Whenever I try to record automation on the X/Y grid, it repeatedly disables automation on Ableton. That's part of the appeal of RANDOM so it'd be really good to know how to override that.
In addition to controlling the internal parameters of the synth, the XY also acts as a meta parameter, controlling the stress, spike, bleed and fluid parameters, by default. You can deactivate this behavior by clicking the 3 toggles near these controls.
Try activating these toggles (white state) before you record your automation.
