Control Surface automation still broken in 10.3!

I've been having this very same problem in 10.2.2 right up to the current update 10.3. Before 10.2.2 this was fine. 

I'm using a Focusrite Control 2802 that works on the Mackie HUI protocol. It's fine when there are no plugins on the session, but when I come to automating and there are plugins on the session the automation on the control surface is unusable. Touch and latch automation do not work at all in the way they should and are unusable. Really really disappointing. It makes my desk pointless for me, and I can't believe it's not been fixed in the latest update. If anyone has a workaround, or even a fix, I'd love to hear it!

I too have been having plugin parameter automation problems. I'm using a MIDI controller (FCB1010) through controller assignments to track control plugin bypass, pedalboard effects, and S-Gear to record live guitar performances. I'm using Write automation mode to capture the initial performance. I have two specific issues that might be similar to what you are experiencing.

First is obtaining initial plugin parameter values when Write automation starts. Some parameters are correct, others are not initialized and don't get a value until they change later in the track. This causes the new automated parameter value to go all the way back to the beginning of a track. For example, Say S-Gear Drive is off when Write automation starts. Later you press an FCB1010 footswitch which turns Drive on. Drive will turn on in the plugin, but the automation value (1.0) goes all the way back to the beginning of the track. When you playback Drive will be on when its not suppose to be. I have notified support at scuffhamamps.com, and Mike tells me that this is a known problem with Logic Pro X that is not any issue with other DAWs that use AU plugins.

The second issue I have is incorrect capturing of automation values for specific plugin parameters. Take S-Gear Drive again as an example. The controller assignment changes the Drive parameter between 0.0 and 1.0 as specified by the S-Gear manual. This works fine. But when the automation of this parameter change is captured, sometime an automation point is dropped and instead of changing immediately from say off (0.0) to on (1.0) a ramp in inserted that gradually changes the value continuously from 0 to 1 from the previous automation point.

Both of these issues make it impossible for me to record automation when using S-Gear. 

For background, we use Logic as our digital mixer and multi-track recorder for rehearsals. Everything goes through Logic with plugins providing the guitar (S-Gear) and bass amps (Cerberus), 5 different tracks for two keyboard controllers, and Logic DrumKits driven by MIDI from a Roland MIDI drum kit. This is all monitored through headphones. We'd like to record arrangements of new songs, and need automation for the two guitar tracks. I had to give up on this and use bus sends to a single stereo audio track to get useful recordings. 

I had to delete ALL the controller assignments for my Mackie, and it rebuilt them upon loading Logic up again.

Before that i had many oddities taking place when using it, lights going mad, automation not working etc.

I had to delete ALL the controller assignments for my Mackie, and it rebuilt them upon loading Logic up again.

 

Before that i had many oddities taking place when using it, lights going mad, automation not working etc.

I've tried this many times and unfortunately no fix at all for me. Are you using the Mackie HUI protocol? 

All I really want to do is make basic fader moves in Touch or Latch, and this hasn't been possible for over a year now due to this problem. I just downloaded the ProTools demo to test it out and everything is working fine there. I've been considering making the jump in the studio for a while so if it isn't fixed in the next update I may be forced to start mixing in another DAW.

Load logic up without your Mackie turned on,

Firstly, remove it from the Control Surface setup screen,

Then remove all the controller assignments.  (You can just delete the zones for your Mackie - quite easy).

Once done, QUIT logic, turn your Mackie back on, and restart Logic.

That will fix it 100%,

Load logic up without your Mackie turned on,

 

Firstly, remove it from the Control Surface setup screen,

Then remove all the controller assignments.  (You can just delete the zones for your Mackie - quite easy).

Once done, QUIT logic, turn your Mackie back on, and restart Logic.

 

That will fix it 100%,

I'm afraid this doesn't work, and I've tried it several times, this is a longstanding problem. We're now on 10.2.3 and it's still an issue. I'm using a Focusrite Control 2802 on the Mackie HUI protocol.

When the session is empty ie no plugins the automation seems to work as expected. As soon as you've got any plugins on a track/buss then it becomes unusable in Touch/Latch mode..