Hello everyone, here is the problem:
If I want to record automation data from the Arturia PolyBrute in Ableton Live 12, I cannot do it directly on the track because when playing back, the display of the recorded automation data immediately disappears and only aftertouch automation data are shown.
According to Arturia and Ableton Support, this is due to Ableton Live, and they recommend recording the automation data on a separate track. However, this is very inconvenient as it disrupts the workflow.
Does anyone have experience with this or suggestions for a solution? That would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much and best regards.
Automation recording with Arturia PolyBrute is not recordable
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chapelier fou
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- Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 12:15 pm
Re: Automation recording with Arturia PolyBrute is not recordable
Can you turn local control off on the synth ?
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Re: Automation recording with Arturia PolyBrute is not recordable
Yes, LOCAL CONTROL is off.
Here is what Arturia wrote to that issue:
Andrés (Arturia Support)
Feb 10, 2026, 06:34 GMT+1
Hi,
Thanks for the clear description, this helped a lot.
What you’re running into is a Live + NRPN interaction, not a PolyBrute fault.
When you move controls on the PolyBrute, the hardware sends NRPN/Data Entry MIDI messages. If Ableton Live records those at the same time as PolyBrute Connect automation, Live can get confused about which data “owns” the parameter. When playback starts, Live often gives priority to the MIDI NRPN stream and greys out or disables the PolyBrute Connect envelope (sometimes switching the view to Aftertouch).
That’s why it looks like the automation works while recording, then turns inactive as soon as notes play.
How to avoid it
The key is to make sure Live only records PolyBrute Connect automation, not raw NRPN MIDI:
In Live Preferences → Link/MIDI, don’t enable Track/Sync/Remote on the PolyBrute “VST” port
Record parameter changes through PolyBrute Connect, and record audio on a separate audio track
Avoid recording hardware MIDI CC/NRPN data into the same clip
If it already happened
You can fix existing clips by opening them and deleting the MIDI lanes (CC 6, 38, 98, 99 / Aftertouch). Once those are gone, the PolyBrute Connect automation should stay active and play back normally.
Bottom line
This isn’t a bug or a hardware issue, it’s a limitation in how Ableton Live handles NRPN MIDI + plugin automation together. Keeping NRPN data out of the clip is the clean workaround.
Here is what Arturia wrote to that issue:
Andrés (Arturia Support)
Feb 10, 2026, 06:34 GMT+1
Hi,
Thanks for the clear description, this helped a lot.
What you’re running into is a Live + NRPN interaction, not a PolyBrute fault.
When you move controls on the PolyBrute, the hardware sends NRPN/Data Entry MIDI messages. If Ableton Live records those at the same time as PolyBrute Connect automation, Live can get confused about which data “owns” the parameter. When playback starts, Live often gives priority to the MIDI NRPN stream and greys out or disables the PolyBrute Connect envelope (sometimes switching the view to Aftertouch).
That’s why it looks like the automation works while recording, then turns inactive as soon as notes play.
How to avoid it
The key is to make sure Live only records PolyBrute Connect automation, not raw NRPN MIDI:
In Live Preferences → Link/MIDI, don’t enable Track/Sync/Remote on the PolyBrute “VST” port
Record parameter changes through PolyBrute Connect, and record audio on a separate audio track
Avoid recording hardware MIDI CC/NRPN data into the same clip
If it already happened
You can fix existing clips by opening them and deleting the MIDI lanes (CC 6, 38, 98, 99 / Aftertouch). Once those are gone, the PolyBrute Connect automation should stay active and play back normally.
Bottom line
This isn’t a bug or a hardware issue, it’s a limitation in how Ableton Live handles NRPN MIDI + plugin automation together. Keeping NRPN data out of the clip is the clean workaround.