Workflow problems jamming with Virus TI in Ableton

[sideshow bob]

I wonder if you guys could help me with this. What I want to be able to do (is it too much to ask?!) is mess around on the virus, tweak automation, and have everything I do recorded in Ableton as either midi or automation so I can go back and edit it later.

Now as far as I see it there are two ways to go here

1. Sequencer mode. Would be the best option, but ableton only records parameters that have already been registered for automation. That's a bit of a game killer. Is there a workaround - a template or script or something? Or has it been fixed in Ableton 9 (I'm still on ?

2. Single mode (& presumably if I got this to work I could get multi to work too). This succeeds in recording all automation as midi CCs but with the disadvantage that initial state of those CCs is not recorded. So if you modify a parameter, when it comes to playback, you have lost the initial value. Is there a workaround for this - without knowing in advance which CCs you will modify - like a button to send all current CC values at once?

Any help much appreciated.