but I'm wondering if there is an "Advanced" button,

I'll go search it out. Will look in "help" and everywhere else.

In SONAR 8, the checkbox to record Controllers is under Options > Global >  MIDI tab, and the Prepare Using buffer setting is at the bottom of that same page. My guess is they will both be correct if you haven't been in there before.
 
Your sustain pedal should definitely remain plugged into the back of the RS-70. The pedal is just an on/off switch (in most cases); it's the keyboard that generates the CC64 pedal messages that get transmitted to SONAR.
 
From everything you've said, I'm pretty confident the sustain messages are reaching SONAR and getting recorded, and I can't think why the RS-70 wouldn't respond to them on playback if it's responding to note events.
 
In any case, I would not worry about installing Sustainfix; CC123 is not the problem.
 
At this point, you just need to check the MIDI message flow step by step:
 
1. Verify the CC64 controller events are getting recorded with values of 127 for down, and 0 for up, with the same channel as the notes (all this is visible in the Event List view menitoned previously)
2. The controller events are registered in the track's MIDI output meter on playback (you might need to record just some pedal events to be sure)
3. The pedal event register in SONAR's MIDI out indicator in the System Tray.
4. the RS-70 is receiving the controller events. unfortunately, yo're kind of out of luck here because it appears the RS-70 does not have MIDI I/O activity indicators. The evidence will have to be that notes are sustained as expected.
 
You're looking for something like this in the Event List:

 
 
 
 
 
 

YES!! YES!! YES!! The controller in the midi tab was NOT selected! I checked it and recorded again and my beautiful sustain was there!!!!! I knew it would be one tiny little adjustment!
 
I first recorded a bit with pedal and looked at events list and zip, nothing. Not a single 127 or 0 anywhere on it. Then I went into the Options and found the Controller unchecked, I thought, please God, went back and recorded another piece and it was there! It was wonderfully and beautifully there.
 
Brundlfly what can I say or do to thank you for all the blessed trouble you went to to help me. God bless you, and everyone here that also contributed there time.
 
Now to FINALLY get to my song, my 7 minute song. You watch, it'll turn out to be a complete bore after all this. But I don't care. It's going to be fun!
 
 

Yay, beautiful sustain!
 
Dave, do you still have 8 installed or did you just remember Options > Global >  MIDI tab ? That was a while ago. I don't even have a copy of the Sonar 8 manual online any more.

Yes, I still have all versions from 8.0 on. I even used to have 6 and 7 on this machine; it's old, and has never seen an O/S rebuild, only an upgrade from XP to Win7, and a CPU swap.
 
Good call on the Controllers checkbox, I never would have expected that to be unchecked. OP needs to go smack his brother around for doing that, and not remembering. 
 
Pat, I'm happy for you, and glad to help. Enjoy! See you 'round the forum. 
 
Dave
 
 

Yay, beautiful sustain!

Yes, oh my gosh it's great. The last 4 hours I've been working on the song. Have been trying to tweak the very nice and harsh overdrive guitar patch from the RS 70 to sound like it needs to on the pattern. Loving it all.
 

OP needs to go smack his brother around for doing that, and not remembering.

I think I'll just tie a sock around the neck of his guitar!
Oh by the way... Pat is short for Patricia... yeah, I'm a dumb girl.
 

Enjoy! See you 'round the forum.

For sure Dave. Best forum ever!

sequen
Pat is short for Patricia.

Ah, doubly welcome, then. Far too few women around here. Curse Mattel for producing that "MIDI is hard!" Barbie.  

 Curse Mattel for producing that "MIDI is hard!" Barbie. 

Hey I got that Barbie.... and immediately pulled her head off. Very vindicating. But I am very lazy about getting it on midi. I'm a musician for God sake, not a geek! This song, which is probably the hardest song I've written in my life, (why do I do this?) but in it, I must be a progressive drummer that will dress up the meter with off beat toms and rolls; a bass player that I prefer walking it all up and down the scale to interact nicely with the drums; a bridge that will include fast distorted guitar licks that will accent a grand piano in the background; then, one must mix it all down right...... all this on top of keeping the midi behaving right. On top of this, my brother is coming over Sunday to add a Kurzweil box component for better sounds and I just know he's going to find my song and try to adjust/delete every controller note that he will believe is hurting the song.. But I've had the best day today. And thank you again Dave. I'm certain I'll be showing up here with new stupid Barbie questions.... you might want to run right now.