One fact that is not commonly discussed is the bacterial phases during lifecycle. There's lag, growth, stasis, and death. Tangential rate of acid development (meaning pH curve) loosely follows these phases. If you start out with DVI, there is a hell of a lot of work those bacteria have to do in order to reach a state of competition and vitality, to where their primary emphasis is on reproduction (meaning rapid metabolism and acid production, because reproduction is strenuous work). It's like when you're going on a hot date... you have to get ready. Same for bacteria, because even ones that primarily reproduce asexually often carry out conjugation.
That long, long lag time means that rate of acid production severely drags at first, but then drastically overshoots later with DVI. With frozen or mother starters, those bacteria wake up a little, and they're good to go.
As for your question, just abandon all those approaches for the recipe amounts. Use the manufacturer suggestions and the equivalent practices for smaller-scale use. Scale down the amounts and you should be good to go.