Switching subwoofer from "discrete mode" to "stereo mode"?

[Slerker]

Hi all!

Asking perhaps a novice question here, but I'm pretty new to audio post so bear with me. I've been mixing in surround at a facility for the last few weeks, and all has gone well. The outputs of the interface go via a Multimax EX controller to a Genelec 5.1 monitor system.

Now, I am asked to do a stereo project on the same system, and I am uncertain on how to deal with the bass management. I understand that in a stereo project I have no discrete subwoofer, but I would like the subwoofer to take care of all frequencies below a set cutoff, in order to mimic what people watching with a home cinema system would experience, right? (or wrong, I'm on thin ice here)

Since the subwoofer of the Genelec system is linked to an output on the interface (output 4 in my case, as it is wired in a LRCLfeLrRs configuration), running stereo material on the system bypasses the subwoofer entirely. How do I go about changing so that the subwoofer stops acting as a discrete speaker, and kicks in as a bass enhancer for my stereo material? Do I change a setting on the Genelecs? Or in the Multimax setup? Or do I even want to change anything at all?

Your help and patience is much appreciated,
/Eric