Recording Automation with Komplete Kontrol

An Overview by Chris Ankin using Cakewalk Sonar with further contributions for other Platforms & DAWS.

One of Komplete Kontrol's richest accessibility features is the ability to tweak controls via the edit pages of the Keyboard.

Rather than just tweaking in realtime, wouldn't it be great if you could record those knob movements into a track to add more expression and dynamics to your music.... well actually you can using your DAW's track automation!

The exact methods will vary according to the DAW software you use, but as a rule of thumbe whether Windows or MAC there should be a way of recording automation.
Here are some examples to get you started.

Cakewalk Sonar 8.53 on Windows

First add an audio track to your project, then go to the FX tab of your track and insert an instance of Komplete Kontrol as if you would an audio effect rather than the normal insert soft synth.

Then add a midi track and route it to the audio track that has Komplete Kontrol inserted.  Next bring up your plugin from the synth rack and choose the sound you wish to record automation for, once you have made your selection go to the page on it's edit section that has the knob you wish to record movements for, typically this could be frequency cut-off, Resonance or panning etc.

Alt tab back to your track view in Sonar and turn on both read and write automation on the midi track and audio track, move along to your FX tab on the audio track and press the applications key on the Komplete Kontrol instance.

Arrow down the list until you come to read automation, and press enter, tab through the dialog and enable all parameters and press ok, repeat this step for the write automation also.

Now record your musical performance, and edit/quantise as required.  Once you are happy with the recording, you can now record again, this time not using your music keyboard but the parameter assigned knobs on your Komplete Kontrol keyboard.

With luck, these knob movements will now have been recorded, and you can hit play to hear them played back, if you want to re-record you can undo the automation recording as announced in the edit menu.

Points to be aware of, as Sonar 8.53 is quite an old DAW as far as I'm aware the automation modes are limited to simply read/write on/off, there is no latch recording etc, and as such certain parameter recording can sound glitchy rather than smooth particularly in cases such as filter sweeps and such, with this in mind, automation seems to work more effectively with sounds that have short attacks rather than long sustains so that the glitching is less noticeable, drums, sequenced basses etc are quite passable, the key is experimentation when it comes to Sonar.

Also note that these are my current findings as of April 2017, if additional information is found it will be updated here.
Reaper in Windows - Contribution By Kevin Gibbs

The following is a quick note on just how to capture knob moves from your KK hardware  natively, i.e., not in MIDI Mode, within Reaper.  

1.  On a track that has an instance of KK on it, press the letter f to enter the KK plugin window.  2.  Assuming that you are in Plugin Edit Mode, turn any of the eight knobs in any direction to wake them up.   
3.  This will cause the knobs to appear on the screen.  Those of you with vision may be able to see this.  
However, I initially thought you also had to go to the Parameter button and hit Shift SPACE and then choose Show Envelope.  I thought you had to do this for each and every parameter.  It appears that is not the case.  Or, having done it once, you donÕt have to do it again.  
4.  Press Escape to exit the screen and return to the Track view.  
5.  Go to the Track  Menu and up arrow six times to enter the Track Automation Mode submenu.  
6.  At this time, Trim/Read is probably checked.  
7. Down arrow twice to Touch and press ENTER.  
8.  Now, press f again to enter the KK plugin window.  
9.  Press the SPACE BAR to start the project playing.
10.  Begin turning the knob for the parameter whose moves you wish to capture. 
11.  When the recording is finished, escape from the window and return track automation to Trim/read.   You should be able to hear your knob moves played back.  
IMPORTANT: Failing to return the trackÕs automation state to Trim/Read will cause your automation moves to be overwritten the next time the project is played.

The following is a brand new addition courtesy of Jamie which corrects an admonition to always record fader moves within the plugin window.  
  From Jamie:

Actually, if you go to REAPER Preferences -> Plug-ins -> VST and set Parameter automation notifications to Process all notifications, you don't have to be in the plugin window to record the knobs. Automation will just behave as you would expect.  This is a global setting in Preferences and only needs to be done once.