I tried two different scenarios switching Edit Filters on multiple selected tracks (i.e. hold Ctrl, change edit filter):
 

1. Changing the Edit Filters on multiple audio tracks worked as expected.  In this scenario, the tracks had been inserted/created as audio.
2. I then created some audio tracks by freezing soft synths. When attempting to change the Edit Filter to volume automation on these tracks, the Edit Filter only switched the automation on one track, not all the selected tracks.  I expected to see Volume automation on all the selected tracks.  Oddly, switching the Edit Filter back to "Clips" worked on all the selected tracks as expected.   

 
Bruce, you mention soft synths -- I wonder if the issue you're seeing follows any of these scenarios. Perhaps this would help narrow down the issue.
 
Edit: While typing this reply, a few more posts appeared.  Perhaps my scenarios aren't relevant!  BTW, in scenario #2, I did a bounce before freezing.

to make a finished mix down, you do use the export function.
Cactus knows what he is talking about. he is one of the brighter guys on this forum.
your lucky to have him helping you. just explain your problem clear and precise.
 
bounce to tracks is for internal project work. to save CPU, or make custom mixes within your mix.
Export is for finished product mixes.

Tom B:
Thanks for your information.
I just had a similar situation where I would select either multiple Audio tracks or Multiple Soft Synth tracks
Audio tracks: select multiple, hold CONTROL, change view filter, only switches one at a time from clips but does switch them all back from Automation.
Instrument tracks: SAME RESULTS AS AUDIO TRACKS.

ChuckEBaby:
I'm quite certain that if you select multiple tracks and then select Bounce to TRACKS, a dialog box comes up to ask you if you want a new stereo track (in my case, stereo) but that new bounced track does not resemble the original pre-bounced tracks...AND IT SHOULD.

Cactus:
ChuckEBaby:
 
FROM the cakewalk website:
 
https://www.cakewalk.com/Documentation?product=SONAR%20X3&language=3&help=Mixing.45.html
Bouncing tracks
The Track view Tracks > Bounce to Track(s) command lets you combine one or more audio tracks into a submix. A submix can be a mono track, a stereo track or several mono tracks that contain the mixture of the original tracks, preserving the volume, pan, and effects for each track. If you’re bouncing tracks that are routed to a surround bus (SONAR Producer only), you can bounce them to as many mono tracks as you have surround channels, by choosing the Split Mono option in the Channel Format field of the Bounce to Tracks dialog box, and also choosing a surround bus in the Source Category field. After their creation, the submix tracks are just like any other tracks—you can edit them, add effects, copy them to another project, etc. The original, unmixed audio tracks are not deleted, so you can archive them and recover them later, or continue using them as before.

bgl1
Tom B:
Thanks for your information.
I just had a similar situation where I would select either multiple Audio tracks or Multiple Soft Synth tracks
Audio tracks: select multiple, hold CONTROL, change view filter, only switches one at a time from clips but does switch them all back from Automation.
Instrument tracks: SAME RESULTS AS AUDIO TRACKS.

Your experience with the "Instrument Tracks" seems quite similar as my scenario #2.
However, I had no problems switching automation filters on multiple Audio tracks as described in scenario #1. 
 
Sorry I can't be of more help. 
 
 
 

That's OK, Tom. Thanks.

I truly don't understand your mixdown process. You bounce a number of tracks to a stereo buss, but I don't know what the destination is. Normally I would bounce 8 mono drum tracks to 1 stereo track as a mixdown. I've never bounced to a stereo buss. When I want a song mix, then I export to WAV or MP3 via the Master Out buss.
 
As for automation, lanes seems to be the way Cakewalk is going. Better to deal with it than to try and make it work like another DAW.

080316
Today I created 4 audio tracks in a new session file
and
4 instrument tracks in the same session
Cakewalk Sonar Platinum (22.7.0)
As is shown in the reference manual, I selected multiple tracks (either all audio tracks, or all instrument tracks or simply ALL tracks) and held [control] edit view and switched from clips to automation, back to clips. All audio tracks worked fine. Instrument tracks did not.
This is not acceptable. I've been told this is not how Cakewalk Sonar Platinum is going,
BUT
if you list a function in your reference manual...and it DOES NOT work, your program is malfunctioning and needs to be fixed. I've reported this problem quite a few times in the last 8 months and Cakewalk techs have not fixed the problem. IT IS A PROBLEM. STILL.
 
(asus laptop, 2.4gig, 3rd generation intel i7 processor, 16gig RAM)

I don't mind offering my help to people but when it appears as if those people don't want it, OR don't appreciate it. I have no further interest.
im guessing others will feel the same. We are not paid tech support, we are users just like you offering up our help free of charge because we like to see people like you be able to make music without issue.
with that being said, im done here.
 
Good luck