Kernel Panic on macOS 15 Sequoia with M4 Chip Opening Kontakt 8 and Reaktor (Komplete 15)

Daknorich · 2024-12-09T19:25:19+00:00

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Hi everyone,
I recently purchased and installed Komplete 15 (original) on my new MacBook Pro with macOS 15 Sequoia and M4 chip, but I am encountering a serious issue.

Whenever I try to open Kontakt 8 or Reaktor, my system goes into a kernel panic, forcing an automatic restart. The kernel log indicates an issue with IOMMU mapping:

panic(cpu 10 caller x): INVALID_ILLEGAL_MAPPING_TYPE: iommu_register_mapping

I’ve already tried the following steps:

Ensuring all software is updated via Native Access.
Disconnecting all external peripherals.
Launching Kontakt and Reaktor in macOS Safe Mode.
Repairing disk permissions using Disk Utility.

Despite these efforts, the problem persists.

System Configuration:

macOS 15 Sequoia (latest version)
MacBook Pro with M4 chip
Komplete 15 (fully updated)
Kontakt 8 and Reaktor

Has anyone experienced a similar issue or knows of a solution? Could this be a compatibility issue with macOS 15 or the M4 chip? Should I wait for an update from Native Instruments, or is there a setting I might have overlooked?

Thank you so much for your help! 😊

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Daknorich

UPDATE

After a month and a half of testing, troubleshooting, and working closely with Apple Support, I am still facing persistent kernel panics when using Native Instruments plugins on my MacBook Pro M4 Max with macOS Sequoia. I've tried every recommended step: reinstalling macOS, creating new user accounts, clearing caches, and even testing without external devices connected. Despite all efforts, the issue remains unresolved.

What’s most frustrating is that a company as established as Native Instruments has not yet addressed compatibility issues with the new M4 chips. Given the investment required for professional music software and hardware, this level of instability is simply unacceptable. These new machines are marketed as cutting-edge tools for creators, yet the tools we rely on most are not optimized for them.

I sincerely hope Native Instruments prioritizes finding a solution to this issue. The lack of compatibility on these systems is not just an inconvenience—it's a critical flaw that’s disrupting workflows and making it impossible to work professionally.

Has anyone here received updates from NI or found temporary workarounds?

nanotable

Unfortunately my problem remains unresolved. I’m in contact with NI support and I’ve spent countless hours with testing, reinstalling products and whatnot. I still have a few to dos left to try, so who knows. Maybe booting in Safe Mode and spending half a day producing music this way will lead to an epiphany, although I doubt it. Very frustrating.

Daknorich

I completely understand your frustration. I’ve been dealing with the same issue for over a month now. Despite countless hours of testing, reinstalling, and trying workarounds (including Safe Mode), nothing has resolved it.

It’s disappointing that Native Instruments hasn’t addressed these M4 Max and macOS Sequoia compatibility issues. Safe Mode is not a viable solution for professional work.

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/203728#Comment_203728

It seems more of a Max issue than a Sequoia one, there have been people with Max issues going back to before Sequoia came out and most of us are running NI apps on Sequoia with no kernel panics.

Jeremy_NI

Hey all, we're still investigating the issue. This seems to affect only M4 Max so far, from the few cases we deal with in support.

It looks like it doesn't affect only NI software, there are numerous reports online. There have been issues with Kernel Panics in the past, introduced by certain Apple Sonoma updates. The issue was then fixed by another Apple update. That doesn't mean we're not looking into it, we'll make sure this is not on our end and do a proper report to Apple if it isn't. We do understand the gravity of the issue for the ones affected with the frustration it comes with.

Also worth mentioning there was a 15.2 Sequoia update recently, so please try updating your OS and see if that resolves the issue.

If you experience these crashes, please reach out to our support here, please include as much info as possible, including crashlogs: https://bit.ly/NI_support_kontakt

Daknorich

Both Apple and Native Instruments analyzed my crash reports and initially identified my Motu audio interface as the likely cause of the kernel panics. Following their advice, I completely uninstalled all Motu drivers, reinstalled macOS from scratch, and tested the system without any external devices connected. Unfortunately, the kernel panics persist under the same conditions.

