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Author Topic: THX R2 History Jon Bartow Master Film Handler Posts: 287 From: Massachusetts Registered: Nov 1999 posted 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  |  IP: Logged Chase Taylor Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Troy, Alabama, USA Registered: Mar 2001 posted 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.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 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  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-10-2003 10:27 PM                        Gord, I thought OS/2 ruled  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-10-2003 11:03 PM                     It does but it don't run on the 6088 processor ina HP200LX  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 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  |  IP: Logged Christopher Seo Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 530 From: Los Angeles, CA Registered: Jun 99 posted 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?  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 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  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 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  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 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.)  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 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 ]  |  IP: Logged John Walsh Film God Posts: 2490 From: Connecticut, USA, Earth, Milky Way Registered: Oct 1999 posted 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.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-12-2003 12:27 AM                     Will they offer a trade up  |  IP: Logged Jean-Michel Grin Expert Film Handler Posts: 222 From: Geneva & Lausanne, Switzerland Registered: Jul 2002 posted 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,  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 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  |  IP: Logged

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