I too would very much like to see a "drum machine mode."

I hate to revive this old thread bit was this ever solved? I'm trying to find a solution to this as I brand new to sonar but these and a few other threads are all I found for what should be a really basic feature.

Posts #3 and #6 give the current workaround.

To create one big clip from the non-muted clips in existing lanes, click in the parent track and select "Flatten Comp." Whether to retain the lanes after that is up to the individual.

clearlight808
This feature or lack thereof is killing me. It's one of my main ways to work. Can we make a concerted effort to all feature request this as I feel like it may have me running back to my old sequencer. Hate to resurrect an old thread for this , but it's a huge deal if you work this way a lot.

Absolutely!  I'm on X3 and its so stupid the way it works.  The way most people write drum tracks is tap in high hat, bass, snare and then on subsequent passes record other hits on top.
 
I cant believe how bad this is.  This is something that 90% of the user base needs and other sequencers do just fine.
 
I posted this two years ago and it still hasn't been added. 
 
 

No SOS for midi is r-e-t-a-r-d-e-d to put it lightly.

bitman
No SOS for midi is ****ed to put it lightly.

I'm looking at other sequencers.  Sonar is crippled because of this.
 
Samplitude, reaper, cubase, fruity loops, ableton all allow sound on sound.

It kinda unbelievable that they haven't added it to Platinum.  
In X3 when you try to overdub midi, the old notes are still drawn, but ghosted.  So the sequencer knows they are there, they have just been overwritten and won't play.

bitman
No SOS for midi is r-e-t-a-r-d-e-d to put it lightly.

no SOS for midi ? I must be missing something.
has SOS for midi really changed that much since X2 ?
https://youtu.be/k83UVo1OiKA?t=6m11s
 
I must be missing something as what I do is add in kick and snare, go back over it and layer on hi hats, cymbals, exc.
like in the video I made a couple years back.
I loop recorded the kick and snare, then sound on sound recorded the hi hats.

chuckebaby

bitman
No SOS for midi is r-e-t-a-r-d-e-d to put it lightly.

no SOS for midi ? I must be missing something.
has SOS for midi really changed that much since X2 ?
https://youtu.be/k83UVo1OiKA?t=6m11s
 
I must be missing something as what I do is add in kick and snare, go back over it and layer on hi hats, cymbals, exc.
like in the video I made a couple years back.
I loop recorded the kick and snare, then sound on sound recorded the hi hats.

This no longer works!
 
They must have either removed it or added a setting that changes the behavior.  
 
Lack of documentation?  Feature change?  Who knows!
 
When I try to overdub on a midi clip, it wipes out the old midi and replaces on top.