Are you sending the sidechain key as pre or post fader from the bus or tracks? This may be causing the overloading issues. Also you can use frequency dependant compression rather than external sidechaining.

Yes, I've tried both methods. Like dropping a specific bass frequency to duck under the kick and also sending the bass to duck under the kick. I've experimented with both post/pre fader. I believe 'post' allows for the for example bass signal to go to the plug-in with ES, and includes any FX/eq/comp etc to travel along with it. Whereas, pre sends the signal before those latter FX treatments. 
 
It's certainly easier setting up a frequency dependent compression...or using an LFO, but I want to master sidechaining...I do like the idea of no matter what the kick beat is, the bass is going to drop under it...not just for bass/kick as well. 
 
In an ideal world, I should be able to experiment with these FX's and not have to worry about this issue occurring, rather than do something different as a work-around.

This has bitten me now.
 
I am migrating to a 64 bit daw setup
A project that is freshly mixed on the 32 bit drive loads and plays great. Sonar 10 - 2017 version
The same project opened on the 64 bit drive patterns bitflipper's problem to a tee.
 
RME 9632 PCI Card.
 
Drum bus red lining, as 3 rack toms feeding it are also.
Press play, transport runs, meters dance, audio goes: tick - then silence then tick......
 
4 gb of ram. probably not enough now that the word length has doubled and we have some bit bridging happening.
I'm looking forward to gobs o' core anyway.
 
All other projects seem to play ok.

Plugin load balancing came in a year ago + (2016.9). It has caused an issue for me. Easy enough to try disabling plugin load balancing. (Edit > Preferences > Audio - Playback and Recording and de-select Plug-In Load Balancing)

This has happened to me twice now over the past two weeks, after having disappeared of its own accord 5 months ago. Same symptoms: no audio, bus meters pegged. Both times, the problem went away after restarting SONAR.
 
Both times, the meters calmed down when I bypassed certain plugins. Unfortunately, it was a different plugin each time, although it has been ValhallaPlate more than thrice. If it is a denormal issue as Noel suggested, it makes sense that a reverb might be the trigger.

FWIW. Digital Fish Phones free Normalizer.
http://www.digitalfishphones.com/main.php?item=2&subItem=6
 
 

2 cents... yesterday I had this happen, I was reviewing 6 freshly recorded tracks. I tuned off the record button on the hot track and it went back to normal. I was thinking at the time that it was some type of feedback issues... but I can't see how that would happen. win10 Splat 2017 10
 
peace!