Once in Record mode, you not in Record mode and transferred to the top subdivision need to return to the top level to turn off the eye icon off and. Creating a new layer automatically click on the REC icon.
With details isolated in layers, you can turn the details off and experiment with new variations. At the highest subdivision level, make sure the layer is selected and the Intensity set to the desired level. You can reduce the details to 0, making them invisible, or even set them to a negative slider value so they subtract from the surface of the sculpture, thus inverting their original effect. This is the same as a blend shape modifier in Maya.