Tunerman
I spent most of today editing MIDI.  And had the same problem as the OP. It got to be very frustrating to say the least!
 
Just as he experienced, it would often take several attempts to lasso a group of notes w/o the Properties box appearing. I'd try lassoing a thin box (everything the box touches should activate) and it didn't work. Try to lasso large areas, like most of the notes within the box, and still get properties dialogue. Over and over until it 'stuck' and I could edit as I wanted.
 
Didn't try to pin down the problem and find a solution today as I didn't have the time to stop what I was doing. I'll have more time in the next few days to research.
 
Just reinforcing what the OP reported. Left-click, hold and lasso is not working as intended for me.

So is the issue lassoing large number of notes rather than small numbers? In which case this would point to an inefficiency with the Sonar code. If this is a "large area" might be best to post screenshots so we can try and repro it better. Try and drag in a midi clip from the content library (let us know which clip you dragged in). This may help us get the specific conditions to repro.
 
If the issue is about dragging multiple times then maybe something to do with the code and the clipboard and KVM messages.
 
We need more specifics please. In the meantime you could you try post #37 that may make the difference (KVM messages may be more efficient after that).

This is super easy to reproduce. Right-clicking where there isn't a note opens the context menu. So if you're trying to select one or more notes by right click-dragging, and you start your click-drag where there's no note (which is perfectly fine), if you let your finger up for a split second before you drag the cursor onto a note, the context menu opens. 
 
It's easy to do because the right mouse button is controlled by your middle finger which is a little weaker and a little less coordinated than your index finger.
 
It's a pain and workflow killer because if all that happened was you lost the drawing rectangle, you could just click drag again. But because the context menu pops up, you have to his the escape key to make it go away before you can try again. 
 
If we can customization you could assign the context menu function somewhere else so this wouldn't happen.

Notecrusher
...if you let your finger up for a split second before you drag the cursor onto a note, the context menu opens. 

 
That's not happening in the OP's video. Somethings definitely not right with what's shown the video, but I can't reproduce it.

brundlefly

Notecrusher
...if you let your finger up for a split second before you drag the cursor onto a note, the context menu opens. 

 
That's not happening in the OP's video. Somethings definitely not right with what's shown the video, but I can't reproduce it.

What happens in the video is when he releases the button after he's done selecting he slightly taps the button. Remember -- right mouse button on no note opens the context menu. And again, the middle finger is a little less coordinated. Easy to repro.

Notecrusher

brundlefly

Notecrusher
...if you let your finger up for a split second before you drag the cursor onto a note, the context menu opens. 

 
That's not happening in the OP's video. Somethings definitely not right with what's shown the video, but I can't reproduce it.

What happens in the video is when he releases the button after he's done selecting he slightly taps the button. Remember -- right mouse button on no note opens the context menu. And again, the middle finger is a little less coordinated. Easy to repro.

Several things tell me that's not what's happening:
 
1. The note is never getting selected even for a moment. If he were getting an inadvertent double-click on releasing the button after lassoing, the note he lassoed would be selected/darkened for a moment before the context menu opened.
 
2. The context menu is opening so immediately after the lasso highlight disappears, it seems pretty clearly to be the result of a single mouse-switch event.
 
3. Granted, my middle finger is getting quite coordinated from all the practice it gets while commuting to work these days , but I can't repro the problem no matter how fast and sloppy I work.

I tried this to see if I could duplicate the problem. I right click drag and it selected the note and notes within the drag area as is to be expected. The video appears to indicate a faulty mouse. This was done in the PRV Sonar Platinum 64 bit F. In the In line PRV it has selected the area that is selected in the PRV.  

I can NOT reproduce this with a single click.  Everything works fine here... one note to a zillion... Only way is to double click fast, which deselects the notes and brings up the properties... 
 
try another mouse... I agree... (QUIT MOUSIN' AROUND!!!)
 
Regarding all the talk about wanting reassignable tools... if keybindings don't work (i'm ignorant here) then PLEASE think this out REAL clearly, and compose a coherent feature request rather than disrupting the OP's thread... At that point, others can vote on it and comment and the bakers can cue this up for a fantastic monthly surprise... Makes sense??? 
 

I wish I had said what Vastman said above. Thank you Vastman. 

brundlefly
 
The note is never getting selected even for a moment. If he were getting an inadvertent double-click on releasing the button after lassoing, the note he lassoed would be selected/darkened for a moment before the context menu opened.

 
That's true the note isn't getting selected before the context menu opens. I can repro what's in the video just through repetition, so it's not the user's mouse. It happens maybe one out of twenty times for me. Suggest the user submit a bug report to Cake.
 

Vastman
 
Regarding all the talk about wanting reassignable tools... if keybindings don't work (i'm ignorant here) then PLEASE think this out REAL clearly, and compose a coherent feature request rather than disrupting the OP's thread... At that point, others can vote on it and comment and the bakers can cue this up for a fantastic monthly surprise... Makes sense??? 
 

Um, NO. What makes you think it hasn't been requested? It's been requested multiple times. Most recently here:
http://forum.cakewalk.com...art-Tool-m3213535.aspx

Well, today everything is working as intended and any notes I selected were selected.
I made sure smart too was engaged and tested on small and large groups of notes.
Not once did properties appear as they so often did the other day. I'm flummoxed...