MMR-8 Film Connections
Although the MMR-8 can only be controlled by one film transport bus at a time, there are four film transport connections (biphase input) on the UI/B card on the rear panel. These connections
allow a single MMR-8 to be switched between up to four projection/mix-down rooms when it is placed into a main machine room. The biphase input that the MMR-8 follows is set using the Sync Group menu
100.The four inputs are grouped together in the lower part of the UI/B card and are numbered 1 - 4 (top to bottom) to match Sync Groups 1 - 4 (selected through menu 100). Not intended for public telecommunication network connection.
The MMR-8 can only control one film transport bus, which is connected to the biphase output connector at the top of BIPH card on the MMR-8 rear panel.
All biphase connectors use standard 6-pin modular telephone plugs (RJ12, the same type used on 3-line telephone systems) so that up to 1,000 feet of standard 6-wire phone wiring can be run to the various film transports. A terminal strip (or a 6-wire surface mount jack) can be used to adapt the film transport connector wiring to the MMR-8 wiring.
These connections are normally done for post production final mixing sessions. Other post production duties, such as ADR and Foley would use the same connections if a film transport or dubber was to be involved. In both of these applications the MMR-8 would be set up to record the dialog and Foley sounds directly to the disk that would be moved back to the original DAW editor.
As in all uses of the MMR-8, the Lynx and/or MMR buses can be used by the MMR-8 to control any number of additional audio and video equipment even though that MMR-8 is being controlled by the film transport.
Video Post Production
In video post production the MMR-8 is typically slaved to a video tape recorder. In this use the VTR’s time code output is the time code reference for the MMR-8. If the VTR is connected to a house sync signal, then the MMR-8 should also be connected to house sync (through the Video In connector) and should use that signal as the frame reference. In lieu of house sync, the VTR’s video output would connect to the MMR-8’s Video In for the frame reference source. The MMR-8, although time code slaved to the VTR, typically also functions as a master for any other audio devices on the Lynx and/or MMR buses.
The Lynx Bus
The Lynx Bus is an asynchronous communications bus that transmits a frame clock as well as time code and motion commands between the MMR-8 and other devices using an RS-422 serial communications bus operating at 38.4 KBaud. Up to 1,000 feet of cabling can be used in the bus system with each device connecting via 9-pin D-sub connectors. All that is required to build-up a Lynx bus is to daisy-chain each Lynx bus device to the next one in line along with a separate house sync connection. Each Lynx-2 box has two Lynx bus loop-through connections just like each MMR-8. A Lynx-2 interface is necessary to connect each remote controllable audio or video device to the Lynx bus. A Lynx Keyboard Control Unit KCU can also be connected directly to the Lynx bus to allow independent and grouped remote control of up to six Lynx bus connected machines. This is described in more detail in Chapter 4 MMR-8 Setup Menus.
