X1 Producer: Adjusting Console VU Readout

I loaded a 7-track midi selection into X1 today and noticed that I was hearing sound coming from specific channels but that the sound levels weren't showing in the VU readout -- or whatever you call it. Then I saw that as a note was struck, the meter would blip upward to some peak value and then all signs of readout would disappear. Oh, and the voices I've selected are 'strings,' which I needn't tell you have just about infinite sustain with no real volume difference from the moment a note is first sounded until it ends.  Which makes this behaviour even more annoying.  So, I vaguely remembered there being an adjustment for this, and I thought I found it.  If I click on Options above the Tracks pane and then Meter Options and then either Playback Meter Options or Bus Meter Options (it doesn't seem to make a difference), I can then select from Peak, RMS or Peak + RMS. Well it seemed that the behavior I was witnessing was Peak, which I didn't much care for, so I selected RMS. And not knowing which to choose, whether Playback or Bus, I selected each. So I go to play the piece again and there's no difference in readout behavior. So this time I try Peak + RMS, really not figuring it's gonna make a difference, but I may as well try. I select it for both Playback and Bus. Still doesn't make a difference in the readout.
 
So I go to poking about a bit more and I find that above the Console pane there is a similar Options command, which has a Meters selection. Interestingly I find that, despite having toggled Peak + RMS in the Options dialog above, it is still set to Peak here, so I proceed to set everything -- Record, Playback, everything, to Peak + RMS. Now I'm feeling quite sure I've found the problem, since this is the Console pane after all, and its the meters in the Console that I'm trying to chance the readout for. But still, no joy.
 
Now it so happens that the synth module I'm using at the moment is TTS-1 and its meter readouts are not behaving in this fashion. That is, they are showing values as long as a note is being sounded.  Well that's all fine and good, but I would still rather that the readouts for a given track agree between the console and the synth. Makes sense?
 
So what else must I do to tell Sonar that I want to see a continuous readout from the meters as long as there is sound in that channel/track? 
 

Actually I don't have a lot of experience. I've just started using Sonar. Years ago, I used Pro Audio 8 and 9, the predecessors to Sonar. I don''t recall their track VUs operating the same way, but it's been a long time.
 
Regarding your comment that the meters only display MIDI activity, well part of MIDI activity is VOLUME, Control Chanel 7, I bellieve it is. Often times volume is continually fluctuating on a channel so it wouldn't make sense that the meter operates only when the MIDI note is first sounded. Further, the Master controls do show continuous sound readout. It's just the meters for the tracks that don't.