Application NoteBass Management User Guide
Centralized & Distributed Architectures
April 2016

1April 2016

Genelec Bass Management User Guide
Centralized & Distributed Architectures
The purpose of this Application Note is to provide further insights into centralized and distributed bass
management architectures as well as to provide a practical user guide about the inter-compatibility
between various Genelec Smart Active Monitor (SAM) systems.
The terminology used in this document is as follows:•Legacy monitors featuring Non-Distributed Bass Management (N-DBM) include the following
SAM products: 8240, 8250, 8260, 1238CF.

•Legacy subwoofers include the following SAM products: 7260, 7270, 7271. They feature
Centralized Bass Management (CBM), meaning the subwoofer defaults to High Pass filtering itsoutputs. Legacy subwoofers have the additional possibility to be set to a “Pass-Through Mode”
while the Low Pass crossover is engaged. This function is most often used when linking multiple
subwoofers together, but is also important when subwoofers are combined with DBM monitors.

•Latest monitors and subwoofers featuring Distributed Bass Management (DBM) include thefollowing SAM products.
Monitors: 8320, 8330, 8340, 8350, 8351, 1237, 1238, 1238AC, 1238DF, 1234, 1236.
Subwoofers: 7350, 7360, 7370.

Table of Contents:
A. The principle of Bass Management
B. Centralized Bass Management Architecture (CBM)
C. Distributed Bass Management Architecture (DBM)
D. Subwoofer Models and Bass Management Architectures
E. SAM Subwoofer – System Settings User Guide2

A. The principle of Bass Management
The term Bass management means that full bandwidth audio channels are low-pass filtered andcombined in order to be reproduced by one or more subwoofers. Additionally in the multichannelaudio realm, an additional LFE (low frequency effects) channel can also be combined with the low
frequency content.
A Bass Management system uses either analogue electronic circuitry or software-based DSP filtering
which will filter low frequency information from the main channels and route that information to one, ormore, subwoofer feed.
The outputs of the bass management system are directed to two directions: the subwoofer as
mentioned above and the main monitors.

Bass management provides several benefits:• The subwoofer extends the system frequency response down to the lower limit of the audible
range• The monitors can produce a higher maximum sound level when not reproducing low frequencies• It is possible to optimize the low frequency reproduction by selecting an adequate subwoofer
location in the room
• The monitors can be placed with more freedom to control the acoustical environment and toimprove the quality of the audio reproduction• The subwoofer’s output is aligned in level and phase with the monitors allowing flat and accurate
reproduction down to 19 Hz and across the crossover point• The LFE channel output level (0 or +10 dB re. main channels) can be selected for accurate
reproduction depending on the final encoded audio format• The ability to bypass the subwoofer allows evaluation of the audible impact of the subwoofer

B. Centralized Bass Management Architecture (CBM)
The so-called centralized bass management architecture places all audio signal filtering resources in
one central location, the subwoofer bass management unit. This means that all bass-managed
subwoofer outputs provide filtered audio signals:• A low-pass-filtered signal output to the subwoofer driver• A number of high-pass-filtered outputs for each individual monitor(s)Audio channels
Other low frequency
channels and LFE signal3One consequence of using the centralized bass management architecture is that it is mandatory that
all audio signal cabling must first go to the subwoofer containing the bass management unit. Then,each respective audio signal cable will go to each relevant monitor input.

outinC. Distributed Bass Management Architecture (DBM)
The so-called distributed bass management architecture shares the audio signal filtering resources
between the filtering occurring in the subwoofer bass management unit and the filtering occurring ineach individual monitor. This means that each monitor and subwoofer filter locally and individually thenecessary signal using, of course, the same nominal crossover frequency.
• The subwoofer filter provides only a low-pass-filtered signal output for the subwoofer driver• The output from the subwoofer is not modified, but is an exact copy of the input signal and thisapplies to both the analog and AES/EBU inputs• Each monitor applies a high-pass filter to its input signal

Audio channels

Other low frequency
channels and LFE signal

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The distributed bass management architecture allows the audio signal cabling to go:a) First to the subwoofer and then feed all output signals to the respective monitor(s) – (Genelecdefault cabling scheme recommendation).

outinb) In parallel via a split cable to feed both the subwoofer and each appropriate monitor.

inin

D. Subwoofer Models and Bass Management Architectures

Table 1. Subwoofer bass management architectures.

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E. SAM Subwoofer – System Settings User Guide
The combination of Legacy monitors (N-DBM), Legacy subwoofers andLatest monitors and subwoofers (DBM) present some challenges inconnectivity, cabling and GLM 2.0 software system settings.
The following user guide aims to provide a simple checklist chart covering
all possible combinations and scenarios. The terminology used in the tablebelow is:Crossover setting (individual or global):
Forces the same crossover frequency setting in all monitors andsubwoofers (setting ‘global’). When ‘global’ is selected and the subwoofer
bass management settings are changed, all monitors with ‘global’ selected
will follow the changes. When ‘individual’ is selected in a subwoofer ormonitor, it will not follow changes made to the subwoofer bass
management settings at any other part of the system.
Pass Through Mode:
The ‘Pass Through Mode’ setting defaults to OFF. You can force thesubwoofer AES/EBU outputs to ‘Pass Through Mode’ ON. This sends a bit
accurate AES/EBU copy to all outputs.

Table 2. Subwoofer bass management user guide.

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