NU-Tech Frequently Asked Questions



What is NU-Tech?
To make a long story short: NU-Tech is a platform for algorithm developing which helps you design, test and tune in real-time your applications.
Have a look at our Overview section to learn more.





What should be my background in order to use NU-Tech?
It really depends on what you want to use NU-Tech for!
  • NU-Tech is a tool designed for Digital Signal Processig so a basic knowledge of DSP may really help you.
  • Not familiar with DSP at all? Have a look at this interesting article "How Do I Learn DSP?" !





How do I know if NU-Tech suits my needs?

Short Answer: TRY IT OUT! You can't say until you try it by yourself!

Long Answer:
  • if you're a dsp algorithms developer and looking for a testbench where to test your algos;
  • if you want the freedom to write your code in ANSI C/C++ and test the final result in a straight manner;
  • if your goal is implementing a new algorithm, no matter what kind of hardware the final target will be;
then NU-Tech offers all the benefits you need!




Is NU-Tech FREE?

Short Answer: NO it's not, it is FREEWARE for non-commercial use, but it is not free software.

Long Answer




Is NU-Tech really FREEWARE?

YES it is for non-commercial use. See our Licensing page for further details!




What if I would like to use it for my Business?

Then you have to purchase a license, have a look at our different kind of Licenses or send us an email describing your needs!




What if I want to ditribute my own algorithms implemented as NUTS?

So you have implemented your algorithm as a NUTS and would like to distribute it! Cool!
  • 1st Scenario. You distribute your NUTS DLL for free by yourself, on your website for example
    Just let people download NU-Tech Freeware from here
  • 2nd Scenario. You distribute your NUTS not for free
    You will have to purchase a NU-Tech license...actually you're using it for non-commercial use ;-)
    If your customers will use [ NU-Tech + your NUTS ] for non-commercial use they will have to purchase a license too.
  • 3rd Scenario. You would like to have your NUTS included in the official NU-Tech distribution.
    In this case you should definitely contact us ;-)





I'm an Academy/University and would like to use your tool, do I have to pay for it?

It really depends on what you're willing to use NU-Tech for.
  • 1st Scenario. You're using NU-Tech for teaching purposes
    Great! We're encouraging this kind of usage! Let students download NU-Tech Freeware from here. No fees, no limitations!
  • 2nd Scenario. You're using NU-Tech for your reasearch activities
    Cool! We really encourage this, too! Many researchers are using it too! They test and tune their real-time algorithms with NU-Tech and cite it in their papers. Some examples? Have a look here. Also in this case you can simply download NU-Tech Freeware from here without any fees or limitations!
  • 3rd Scenario. You're using NU-tech to achieve the target of a project you're receving fundings for
    Well, in this case you're NOT using NU-Tech for a non-commercial use...you should definitely get a license. Please contact us we can provide up to 20% discount on normal licenses fees for Academies!





What about the Support?

There's a FORUM where you can ask for questions and read other users experiences, a NU-Tech Google Group to stay always up-to-date with new releases and, of course, a Manual (press F1 in NU-Tech Environment)! if you should need further help please contact us, we can arrange Training Sessions for your company or institution at very affordable fees!




Who is behind NU-Tech?

NU-Tech is entirely proprietary technology of Leaff Engineering.




Is there a SDK? What can I do with it?

We freely distribute an NDK, which stands for "NUTS Development Kit". A NUTS is a NU-Tech Satellite. Have a look here for a deeper description!

With the NDK you can code your own NUTS in C/C++ implementing your own algorithm without bothering of taking care of the streaming process or other elementary tasks.




What Operating Systems are supported?

NU-Tech runs on any Microsoft Windows system, if you may experience any problems please report it!




What about ASIO?
  • Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) is a protocol for low-latency digital audio specified by Steinberg.
  • ASIO provides an interface between an application and the sound card. ASIO offers a relatively simple way of accessing multiple audio inputs and outputs independently. It also provides for the synchronization of input with output in a way that is not possible with DirectSound.
  • Its main strength lies in its method of bypassing the inherently high latency of operating system audio mixing kernels, allowing direct, high speed communication with audio hardware.
  • ASIO is not a default part of Windows, in order to use it you must make sure that:
    • your sound card has ASIO drivers as part of its driver bundle
    • the applications you use support ASIO
  • Many common consumer cards don't have ASIO drivers because it is more of a studio-targeted driver type and are not needed for gaming, DVD playback and the more common tasks associated with normal computing needs. The number of soundcards supporting ASIO is growing anyway, more and more cards are starting to include ASIO drivers as part of their package. NU-TECH DOES SUPPORT ASIO!
IMPORTANT: performances really depend on the manufacturer of the card and driver!
We have successfully tested MOTU, ECHO, M-Audio, Focusrite, TC Electronic, Behringer, RME Fireface, XMOS, Ethersound and many more...Please report your own experiences with other soundcard brands! And if you should have any trouble, we'll be pleased to help!




Video Support?

NU-Tech lets you now manage video streams coming from files (avi, mpeg, divx, etc...) or video sources such as web cams.

Streaming Engine syncronization mechanism has been designed in order to syncronize different streams: streaming can now be slaved to external signal generators (audio, video etc., time code).






Shall I run NU-Tech as a privileged user?

Typically it is not needed. But in some cases if you have installed NU-Tech as admin under Windows but try to use it as a non-privileged user both the NUTSTree and the main window are black.




Who is using NU-Tech and who do you think should use it?
  • Some Academies for educational purposes and a growing number of companies for commercial use.
  • NU-Tech is also being used by the partners of European Integrated Project hArtes: Holistic Approach to Reconfigurable Real Time Embedded Systems
  • Everyone who is dealing with audio/video algorithms in real-time scenarios should take NU-Tech into consideration as a development environment.





I have read the FAQ and surfed the web site but still have questions, what should I do?

If none of the above answers your queries please Download NU-Tech and try it - nothing is better than seeing the software in action.

The help files also offer comprehensive information regarding the software.

Also, see the NU-Tech Forum. You can read questions posted by others and if not covered post your own question. We review the posts and reply (if necessary). We encourage other users who may have encountered similar issues to post a reply if they have found the solution. If you are using the freeware versions or have bought a license without a support plan we encourage you to use the forums. Or you may wish to purchase a support plan to receive more comprehensive and on-going support.

Finally you can contact us at .


We believe that quality-of-service is key to the success of our business. We do our best to serve you and assure we treat all user issues seriously!

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