Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: THX R2 History

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Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 01-10-2003, 08:53 PM:

Just to satisfy my curiosity, does anyone know some of the history of the THX R2?
For example:
When did THX start making them?
Does THX infact make them or are they outsourced?
Hand-built or mass produced?
Was there an R1?
How many of them exist?
How many versions of the software (I'm using 3.52R, is that the most current?
Any plans for an R3?
Any plans for a GUI version of the software?
And anything else you can think of.
Thanks!
Jonathan

Posted by Chase Taylor (Member # 778) on 01-10-2003, 10:08 PM:

I don't know all the answers but I will answer the ones I do.

When did THX start making them?
?

Does THX infact make them or are they outsourced?
They are outsourtced.

Hand-built or mass produced?
I would not say Hand-built but they are not mass produced.

Was there an R1?
No R2 came from R2-D2

How many of them exist?
?
How many versions of the software (I'm using 3.52R, is that the most current?
?

Any plans for an R3?
The name will still be R2 but with a updated analyzer.

Any plans for a GUI version of the software?
?

Not much info but this is what I know.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-10-2003, 10:22 PM:

The company that made the original R2 went out of business so THX bought the rights to it and That Corp made them for THX (that corp is the offshoot of DBX)
The curent R2 software is v3.62 and the current recert is V3.60
I hope it never leaves the Dos domain as my old HP200LX runs it perfectly even when the laptop dies(Dos rules)(and if you can't handle a comand line don't own a computor)
There has been discusions with other companies to make one as I know Goldline has said they have been working on one

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 01-10-2003, 10:27 PM:

Gord, I thought OS/2 ruled [Confused]

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-10-2003, 11:03 PM:

It does but it don't run on the 6088 processor ina HP200LX

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-10-2003, 11:54 PM:

JOhn said......

"Was there an R1?"

Sort of. There were a limited number of special mic multiplexers built that were used in conjunction with the Ivie PC-40 analyzer. There were pre-R-2 days. There are still some of those being used to this day.
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 01-11-2003, 02:40 AM:

Does anyone know whether the Countryman mics in the R2 are regular stock or custom spec'd? And what the Countryman catalog model number (or nearest equivalent) would be?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-11-2003, 07:49 AM:

The part number for the R2 countryman mics don't seem to match standard ones...they definately don't match the USL supplied mics.

They key to the R2 using the countryman mics is not the microphone but the fact there are software files to offset any microphone frequency response errors. The Countryman mics are not ruler flat. They do have 1/4" elements though and that is one of the properties that THX liked.

The original manufacturer of the R2 did not go out of business (God I hate when people make statements like that). It was originally made by Anchor Audio http://www.anchoraudio.com/
Anchor simply no longer makes the R2.

Steve

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-11-2003, 09:57 AM:

Steve said...
"They key to the R2 using the countryman mics is not the microphone but the fact there are software files to offset any microphone frequency response errors."
___________________________________________________________________

Indeed, that is true but they also selected it because it is as close to having a mic element in free air as one can get and still be somewhat robust so that it wll last.....They claim that a mic with0ut any housing around it would be the ideal mic for the R-2.
Below is a pic of the inside of the analyzer......
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 01-11-2003, 10:33 AM:

I use my HP/Altec 8050A just for A chains & mag. What mic would one use with it? (More for verification than actual tuning which is best done with a multi mic setup.)

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-11-2003, 11:13 AM:

Steve, You can use any "calibrated", free field mic such as the IVIE mic. That would be good for doing both EQ and system balance, and the analyzer should be calibrated as well as the filters are all adjustable in that analyzer. Those used to come with an AKG 451 mic, but not sure which capsule it had. Thes mics have an extremely FLAT responce. A good calibrated mic would cost in excess of 1K new....I suggest checking E-bay for a used one.....
MArk @ CLACO

[ 01-11-2003, 12:51 PM: Message edited by: Mark Gulbrandsen ]

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 01-11-2003, 05:10 PM:

Someone from THX told me they *may* have the new R2 ready to at least demo at Show West.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-12-2003, 12:27 AM:

Will they offer a trade up [Smile]

Posted by Jean-Michel Grin (Member # 1360) on 01-12-2003, 09:39 AM:

Gordon,

Do you experienced disconection problem between the analyser ant the computer ?
For me every 30 minutes, the latop display "Analyser don't answer" and I have to restart the PC and the R2.
I don't understand why THX don't made a setup programm running on Windows. It will munch easier to use it.

