We offer technical support on Systems and Products purchased from us, unfortunately we are unable to offer support on items (including software & computer systems) which have been purchased elsewhere.

If you are having problems installing hardware or software in an existing PC, we offer an installation service, please call 0161 796 5279 for more details and a quote.

Here are some tips which we hope will help keep you out of trouble!

1. Test your workflow. Before you start work on a project, make sure you can actually accomplish what you’ve said you can do. If you’ve got a deadline to deliver a 5.1 DVD Audio remix, make sure you have the tools to do the job and that they actually work in your setup.

2. Be methodical: was it working before? Have you changed anything that could have caused the current problem? If something was working and suddenly stopped, try to recall what you were doing at the time. Did it work until you installed some new software? Or a new I/O card? Have you just moved your computer? Or plugged in a Firewire/ cable from a device you haven’t tried before (We’ve seen this cause “bluescreen” crashes. Apart from hard disks, hardware failures are quite rare. If your computer just hangs, irrespective of what you are doing at the time, suspect a heat-related failure. You’ll probably find that the processor fan has seized up.

3. Don’t upgrade in the middle or just before a project. And NEVER use Beta software just because it’s got the features you think you need for the next job.

4. If you have a project that doesn’t seem to work properly, try starting a new, simpler one. If that appears to work, with newly created media, try importing media from the old project. If the old media stops the new project working then the media is corrupt. If the old media works in the new project, then the old project is corrupt). You MAY be able to fix this by cutting and pasting the timeline from your old project into a new, blank one. This creates a new project file based on the positions of the media in the old project. (Some software has a “merge” option, in which case you need to merge the old project into the new one).

5. Check your cables. There’s no point spending hours re-installing your system if the problem is with a cable. The more a fault seems to defy logic, the more likely it is to be a cable problem. You can save hours of frustration by eliminating cable problems from your investigations at an early stage.

6. Don’t fill your hard disks: leave at least 20% free. All kinds of bizarre things can happen when your hard disks fill up. As well as the inevitable performance hit.

7. Backup. Do it every time you’ve created something you’d hate to lose. When you save a project, save it in several places, maybe to a second hard drive or even a USB or FireWire one. Don’t just overwrite the previously saved project – you may need to go back to it or an earlier one. If your project gets corrupted, then overwriting the earlier, valid project will leave you with nothing. Save projects as Project 1.1, 1.2 etc. It’s like having an infinite, selective undo facility. Then back that data up to a CDR. Make several copies. Keep one at a friend’s house and one in your car. If you’re doing any kind of professional work, your data may be worth more than your computer. Understand how to backup projects from each type of software. A project file is no good without the media. Make sure that your backup routine includes media, project files, setup files, samples, and any other kind of data that you’d need to reconstruct if it went missing. Do a trial backup and (backups are useless without this) make sure you can restore from the backup. Don’t use weird backup formats that aren’t going to be around in a year or two, or which won’t be supported next time you upgrade your operating system.

Contacting Siren Technical Support:
When contacting technical support there are a several pieces of information which you should have to hand, in order that we can try to resolve your problem as quickly as possible, this varies depending on what you have purchased from us;

A Complete Siren Editing System (PC bought from Siren) or Siren Disc Duplicator:
In this case all you need to hand is the System Serial Number (this can usually be found on a sticker on the rear of the system tower), if you can't get access to the rear of the system the serial number is the same as your invoice number, and is also printed on your system restore disc (PC systems only).

A Video Editing Card/Bundle, a component or software to be installed on an existing system:
In this case please have the following information available before calling; Processor (Make, Model & Speed, eg. Intel Pentium 4 2.4Ghz), Make and Model of the motherboard (eg. ASUS A7M266), Amount of Memory (eg. 256Mb), Number and Capacity of Hard Drives (eg. 1 x 40GB, 1 x 120GB), Make & Model of Graphics Card (eg. 3D Prophet Radeon 9700Pro 128MB), Make &/or model of any other components (eg. soundcard, modem, network card, RAID controller etc.). If you don't have any of this information, please obtain it from your system supplier before contacting Siren Tech Support.

Contacting Tech Support:
You can contact Siren Tech Support by phone or e-mail.

BY PHONE: (0161) 796 5279. This line is usually available between the hours of 9:45am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday, except Bank Holidays.

If you need to contact tech support outside these times you can;

E-MAIL: techsupport@sirentechnology.co.uk
Please include the relevant information outlined above, as well as your own details and, if possible, leave a Daytime Contact Phone Number so that our support staff can get back in touch with you.

Other Sources of Support:
If you have an urgent problem outside the hours of the Siren Tech Support line, we would advise you to contact the relevant manufacturer's own technical support, from the numbers listed below.

Manufacturer's Technical Support:

Adobe: 0207 365 0733
Adobe Technical Support Website.

Canopus: 0870 7776465
Canopus Technical Support Website.

Matrox: 01895 827 300
Matrox Technical Support Website.

Pinnacle: 0207 534 2800
Pinnacle Technical Support Website.