Emu XL-7 & MP-7 User's Group

Hi all
This is really long so if you don't have a large bit of couriosity 
you might just want to bail....for the rest of you ->
I have almost gotten my setup to work like I want, which is to chain 
my EA1,ER1 and DX200 off my XL7 and have the XL7 controll 
everything, by which I will be able to dump SMF into the XL and play 
them back live without using a computer.
Almost everything works! It all plays back fine, I can record
With Midi thru to automatic in Sonar [which is midi echo - responds 
to incoming midi channel by going out the same channel], can record 
if I use my master keyboard successfully with all machines on 
Midisport port A
Note: all machines set on A channel in Sonar
XL 7 midi A out to EA1 IN [this just added, everything else was 
unchanged from my previous setup]
EA1 -  midi thru to ER1 midi in
ER1 – midi thru to DX in
DX out [set to OUT not THRU] goes to Midisport A In
Midisport A out to XL7 in
Yam on Ch 14,15,16,16 (won't use this last channel tho)
EA1 on Ch 11,12
ER1 on Ch 13
ALSO: In Midi set up on XL7 – Midi merge out ON
Midi enable channels 11-16 OFF
Channels 1-10 set for internal, 11-16 set for external (not using 
multi A here for anything)
Here is the one small problem: I write patterns on the non-XL boxes 
and then record them into Sonar, or at least I did before I had the 
XL. Now I cant do this anymore, if I fire up a groove box and hit 
record, nothing happens. If I change the DX for midi thru, all sorts 
of chaos happens. Setting the midi echo to off doesn't help either.
So I could actually live with this, since I could just disconnect 
the xl and record the basic patterns like I used to - but I'm greedy 
and want it all! Any ideas most appreciated!