Free vs loop playing on Octapad SPD-30 v2

[Newmagoo]

Just got an Octapad SPD-30 and have read the manual through and been working on laying down some tracks to memory, because i also play guitar. Many songs are easy to set up and play along with the recorded tracks. However, other songs need different introductions and endings, where I would like to play free-form on the pads without the loop starting again. However, when I stop the loop with Play-Record buttons, it starts the phrase loop again as soon as begin to play. I've tried muting all pads, which works, but is awkward to reach the 2 buttons quickly. Also, the loop keeps playing in the background so when it is unmuted, it continues in the middle of the phrase, not from the beginning of the loop.

I would appreciate any suggestions to help me with this?

Thanks,
John