Nord User Forum

I have Nord Stage 2 and I just purchased a used Nord main board since I was having various issues. The new board seems to work well, but I wanted to restore the settings (restore backup) using the Sound Manager. I may have a new PC since I stored the backup file (it's been a while!) but I was able to run Sound Manger ok and I still have the backup file. However, when I connected to the USB port, I got an error message at the base of the Sound Manger window, "USB error Bulk pipe write failed: A".

I also saw errors when I checked Device Manager regarding the driver, so I updated Sound Manager (9.16) and the device driver to version 4.04. Still no luck. In addition to the cryptic 'bulk pipe error', I now am seeing a popup window in Sound Manager that states "The connected Nord Stage 2 (V3.00) does not support the required protocols" and suggests I go to Nord to get the latest software. But the latest software for the Stage 2 is OS version 3.00. And I have the latest USB driver (I think) and the latest Sound Manager.

Furthermore, when I check the driver version of the Clavia 64-bit USB driver, it says version 3.0.2.0. And this is after trying to install the version 4.04 driver twice and rebooting in between. I do see a new Clavia USB composite device driver, dated 1/1/2024, but its version is 1.1.0.1.

Any ideas of what to try from here? Thanks!

Hi,

first I suggest is to use another, ideally a new USB cable, to see if that’s the issue.

If that does not work it seems as if the board is either faulty or has not been installed properly, therefore a couple of questions to get a clear picture:

1) You replaced the original main board of the NS2 with a new one, right? Where have you got that board from, was it a new and official spare part from a Nord service center or have you bought it 2nd hand from somewhere else? If it was an official spare part I would ask the service center first for advice and eventually replacement. If it was 2nd hand the seller might have sold you a damaged one, in that case it might be hard to have it replaced or at least get the money back.

2) Who replaced the board, you or a Nord service center? For the latter I suggest again that you ask them.

3) If you have replaced it by yourself, have you double checked all cable connections of the board to see if they sit firm in their connectors? If not I would do that to see if any connectors are loose

Schorsch wrote: ↑24 Aug 2025, 10:45 Hi,

first I suggest is to use another USB cable, to see if that’s the issue.

Then a couple of questions to get a clear picture:

1) You replaced the original main board of the NS2 with a new one, right? Where have you got that board, was it a new and official spare part from a Nord service center or have you bought it 2nd hand from somewhere? If 2nd hand you might have got a damaged one.

2) Who replaced the board, you or a Nord service center? For the latter you might ask them.

3) Have you double checked all cable connections of the board to see if they sit firm in their connectors? If not I would do that to see if any connectors are loose

4) which computer and OS are you using? What type of USB ports on that PC and/or do you have any adapter or hub in between?

Thanks for the replies.

Cable has been tested with other equipment and works fine. No hubs involved.

I am using a Windows11 PC. I have tried using several of the available USB ports.

I deleted all the Nord drivers and reinstalled, but still no luck with Sound Manger and my PC is still showing the Clavia 64-bit driver version as 3.0.2.0 dated 2015. Perhaps this is the latest version that can be installed based on a system check?

Anyway, I am going to try to install the SW and drivers on my Windows 10 laptop and see what happens. Let me know if you have any other insights. Thanks!

Newer versions of Nord Sound Manager always come together with a Windows USB driver - exactly that 3.0.2.0 you also have. I got the same info when I installed a newer NSM recently. It only worked after disabling memory core protection in the security settings.

I tried installing the latest drivers and SW on my laptop and it worked! Now I just need to figure out why it didn't on my desktop.

> I got the same info when I installed a newer NSM recently.

Do you mean the USB pipe error? The "The connected Nord Stage 2 (V3.00) does not support the required protocols" message?

At any rate, I'll see if I can find those security settings. Thanks!

brisguy wrote: ↑24 Aug 2025, 23:40 I tried installing the latest drivers and SW on my laptop and it worked! Now I just need to figure out why it didn't on my desktop.

> I got the same info when I installed a newer NSM recently.

Do you mean the USB pipe error? The "The connected Nord Stage 2 (V3.00) does not support the required protocols" message?

At any rate, I'll see if I can find those security settings. Thanks!

Read here viewtopic.php?t=26780

Thanks for the follow-up.

I checked the Memory Core protection settings and they were already turned off. I am not getting error messages about installing the driver. I have reported the error messages I am getting.

I did notice that there were two drivers installed on my laptop: Clavia 64 bit USB Driver under Sound, Video and game controllers and Clavia USB Composite Device under Universal Serial Bus controllers. The second one was installed on my desktop at one point, but after the second removal and re-install, it did not re-appear.

I may try yet another round of driver removal and reinstallation...

UPDATE:
There were other security settings that needed to be changed in order for the Sound Manager to run. Apparently ALL the settings under Core Isolation have to be turned off. I only disabled the Memory Integrity setting. When I disabled Local Security and Vulnerable Driver Blocklist, the program would run although at the expense of my PCs security!