How can we help?

First, try a different USB cable. USB cables die all the time! Also, make sure your cable is connected directly to your computer (and not to a USB hub), and that your cable is suitable for data transfer, not simply a charging cable. We recommend this one from ElectroSmith but there are many that work.

Next, confirm that you are following this procedure:

- Log into the Customer Portal and click the Firmware tab
- Connect the module to the computer via USB
- With the USB pointed down, press and hold the right button on the back of the module.
- Press and release the left button.
- Release the right button.

One LED on the back of the module should turn off, and you should be able to connect to the Customer Portal. If you have done all of these steps and still are unable to connect, please get in touch!

So do we. So do we.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has led to a lot of slowdowns, including global parts shortages. We can’t get the parts we need to build some of the products we have ready (or almost ready) to go. We have a ton of ideas just sitting on a shelf right now.

BUT KNOW THIS: when parts start flowing again, we have a lot in store.

Yes! If it is not, we will mark it out of stock! We have that technology.

We're small and sometimes orders take up to a week to ship, but if we don't have something, we will not advertise that we do.

It is indeed soldered, just from the front of the board. We use pin-in-paste surface mounting to minimize failures. Read more about it here!

We ARE hiring right now! We're looking for a front-end web designer. Read more here.

We don’t take interns because we don’t have the capacity to really do the position justice: It should be an educational role and we just don’t have that bandwidth.

We do have a whole blog post about our thoughts on getting started in the module business.

Unfortunately, you need to be able to access the back of the module to change the firmware. In order for the processor to know that it is receiving new firmware, there is a button combination that needs to be pressed (to enter DFU mode). This is not possible to engineer from the front panel.

The SN is not printed on the PCB itself.

Look for a sticker on the box or on the front of the PCB or back of the panel.

Look for a 3-4 digit number or a code starting with a letter followed by a 3-6 digit number (for example, B10020 or C030). It does NOT include the abbreviation of the module (e.g., BIA21 is not the serial number).

Some of our plugins take inspiration from our hardware modules and some are entirely new concepts unique to the software world. If a plugin has a hardware counterpart, it will generally sound similar, and may also feature an extended number of parameters not possible on our hardware.

You can learn about the design inspirations for a particular plugin in its manual.

No. We offer the Freequel bundle for you to get a feel for the workflow, and lots of sound examples and videos of the paid plugins, but we are unable to offer a demo version.

Great question! One day we hope to have enough plugins in the world where we can have all sorts of options, but for the moment, we have two bundles, and they are separate products, so the pricing does not interact.

That's not a question, but we can help.

Download the installer for your OS and run it.

If the installer is having an issue connecting:

Please turn off pop-up blockers and firewalls. These can block your internet traffic, which prevent the installer from reaching our database and registering your products.

If you can't find the products once they are installed, here's some info!

Our installer installs the plugins to the following locations specified by the formats. The format standards specify where to put files, and in turn, where DAWs should look for said files. Learn more here. You should not need to move them, but if you do, the installer will not be able to update them in a new location. Note that AAX and AU files may not be moved.

Mac:
AAX: /Library/Application Support/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/Noise Engineering/Product Name.aaxplugin
AU2: Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components/
VST3: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/

PC:
AAX: C:/Program Files/Common Files/Avid/Audio/Plug-Ins/Noise Engineering/
VST3: C:/Program Files/Common Files/VST3/Noise Engineering/

In Ableton Live, you may need to tell it to look for VST3 plugins and rescan. You can do this in the menu under Options/Preferences/Plug-Ins.

We made the Freequel bundle for you! The workflow in the Freequel bundle is exactly the same as it is in our other plugins, so if you're just starting out, trying to teach others about sound design, or just want to make great sounds, they are a great choice! They are immediate and did we mention they are free?

We are unable to provide free hardware units at this time.

If you are looking for bulk pricing for a university, please contact us below.

System requirements: 64-bit only

Windows 10+

MacOS 10.14+; Intel and M1 Native

Our Intel compatible plugins require the SSE4.1 instruction set.
This was added in the Intel 45nm Penryn architecture in 2007.
Compatible AMD processors are Bulldozer, Piledriver, Steamroller and Ryzen families.

In the Macverse any Mac built after 2010 should have the required instructions.

This is a minimum required specification.

For optimal experience we recommend Intel's Haswell or later and AMD's Ryzen family.
We also recommend Apple's desktop CPUs (M1 and friends).

If you are unsure whether our plugins are compatible with your system, please download the free bundle from our Customer Portal and try it before you purchase any Noise Engineering plugins. If it installs and works, all of our plugins will work for you!

Our plugins are most likely compatible with any major DAW, but we have tested them in Pro Tools, Logic, Bitwig Studio, Ableton Live, Reaper, and Cubase.

NI Komplete Kontrol is not yet supported. We have that on the roadmap but do not have a timeline.

By default, presets are saved to the file paths below. You can save your own presets to this path, or to anywhere else on your computer.

Mac:
/Users/[name]/Library/Audio/Presets/Noise Engineering/[Product Name]

PC:
C:/Users/Public/Documents/Noise Engineering/[Product Name]

The plugins need a connection to download. Once the plugins are installed, they do not require an internet connection to operate.

Noise Engineering plugins are not compatible with Reason, but we do have Reason Rack Extensions! These are different products, however, so we are unable to offer a crossgrade.

Download the installer for NE Products (available at the NE Customer Portal), click online install, and you will be given the option to uninstall your plugins (and leave your presets), or uninstall plugins AND presets. Choose wisely. You can delete the installer after that.

We never rule anything out but VCV Rack isn't currently on the roadmap. We’re told that the plugins may work in Voltage Modular and VCV, but we have not tested them and this is not an officially supported platform.