This is weird: Play all takes didn't work until...

Is this right, but there was no mention of it in the manual (pg. 75: 3.23)? In order to actually hear all takes played back I had to Enable track free item positioning. Maybe a Sonarite (ex or current) can help me here. Sonar's default behavior with regard to takes is automatically create a new lane with no edits: cuts splits whatever. I'm not saying this is right or wrong behavior and I'm ready to learn the Reaper way but I need help figuring out all the options for this. Ultimately one of these options will be the most fluid work flow... Thanks, Matt

Not sure I totally understand the question, but here are some starting points and we can go from there. If you want to see multiple takes in lanes, then under options check the 'show all takes in lanes when room' and make sure that your track is tall enough to show them. Now as each take is highlighted it will be the one that plays. If you want ALL takes to play, right click the track item and choose Item settings/play all takes. The other option as you have found is to enable free item positioning.

What IS free item positioning? To me, that sounds like the opposite of enforcing items or the cursor to be placed along the click track grid lines.

Free item positioning treats takes as completely individual items within a track, and they can be moved, edited and generally messed with independently.

You know I opened a new file and tried it again and it worked as outlined in the manual. In my newbieness I think I clicked something that I don't understand and was in a loop of ignorance!

I should say the behavior is defined by what you have clicked before you record it. If you record multiple takes with Free Item Positioning enabled, editing is very different than without it enabled and as far as I can see you can't revert from one to the other.