SMS-1 setup help for LFE w/flat full-range mains

OK, I've done quite a bit with the SMS-1 so far, but mostly with temporary setups. I'd been wanting a Paradigm Servo 15 to serve as my LFE sub, and so I borrowed a Klipsch 12 for awhile. Now my Servo 15 V1 s here, unpacked and ready to go.

I use stereo Sunfire subs to augment/fill-in my front VMPS RM/X speakers, and I used the SMS-1 to help me set them up too (not EQ'd of course, but used the measuring capability to help position, phase and level set them to integrate as well as possible with my front mains. So, let's assume for a second that my main speaker set is now flat 20-20 (it isn't but it's damn good). So how do I level set the Paradigm for a 5.1 or 7.1 setup? I mean, if I use the SMS-1 tip to raise the fronts to a certain level while muting the Servo the SMS-1 graph is flat and has no room for another sub. Should I:
1) discconnect the augmented stereo subs and play the mains without them just so I can get the levels right for the Paragigm Servo, then shut off the mains?
2) should I not even turn on the mains, but play the sweep through the center and the 3 sets (one set for 5.1, two different sets for 7.1 of surrounds (like party mode or something) and get the level set that way?
3) just play the center channel or just one non-subbed main channel and set the sub to that level...seems it would be too low with one speaker......

I'm having a brain lock. I'm decent at manaually Eq'ing by now, but not sure what to integrate/level set to for LFE...since my mains are already "flat" 20-20.
Thx
Ted

I take it that your mains (the combination of Sunfire subs and VMPS RM/X's) are being run large. This means that the Servo 15 will only be active for the .1 LFE track and for low frequency data crossed over from other speakers (assuming that your processor steers the data to the sub and not the mains), which is fine but poses one problem: setup. The easiest way to do that is to temporarily set the mains to "small" with a crossover of at least 80Hz (you might even bump the crossover to its highest setting, since your sub will see some LFE channel data above 80Hz) for the purpose of dialing in the Servo 15. If your processor supports bass management of the multichannel analog input, you could also connect the SMS-1's EQ outputs to the left and right surrounds of the multichannel analog input and see what it does, but I'd personally prefer to just set the mains to small temporarily. Turning off the subs wouldn't help any, because what you need is to make sure your receiver or processor is applying bass management to the left and right channel inputs. Once you've got your mains set to small, set the SMS-1's input to stereo (no surround processing or analog bypass), get the receiver volume adjusted so the mains are playing at around 80dB, and adjust the SMS-1's volume so that the Servo 15 is doing about the same. Then tweak EQ's to your heart's content.

If you haven't done so already, I'd also recommend disabling the SMS-1's low-pass crossover (highlight the "SETUP" entry for the "Low Pass Xover Freq" on the System Setup screen, press "Select", press "Reset", and press "Select" again to turn the low pass off).

Did you mean "set the processor's input to stereo (no surround processing or analog bypass)"? You said "SMS-1" but not sure it can be set to anything but mono. And yep, I turn off the xover in the SMS-1.....I'll experiment and let you know. My Denon 4806 has separate crossover levels for all speakers, including the lfe channel. I'll set the mains as high as possible and match the lfe crossover the same.
Thx
Ted

When I said "set the SMS-1's input to stereo" I was talking about the input of the processor that the SMS-1 is connected to - wanted to make sure the SMS-1's test tone sweeps weren't getting run through an analog bypass (which would typically skip bass management) or any unnecessary surround processing.

Reran it tonight. Come to find out I had already set my fronts to "small 40hz" as per some recommendations in the Denon 4806 threads (audyssey recommends it, but Denon sets anything under 80hz as large...can be overriden). Anyway, although it had no bearing on analog bypass (fronts set to large) it clearly had a bearing on trying to set up the Servo 15 last night...anything I did above 40hz was meaningless.

Tonight I set both fronts and LFE chanel to 100hz and reEQ'd, then rest my crossovers in the 4806 back to small 40hz (still debating "large', it only pertains to movies) and LFE of 90hz. My only concern now is that even with the Servo's gain set to about 1/3 my volume preset on the SMS-1 is only 9. That's what it takes to get a "flat" reading with the fronts at about 80-82 db. So far it sounds very good. Thx again,
Ted

I wouldn't worry about the SMS-1's volume - it's just one of three gain controls so the exact value is going to vary widely from case to case. I run mine around 10 or 12 myself.