Play loop region once and stop

I don't think it's possible. Although you can shift+spacebar to audition a selection, it automatically creates a loop around the selection - I think the assumption is if you want to audition just that part you might want to hear it repeatedly, and if not, you'll just hit stop when you've heard enough.
 
However, one useful aspect is if the Now time isn't at the start of the selection, shift+spacebar will start playback at the beginning of the selection anyway.
 
You might want to propose a feature request that shift+alt+spacebar plays the selection but doesn't enable a loop.
 
What I'd really like is the option to have playback skip over a selection, like Sound Forge can do. Hmmm...maybe a feature request for that is in order. 
 
 

Punch recording?

That does exist.

You can also just expand the region and loop, that's my favorite.

Anderton,
 
I don't think you understand the true convenience of what I am actually suggesting.
 
If I have option "play loop once and stop"...THAT MEANS
1] The start and stop is always the exactly same
2] There is never a unnerving accidental restart of the loop (playback always just stops where you expect)
3] (This is the big one) I literally have "one single key press" for every take. 
 
Your method cannot guarantee that the loop does not jump back and start playing before you "catch it". Or if not using loop region, you still have to intervene to "stop" playback (while you might want to be thinking about the performance of the take you just heard).
My method is like having a computer that knows exactly where I want to stop. (What a concept!)

dougalex
I don't think you understand the true convenience of what I am actually suggesting.
 
If I have option "play loop once and stop"...THAT MEANS
1] The start and stop is always the exactly same
2] There is never a unnerving accidental restart of the loop (playback always just stops where you expect)
3] (This is the big one) I literally have "one single key press" for every take. 
 

I guess what's confusing to me is you're using the word "loop" to represent a region that you actually don't want to have loop. If you use punch recording and don't create a loop...
 
1] Where you start the transport, and where recording starts (which doesn't have to be where the transport starts) and stops, is always exactly the same.
2] There is never a unnerving accidental restart of the loop because there is no loop.
3] Press "R" and you have "one single key press" for every take. 
 
The only difference is that the transport doesn't stop playback automatically after recording, but so what? It's the region that gets recorded that matters. And when you stop playback, you can have the Now time scoot automatically to your start point, hit "R", and do another punch recording. I just don't see how that's an onerous workflow. I guess I just don't consider it a big deal to stop the transport manually after the punch has happened, especially given that one "R" keypress later, I'm back to recording.

Anderton
...punch recording should take care of you. Define the region you want to punch. Create a loop longer than the region to be punched, with as much pre-roll and post-roll time as you want compared to the punch region. Set the Now time before the section you want to punch, probably at the beginning of the loop but you don't have to. You can also set an option to return to the Now time after you hit stop, or not.
 
You can also forego looping entirely and just go through punch once. You'll have as much time as you want to prepare between takes, SONAR will start at exactly the same point on each attempt, and if you set the loop point past the punch you can either let it start over if you want to re-punch, or stop before it hits the end of the loop.

This is exactly a part of my regular workflow. Make sure that you have the right box checked to go back to the Now time after you hit stop. I rarely loop record...typically only when I'm experimenting with a melody in composition...but will often use Ableton Live for this. Loop record (particularly with MIDI instruments) generates lots of funny clips and overlaps from notes that are close to boundaries (but on the 'wrong' side!!)

dougalex

Anderton
The only difference is that the transport doesn't stop playback automatically after recording, but so what?

IMAGINE YOU ARE RECORDING YOURSELF!!! VERY NICE TO HAVE THE TRANSPORT STOP AUTOMATICALLY, RIGHT!?
 

Honestly, not really. I see it as six of one, half a dozen of the other. The way it is now, I place the cursor where I want to start hearing the music, hit R, hit the space bar when I'm done, and I'm back to where I started. The recording stops automatically anyway, which what I care about. I wouldn't want to hassle with drawing a second region in addition to the punch one, enable some function that would tell the loop not to loop instead of the default behavior, then figure out what to do after it had stopped automatically (unless part of your feature request is to have it stop and rewind automatically back to where you placed the now time originally).
 
I just don't find it a big hassle to hit R to start punch recording and hit the space bar to stop, but if you were going to do the same part over and over and over and over and over again I can see where it would be worth the setup time to define the secondary region and initiate the "stop here" function. But hey, put in a feature request and see if it gets traction.
 
I think a better feature request might be the option to create a "song end" marker. You could put this where you wanted your adventures in punching to end, but also, it would stop all the forum posts about "hey, the end of the song is longer than the end of the song" - I wouldn't have to explain the part about trimming clips and deleting the region where automation nodes might be left over. So it would solve two problems instead of one.
 

Anderton,
Interesting that I found an article you wrote many years ago mentioning "Sonar defaults to continuous looping"
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may02/articles/sonarnotes0502.asp
 
See sonar had more robust looping many years ago:

 
 
Was still a feature as least as late as Sonar 7, did not check 8.5 yet. Must have got ditched in X1.
 
Again, I was very happy years ago when was tracking myself. Now frustrated losing something I liked and so "Loop once and stop" was a actually an important work flow feature for me. Now, after returning to doing overdubs by myself I realized why I am frustrated...some years ago they took away a nice feature that I used all the time. 
 
 
edit: removed link to bonus images, message content unchanged - scook

EDIT: Cannot record using this method, only playback (DOH!)
 
There is a usable workaround. You just have an extra step to select all tracks (or tracks you want to hear).
 
Anderton was in on this thread from 2013 and ends with workaround suggested by OP:
http://forum.cakewalk.com/m/tm.aspx?m=2939791
 
1. select part of track which going to play
2. Press "shift"+"space" key
It starts to play and at the end point automatically stops.
 
(I have made a feature request "Bring back 'turn off continuous looping' feature")

Yes, turns into loop that is supposed to play once and stop, cues up at beginning of loop for next start by user.
Does yours loop continuously?
I am using Platinum.
 
Regarding my original comment, as a previous comment above said, there are a number of people who want to this functionality back. Would not be as frustrating if I had not enjoyed the feature and had it taken away....I can't imagine why a useful feature that existed for almost 15 years would get eliminated.