After a few underwhelming fermentations when pitching the smack pack directly into the primary, I've decided I should start making starters. Here's my question, though ... do I still have to smack the Wyeast pack a few hours prior to pitching into my starter or can I just open the bag and dump it right into the starter. Seems a bit redundant to get the yeast started prior to a 10-18 hour "starting".