Solutions

We have found that in many cases, simply trying a different USB cable or USB port will help.

In other cases, we recommend connecting Impact through a powered USB hub (particularly when using a laptop). To be clear, Impact will not work with a standard passive USB hub, only USB hubs which provide their own external power supply are recommended.

This is an example of a powered hub that we have tested extensively: Plugable USB 2.0 10-Port High Speed Hub

If you have tried these solutions and you continue to encounter problems, please contact support.

If you are just getting started with you Impact GX, LX+ or SE49, follow these steps to activate your Bitwig 8-Track license.

1. Create and activate your account at: Bitwig.com/register.
2. Add your Bitwig 8-Track serial number to your user account.
   • The serial number will be printed on the flier that came with your Nektar controller.
3. Download Bitwig 8-Track from your user account.
4. Install Bitwig 8-Track, start the application and follow the on-screen instructions.

Have fun with Bitwig 8-Track!

Find out more about Bitwig 8-Track here.

Setup

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Automatic Track Selection By default, when you move a control which is associated with a specific track, that track will become selected. If you want to disable this behavior, uncheck the ‘Enable Auto Select’ option as shown in the images 2 and 4.

Smart Switch Delay The Smart Switch Delay setting changes the behavior of switch/button controls depending on how long the button is held. When set to anything other than ‘Off’ it may appear that some button functions are unresponsive, when the button is held for too long.

Duplicate Track/Channel Names Check your project for tracks and Mixer channels with the same name and rename any duplicate tracks. If Impact encounters two tracks or mixer channels with the same name, the track selection can get out of sync with what you see in Cubase.

Fader 9 controls only a small range of the Master Volume In projects created with Cubase 9.0.30, if you move the 9th fader while holding the button below that fader, you will only be able to control the Master Volume parameter over a small range. This issue was fixed in Cubase 9.5 but the issue will still occur when you open a project that was made in Cubase 9.0.30. Projects made in newer versions of Cubase will not exhibit this problem.

Patch Changes If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.

Hide Input Channels

Track select issues with Impact in Cubase 8 and above In Cubase 8 and above, Input channels can be controlled from Impact’s Mixer Mode, where they could not be controlled in earlier versions of Cubase. This can result in unpredictable track selection when using the [< Track] and [Track >] functions. To fix this problem, simply hide Input channels in the MixConsole as shown in the image to the right.

Here are the steps you need to go through to get your Impact up and running with Digital Performer 8 and above.

Setup

Troubleshooting

Patch Changes
If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.

Installation

Important: Impact integration for Garageband is compatible with GarageBand 6.0.5 and above.

These instructions assume you have GarageBand installed and are running Mac OS X.

1. Make sure GarageBand is already installed on your computer. If not, please install the latest version of GarageBand first and open it at least once, before running the installer for Nektar DAW integration software.
2. Download the ‘Impact_Apple_Integration’ file from your Account page after registering your product.
3. Run the ‘Impact_Apple_Support’ installer and follow the onscreen instructions.
4. Plug-in your Impact keyboard and make sure it’s switched on (if you didn’t do so already).
5. Launch GarageBand.

That’s it, setup is now complete.

Troubleshooting

Mixer Mode:
Mixer Mode is fully functional in Garageband 6.0.5 and Garageband 10.

Instrument Mode:
Instrument mode mapping only works in Garageband 6.0.5, not supported in Garageband 10.
Instrument parameters can be controlled from Smart Controls in Mixer mode in Garageband 10.

Transport controls:
All transport functions except for Undo and Click work in Garageband 6.0.5 and Garageband 10. The Click function only works in Garageband .10

If you encounter a problem where some controls do not work as expected, specifically related to button functions, please follow the instructions below:

1. Close any applications you have open.
2. Open a Finder window.
3. Open the ‘Go’ menu at the top of the screen.
4. Select ‘Go to folder…’.
5. Type ‘~/Library/Containers‘.
6. Click ‘Go’.
7. Open the ‘GarageBand’ folder or ‘com.apple.garageband10’ folder if you are using an older version.
8. Open the ‘Data’ folder.
9. Open the ‘Library’ folder.
10. Open the ‘Preferences’ folder.
11. Find com.apple.garageband10.cs and move it to the trash.
12. Start GarageBand again.

If you continue to have trouble, please contact support.

Setup Instructions for Logic 10.6 and later

Troubleshooting with Logic 10.6 and later

Setup instructions for Logic 10.5 and earlier

Troubleshooting with Logic 10.5 and earlier

If the controls/keys on your Impact iX, GX, LX, LX+, or SE25/49 are behaving unusually or simply not working try this fix.

1. Close any applications you have open.
2. Open a Finder window.
3. Open the ‘Go’ menu at the top of the screen.
4. Select ‘Go to folder…’
5. Type ‘~/Library/Preferences‘
6. Click ‘Go’.
7. Find com.apple.logic.pro.cs and move it to the trash (Important!)
8. Start Logic again.

You should now be able to control Logic’s mixer from Mixer Mode, and the instrument on the currently selected track in Instrument Mode.

If your Impact LX keyboard is detected in Logic but control surface functions are not working, check the USB Port Setup Mode:

1. Press the ‘Setup’ button on your Impact keyboard (hold ‘Shift/Mute’ and ‘Patch> (Setup)’, if you have an LX+).
2. Press the A2 key on the keyboard.
3. The display should say ‘0.0.1.’ if you are using an original Impact LX. It should say ‘0.0.2.’ if you have an LX+.
4. If the display says ‘0.0.0.’, change it by pressing the C# key with ‘+’ above it. If you are using an Impact LX25 or LX25+, you will need to press the C3 key (labeled ‘Enter’) before you can change this setting.

Patch Changes
If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.

