Let us show other users your SONAR tricks

Use Save As or Save Copy As as your project progresses so you can always return specific versions is case of mistakes, crashes or corruption. Use "Per Project Folders" with "Copy all audio with project" options selected and choose a new destination (like an external drive) to make occasional backups of your work(s) in progress for extra security.
 
/captain obvious

Route all like instruments to busses for easy volume level management. eg: All drums > Drum Bus > Master Bus. All Rhythm Guits > Rhythm Guit bus > Master Bus, etc.
 
PS: I don't want credit for anything I post popping up on people's Quickstart screens. I annoy enough people here with my constant posting without invading the sanctity of their DAWs. lulz

In a follow up to beepsters comment on busses. Put everything you send to a single bus into a folder. Group drums into a folder, bass guitars into a folder, guitars into a folder, vocals into a folder, etc. 
 
Everything in a folder goes to a buss > master arrangement. 
 
Keeps everything clean, collapse all the folders sans what you're working on. Makes it easy to solo/mute,  the group (even without using quick groups), etc.
 
edit - Haha, beepster updated that while I was typing my note!!
 
gabo

Take note of the number below the meters. It shows you the peak level for what you played last. If you play a song all the way through it will show the peak level of the track/bus/master for the entire song.

To quickly and accurately set an initial tempo for a new project before recording:
 
- Disable Stop at Project End in Track View Options if it isn't already so you can run the transport in an empty project.
- Start playback with no click sounding, count off several measures in your head, and stop the transport on the next downbeat.
- Shift+M to open Set Measure/Beat At Now, enter that measure and beat and Okay.
- SONAR will automatically reset the initial tempo to make the specified timeline beat fall on the absolute Now time where you stopped the transport.
 
This works especially well when setting a tempo for someone else. You can just ask them to count, clap or play a steady tempo on an instrument, and start/stop the transport on their count.
 
Note that SONAR will also insert a matching tempo at the beat you set. This extra tempo map entry won't matter unless you want to change the initial tempo (e.g. to round it to the nearest whole number). In that case, you'll want to delete the extra entry (Views > Tempo). 
 
 
 

Perhaps someone can word this better for me. 
 
Need more effect on a specific phrase? Put desired effect on a bus and send it to your track. Use automation to control the send level at specific points. Isolate the word, phrase, or any part you want by clicking a couple nodes at each end. Click additionally needed nodes in between to adjust to your liking. (I usually use this for reverb and echo/delays)

Hope I'm not duplicating anything.
 
#1. PDC button in Control Bar - to create a vip lane for monitoring through Sonar.
Lifesaver when needing to record something late in mixing process.
Gobal bypass is up there too.
 
#2. Dim on Solo - to not flood phones with more than you need for a take.
 
#3. Track templates - yet another lifesaver.
Multimike setup in a flash, full setup of brass section with busses and all.
There is no limit what you can use it for.

You can create more realistic drum parts by using the Quantize and Velocity MIDI plugins on your drum tracks to randomly vary the timing and velocity of the hits.