I think some "comping feature" is auto muting clips in take lanes as I click and edit for purposes other than comping.
So I end up with muted clips that I DO NOT WANT MUTED.
CAN I TURN THAT FEATURE OFF?

Right-click on the "Record" button and set the options there.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

No you can't disable the Comp tool mode of the Smart tool. You just have to stay away from the lower half of clips in lanes where it's active or switch to one of the dedicated tools for other functions.

Check the documentation regarding the positional aspects of Smart Tool placement.

i used to have problems like that when i tried working with the new way of comping & i wanted to pull my hair out.  so what i did was switch to "record takes to new tracks" instead of to new take lanes.  that way i still get to comp the way i want to without any chance of me losing material like that.  it's not the recommended way to do things, but . . .

My bad, I misread the OP's post. Thought we were talking about while recording, not editing...
 
Dan