Important: Impact Reaper integration is compatible with Reaper 4.59 or later. We recommend that you upgrade to the latest version if you have not already done so. These instructions assume you have a compatible Reaper program installed running on either Windows (Vista or higher) or Mac OS X 10.7 or higher.

Installation

Troubleshooting

It is important to only enable port 1 in the MIDI Devices window. If multiple ports are enabled Impact will not function correctly. Make sure your setup mirrors that of Image 2 and 6.

If you installed our Reaper support files before starting Reaper for the first time and find that your Impact controller is not listed in Reaper’s Control Surfaces menu, please follow the steps below.

OSX:

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Open the ‘Go’ menu at the top of your screen.
3. Select ‘Go to folder’.
4. Type or copy/paste ‘~/Library/Application Support‘.
5. Find the ‘REAPER’ folder in that directory and delete it.
6. Start Reaper and then quit Reaper again.
7. Run the Reaper support installer you downloaded from your Account page again.

Windows:

1. Open a File Explorer window.
2. Navigate to ‘C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Roaming‘ (note this is normally a hidden directory, follow the instructions on this page to unhide: Show hidden files).
3. Find the ‘REAPER’ folder in that directory and delete it.
4. Start Reaper and then quit Reaper again.
5. Run the Reaper support installer you downloaded from your Account page again.

Patch Changes
If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.

Portable Installation

If you have a portable installation of Reaper, you will need to manually install the control surface files. The files you need can be found on the My Account tab on our website.

Download the file named ‘Reaper_Portable_Installation_Impact’.

Unzip the file and copy/paste the .dll files to the ‘Plugins’ folder within Reaper’s install path (usually C:\Program Files\REAPER (x64)).

If you’re experiencing problems please contact one of our support engineers.

Known Issues

Here are the steps you need to follow to get Reason up and running with your Impact series controller.

Installation & Setup

Note for Reason 5 users

The latest versions of the Reason support software for the LX+, GX and SE49 (v1.2.0 and above) are only compatible with Reason 6 and above. If you are using Reason 5, please run the installer from the links below:

Impact GX/LX+/SE49 Reason Support - Windows

1 file(s) 1.30 MB

Download

Impact GX/LX+/SE49 Reason Support - MacOS 1.31 MB 4841 downloads

...

Download

Manual Setup

Windows:

1. Open Reason.
2. Open the ‘Edit’ menu.
3. Select ‘Preferences’.
4. Select the ‘Control Surface’ tab.
5. Click the ‘Add’ button.
6. For ‘Manufacturer’ select Nektar.
7. For ‘Model’ select ‘Impact LX**’. (Image 8)
8. For ‘Controls In Port’ select ‘MIDIIN2 (Impact LX**)’. (Image 8)
9. For ‘Keyboard Port’ select ‘Impact LX**’. (Image 8)
10. For ‘Out Port’ select ‘Impact LX**’. (Image 8)
11. Click ‘OK’.
12. Click the ‘Add’ button again
13. For ‘Manufacturer’ select Nektar. (Image 9)
14. For ‘Model’ select ‘Impact LX** Mixer Mode’. (Image 9)
15. For ‘In Port’ select ‘MIDIIN2 (Impact LX**)’. (Image 9)
16. For ‘Out Port’ select  ‘Impact LX**’. (Image 9)
17. Click ‘OK’.

Both ‘Nektar Impact LX**’ and ‘Nektar Impact LX** Mixer Mode’ should now appear in the Control Surface setup window with yellow exclamation marks (this is normal).

OS X:

1. Open Reason.
2. Open the ‘Reason Menu’ and select ‘Preferences’.
3. Select the ‘Control Surface’ tab.
4. Click the ‘Add’ button.
5. For ‘Manufacturer’ select Nektar. (Image 3)
6. For ‘Model’ select ‘Impact LX**’. (Image 3)
7. For ‘Controls In Port’ select ‘Impact LX** MIDI2’. (Image 3)
8. For ‘Keyboard Port’ select ‘Impact LX** MIDI1’. (Image 3)
9. For ‘Out Port’ select ‘Impact LX** MIDI1’. (Image 3)
10. Click ‘OK’.
11. Click the ‘Add’ button again.
12. For ‘Manufacturer’ select Nektar. (Image 4)
13. For ‘Model’ select ‘Impact LX** Mixer Mode’. (Image 4)
14. For ‘In Port’ select ‘Impact LX** MIDI2’. (Image 4)
15. For ‘Out Port’ select ‘Impact LX** MIDI1’. (Image 4)
16. Click ‘OK’.

Both ‘Nektar Impact LX**’ and ‘Nektar Impact LX** Mixer Mode’ should now appear in the Control Surface setup window with yellow exclamation marks (this is normal).

Note: ‘**’ represents 25, 49, 61 or 88; depending on which Impact series controller you are using.

Troubleshooting

Patch Changes
If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.

Troubleshooting

If you find that your Impact keyboard does not appear in the ‘Controller/Surfaces’ list as shown in Image 2, you may need to install the Microsoft Redistributable Files for VS2013.

If you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, you will need to run both of these installers:

vcredist_installers.zip

1 file(s) 12.65 MB

Download

If you are using a 32-bit version of Windows, you only need to run the ‘vcredist_x86.exe’ installer.

Once you have done that, install the latest ‘Impact_Cakewalk_Integration’ installer again and reopen Cakewalk/Sonar.

Patch Changes
If you find that the [< Patch] and [Patch >] buttons don’t work when controlling a third-party plug-in, it’s likely because the plug-in uses it’s own patch browser. The Patch buttons on the Impact series control the patch navigation functions of the DAW, so you may need to save the plug-ins presets in your DAWs patch format, before you can use the Patch buttons on the Impact controller for patch navigation. You can find more information about saving patches in your DAW, in the documentation for that program.