboard again:

2.) The NIHardwareAgent and NIHostIntegrationAgent services are running in TaskManager processes.

3.) The keyboard is also listed in Device Manager.

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/254638#Comment_254638

This is what I see after starting the keyboard again:

That is first display then it should switch to the Midi mode shown on the picture earlier.

Did you follow the troubleshooter linked to above ?

And did you try to run the Komplete Kontrol standalone app and see if you can setup the Midi (check mark keyboard). When you start the KK and have set it up then the keyboard should change to library browsing (you might have to load a library in the Komplete Kontrol app to start the library browsing on the keyboard)

Else exactly where does it all fail ?

Luckyman001

Hello, :-)

First of all, thank you again for taking care of my problem. I can report the following:

When I start the keyboard using an external power supply (power pack), the MIDI screen mentioned above appears. When I start the keyboard while it is connected to the PC, the MIDI screen does not appear.

When I start the KK software standalone, I cannot activate the open box for ‘Komplete Kontrol DAW-1’ in the preferences.

When I open the KK plugin in Cubase, the keyboard is listed under ‘Controller’. I can also load instruments with a mouse click and draw sounds into the track with the mouse, which are played back perfectly.

When I open the device manager, the keyboard is also listed.

Is the keyboard broken? It was a refurbished model. For example, I was never able to edit the u-he Diva or the Arturia Minimoog via the KK keyboard. It refused to load the instruments. Maybe it was faulty from the start. The larger S61 is available second-hand for as little as 200 €.

Norbert

Luckyman001

Hello everyone,

is there really no one who can help me with my problem? I'm sitting here next to my new supercomputer and I'm stuck. I've looked at the troubleshooter links and written down what I could figure out. I'm not a technician. The keyboard seems to be connected to the PC, but it doesn't go into ‘active MIDI mode’, if I can put it that way.

Otherwise, I would just buy the used keyboard I mentioned on spec.

Best regards
Norbert

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/254795#Comment_254795

is there really no one who can help me with my problem?

When I start the keyboard using an external power supply (power pack), the MIDI screen mentioned above appears.

That is as should be

When attaching keyboard to the PC then you can still use the power supply also.

When I start the keyboard while it is connected to the PC, the MIDI screen does not appear.

I'm not a technician.

Thank you very much for the included screenshots. That enable us to see a very basic problem.

There is something wrong with you keyboard driver installation .

The yellow triangle with a exclamation mark tells that there is something wrong with the installation , please notice such things if you look in Windows device manager.

Then reboot and reinstall the Komplete Kontrol app with the drivers.

You can also try uninstalling the drivers and reinstall from here : https://www.native-instruments.com/fileadmin/drivers/komplete_kontrol/Komplete_Kontrol_MK2_500_PC.zip

Until solved then this 'yellow triangle with the exclamation mark' is the issue you should focus on !

The problem could also be a conflict with other software or hardware on the computer.

To get a hint of the problem then check the info in the device manager for the keyboard drivers.

Vocalpoint

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/254981#Comment_254981

After reading through this - I believe the issue is two fold - first - power. The MKII series needs a specific port to provide enough power for the device. If you are not seeing the twin "MIDI" plug screens at startup - something is off power wise with your USB ports

Second - as Poorfellow points out - there are some major issues with the device itself. Any reference to DFU in Device Manager indicates a firmware issue of some sort. (DFU = Device Firmware Update).

Strongly recommend engaging NI support on this. If this is hardware related (and it appears to be) - we have no way of fixing this in a user-to-user peer format here.

Luckyman001

Hello PoorFellow, hello Vocalpoint,

I'm happy! 🙂 I uninstalled the KK software and device driver and reinstalled them using the zip file provided, and now the yellow warning triangle in Device Manager has disappeared and I can make music again!

Everything is working well, I had to reinstall the KK software via Native Access.

Thank you so much! 🤘🎹 I'm curious to see if I can now edit Arturia Minimoog and Diva on the keyboard once they're installed.

Norbert

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/255250#Comment_255250

You are very welcome and thank you very much for providing us feedback and for confirming the fix ! 🙂

Luckyman001

Hello,

I'm getting back to you to wrap this up, because it's not finished yet.

Yesterday, when I started it up, the S49 reacted as follows:

The MIDI screen appeared – so far, so good.
After that, nothing else appeared. The blue LEDs just turn a brighter blue when I press the keys.
I can trigger a sound in the computer by pressing a key! This means that there is a MIDI connection.
However, I can no longer edit any instruments on the S49. It remains visually dark, and, as described, the MIDI functionality is very limited. Although I initially wrote euphorically that everything would work (which it did).
At least there are no yellow exclamation marks in the device manager.

This situation has not occurred before in the course of this installation odyssey, nor in the course of my previous 6 or 8 years of using the keyboard. There's always something. I no longer trust the keyboard and have therefore decided to throw it away, as it was probably broken from the start, which is why it was returned and complained about at the time. It became a refurbished item and has caused me a lot of grief. So I'll pay for that too and get an S61 Mk3 – in the hope that it will finally work properly. And I've often wished for a few more keys... ;-)

Luckyman001

Or does anyone else have any idea what the problem might be? Thank you for your reply! :-)

PoorFellow

@Jeremy_NI , do you have any words of wisdom that could possibly help here ? (problem appeared as solved but problems appeared again after some time).

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