Best neutral "pass-through" settings and method for SPP?

I just received my DP2M -- -- and am hobbled by my ignorance of the Sigma Photo Pro software.

From reading here and elsewhere, I have decided as a starting point to adjust WB as needed in SPP, turn NR all the way down, set Sharpness to -1, and save these converted and adjusted images as 16-bit TIFFs. I will then import these into Aperture (I am an Aperture Certified Pro) for storage, development (i.e.: post-processing), and pre-press.

What is the simplest way to go from the X3F files to a folder of processed TIFFs?

Are there better "base settings" for getting the most data into Aperture, while using the necessary workflow of converting the RAW files using SPP?

One thing which is already bothering me: the images in the larger SPP window have some kind of WB applied. This does not show in the thumbnails, nor in the files I export. I don't understand why.

Thanks in advance.