parkermmyers

Exactly. Most overdrives are attempts to sound like a cranked amp. There's different utility for other overdrives (like a tubescreamer providing a mid boost for a solo), but in general, the sound of a transparent overdrive is just the sound of your amp barely breaking up. Also, I agree with your earlier comment - if you're committed to using one of the overdrives, the Teemah is probably the clearest in my opinion. I also use the Kinky Boost in a similar way that probably echoes our thoughts on amp breakup - ideally, the boost just pushes the amp a little harder and gets that nice breakup.

For what it's worth, the idea of transparent overdrives is that they sound like your amp being pushed harder - and that's the beauty of the Helix. I know you're using an external amp, but something as simple as turning up an amp model's drive or master volume is probably the purest "transparent" overdrive. A lot of Helix amp models sound fantastic on the edge of breakup and are very responsive to dynamics, which sounds like what you're after! Might not be helpful here for your situation, but just wanted to provide this insight - the most transparent overdrive is your amp's.