Bye,

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-12-2003, 10:07 AM:

Jean,
I've never experienced a disconnection problem on a regular basis. It does happen once in a while though....say, once out of about 6 theatres worth of eq'ing. However, mine will not connect when it has spent some time out in the cold, and I suspect that the crystal oscillators(there are two of them in the R-2) are pretty far off frequency when its really cold. After an hour or so of warming it back up to room temperature then it works fine. The worst problem I've experienced is when a carpet layer guy cut right through one of the mic cables! Ouch....had to finish the job with only three mics running......
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 01-12-2003, 05:01 PM:

Jean-Michel:
The only time that I've ever had a "communication error" eith my R2 is when I tried running the software under Windows. Under DOS, all is good.

Anyone have an older unit than mine? it's S/N 014
Jonathan

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-12-2003, 06:48 PM:

Certain laptops don't comunicate that well as well check the com port speed it should be 9600
Also it works best under real DOS

Posted by Mark Hathaway (Member # 1044) on 01-13-2003, 12:56 AM:

Word was that there is a new version on the way, the "C3". Was even mention of wireless mic's.

If it halved in size (quite easy with modern surface mount technology) and had wireless mic's, it would be a dream.

Our R2 does the strange communications error thing too, sometimes escaping to the first screen and selecting f8 "go" and then exiting the averaging sequence will return the r2 to normal operation. loosing the signal from a mic or two has also been know to happen.
Does everyone elses behave so that the hoast computer must be turned on first or the software won't find the hardware?

Also DON'T sit your notebook ontop of the R2.

Mark Hathaway
Atlab Image and Sound Technology,
Melbourne Australia

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 01-13-2003, 10:02 PM:

I always hve the laptoop on the top of the R2 or the leader scope that is inbetween for A chains
If you get com errors check your comunication settings
Wireless mics are a bit worriesome to me but a wireless plex would be okay

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-13-2003, 10:50 PM:

Mark, What kind of laptop do you have? Some are quite heat sensitive. I always have mine on top of my R-2 when using it....I wired the fan in my Toshiba dinosaur so that it always runs...if the fan isn't running, the laptop gets hotter than hell!

Gord, if I placed the 465 Tektronix scope on top, it would make the R-2 even thinner than it already is....
Mark @ CLACO

Posted by Don Sneed (Member # 955) on 01-14-2003, 01:48 AM:

My R-2 will lock up the laptop when you are in the middle of testing or alignment, damn that sucks !! [Mad]

As for the R-2, I was told THX does not have anymore R-2 units, and does plan on getting anymore, in fact THX called our office looking to see if we wanted to sale one of our R-2 unit to send to Japan....I told the office to say yea, for $65,000.00....they wanted to send it a company that that underbid us on install, [fu]

Posted by Jon Bartow (Member # 241) on 01-14-2003, 08:56 PM:

hmmm... wireless mics
Perhaps a Countryman "EMW" series (very similar to THX's countryman mics) "wireless" type set for flat freq. respose (look here for info) with a system like Shure's ULX system for each mic. They are "freq. agile" meaning that you can select a clean freq "in-the-field". to aviod most freq problems.
Have one remote antenna for the four receivers (actually one pair of antennas) that could be hung out the port-glass.
Then all of the equipment in an SKB (or equivalent) case (with wheels if you want [Big Grin]

)
This would of course have to be calibrated, but right now I don't see why it couldn't work.
It would certainly cut down on the set-up and tear-down time for using an R2 (or C3 [Big Grin]

)
I have acces to some high-end UHF wireless mics, and I would try an experiment, but the mics that go with the R2 require phantom power I believe, and a wireless transmitter does not have full phantom power available.

How long does it take you to set up / tear down your R2? It takes me about 1/2 hour to set-up or tear down (from opening the case to standing in front of the processor ready to go).

I had problems with the R2 software locking up partway through an averageing sequence. The problem was I was running the software in Windows 98 in Dos mode. I even tried different memory settings etc. no go. Tried real Dos 6.22. Worked like a champ. Now I'm running dual-boot on the laptop, Win2k pro and Dos 6.22.
Jonathan

Posted by Mark Hathaway (Member # 1044) on 01-15-2003, 01:46 AM:

We have a tech note from THX stating that notebooks should not be placed ontop of an R2.

We've always run R2 under dos, not a dos box or under windows.

When working to nearly impossible deadlinesm, the 4 mic leads have known to become one big birds nest.

Mark Hathaway
Atlab Image and Sound Technology
Melbourne, Australia.