As it stands, each SS lane's note must be assigned manually, which is tedious and time-consuming.  So, I would like to have some better options for automatically assigning the notes in the SS, such as an option to change all note assignments simultaneously when one note is changed.  For example, if I change one note to correspond with e.g., a cell in Battery 4, it would be great to have the option to have the remaining note assignments change incrementally (ascending or descending relative to the changed note) as well.
 
It would be even cooler if it had some sort of note recognition option, where I could just click on a cell in Battery, Nerve, etc. or play a note or drum pad on a controller and have the SS automatically assign the corresponding lane to that note.  I particularly like this option because not all MIDI controllers or instruments use the same note assignments (e.g., C4 on one can be C3 or C5 on another).

I'll add that a "step sequencer template" would be a good idea.  You set up the notes and names you want in SS and then you can recall it easily.  I don't think it saves with track templates (but I could be wrong).

I'd like to see a full redesign. Maybe tear it up and start again.

dwardzala
I'll add that a "step sequencer template" would be a good idea.  You set up the notes and names you want in SS and then you can recall it easily.  

I like that idea as well.  I was sorta thinking that maybe an "Insert SS" dialog box might be useful, where you could ID the start/end notes (with the ability to recognize those notes by playing/clicking on them, as I mentioned in my OP), identify the intervals between the start/end notes (e.g., chromatic, or based on major, minor scales, etc) and it would be created for you just like that.  It would also be great if the SS "remembered" the intervals for each instance, so that any lanes that get subsequently added follow the correct interval (e.g., adding a lane to a minor scale SS adds the next note in the scale, rather than simply the next chromatic interval).  Maybe that's asking too much, but it would certainly be a huge improvement.

Doktor Avalanche
I'd like to see a full redesign. Maybe tear it up and start again.

Really?  Personally, I think it's brilliant and one of the more attractive/unique features of Sonar, particularly for sequencing drums and percussion.  The only thing that I think needs considerable improvement is the note assignments, but maybe we just use it differently???

I use it for drum sequencing, as well.  I had issues using drum maps with Step Sequencer, so I just leave the notes there and have a printed out Word document with the associated Note Numbers and kit pieces I use.
 
I would likely use a CAL script to change all occurrences of one note to another.  There are all kinds of scripts that loop through note events, and it would seem quite a simple thing to accomplish this, allowing the dynamic specification of a target note, as well a the dynamic specification of the new note to change it to.
 
Bob Bone
 

Doktor Avalanche
I'd like to see a full redesign. Maybe tear it up and start again.

cryophonik
Really?  Personally, I think it's brilliant and one of the more attractive/unique features of Sonar, particularly for sequencing drums and percussion.  The only thing that I think needs considerable improvement is the note assignments, but maybe we just use it differently???

Have a go at Geist I suggest...
http://www.fxpansion.com/index.php?page=120
 

I've owned both Geist and Guru and I sold both of them. They're the only FXpansion products that I don't care for.

dwardzala
I'll add that a "step sequencer template" would be a good idea.  You set up the notes and names you want in SS and then you can recall it easily.  I don't think it saves with track templates (but I could be wrong).

I've done that in terms of saving a SS pattern as a blank template with the drum names in; one for Steven slate drums and one for addictive. I wish there was some way to make it load as a default though.

Would like option when copying and pasting to unlink and ungroup