This confirms that the problem is far more serious and unrelated to the Motu hardware or drivers. At this point, neither Native Instruments nor Apple seems to have a clear idea of how to address this issue. It’s incredibly frustrating as this has rendered my setup unusable for professional work.

I hope this provides some clarity and perhaps encourages more urgency in resolving the situation.

Daknorich

Apple has confirmed that the issue is related to compatibility and that even a clean reinstall of macOS would not fix it. I have spent countless hours troubleshooting, testing different configurations, and working with both Apple and your support team, all to no avail.

At this point, it’s clear that the root of the issue lies in the lack of optimization for M4 Max CPUs. This is not acceptable for professional users who rely on your software for their work. It is essential that Native Instruments prioritizes releasing updates to ensure full compatibility with the latest hardware.

The fact that users are left in the dark without a timeline or assurance of future compatibility undermines trust in your brand. I urge you to take immediate action to address this issue and to communicate more openly with your customers about the progress being made.

This situation has already cost me significant time, money, and professional opportunities, and it’s unacceptable for a product line as highly regarded as Native Instruments.

Matthew_NI

The immediate action we've taken is aforementioned.

The bug is filed, and is still under investigation, including direct contact with Apple.

That is as much as we can possibly do. I'm not sure what you expect here.

I understand the frustration. We haven't even uncovered the root cause yet, and even when we do, bug fixes come with unpredictable timelines, especially when they involve other manufacturers and hardware.

Daknorich

No updates yet. After more than a month… When we will have news?

Jeremy_NI

@Daknorich The issue is still under investigation, I've contacted you to see if you can provide more data so we can add this to our reports to Apple.

Daknorich

I appreciate the update, but no one has actually contacted me to request additional data. In fact, I have already provided all the requested crash reports and system logs, which you previously stated had been sent to Apple.

Since then, my support ticket has been closed, even though the issue is still unresolved. This is incredibly frustrating, as I am left waiting indefinitely with no real progress. Furthermore, while Apple is involved, the likelihood of this being solely an Apple issue is questionable—especially considering Reaktor has yet to be updated for macOS Sequoia.

At this point, I need a clear and honest update:

Is Native Instruments actively working on a Reaktor update to ensure compatibility with Sequoia and M4 Max?
What is the estimated timeline for a fix or further investigation?

I cannot continue waiting without any transparency. Please provide a real update on the situation.

Jeremy_NI

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/213649#Comment_213649

I've contacted you yesterday at 13:53, please check your inbox, filters, spam, etc…

I understand your frustration and impatience but please note a few things, some of that were already mentioned several times:

We were not able to reproduce the issue internally, even with a M4, we also had very few reports.

There were previous issues similar to this last year, the issue was on Apple's side to fix. We are reporting to Apple and this is why I've contacted you again to have different additional files so we can forward these to them, so please check your mails.

So in these conditions we can't give you an estimate for a fix.

Marnie

Hi there,

I believe that I am facing a similar issue. I have a M4 Macbook Pro running macOS Sequoia Version 15.3. I have experienced frequent kernel panics all with projects using Reaktor. One of the error messages I have received is "panic(cpu 6 caller 0xfffffe0047fd800c): [SPTM] VIOLATION_ILLEGAL_MAPPING_TYPE: iommu_register_mapping(sptm_iommus.c:683) - paddr(0x100aae68000), fte(0xfffffdf0002a2ab0), current_iommu()(0x2), allowed_permissions(0x1), mapping_type(0x2)"

Has there been any update regarding this issue?

Jeremy_NI

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/219640#Comment_219640

I've reached out by email, we'll need more info on your system and a few files. We have filed a bug to Apple and we could use those files to enrich our report.

Bruce Bones

I've been dealing with the same issue since updating to Sequoia 15.4. I've been talking to Apple support for weeks but I've only recently been able to discover the kernel panic only happens when I have my DAW (reaper) open with a project file containing NI VST3s (guitar rig 7, kontakt). I have like a dozen crash logs and I'm happy to provide them if I'm given an address to send them to. This has been incredibly frustrating.

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