Jamesg1213 - Thanks man. Yea I wanted to eliminate any kind of stereo effects possibly being the culprit until I got my problem resolved.
Foxwolfen - Yea, EQ, I think that has been my main problem from the get go. I'm running my guitar Direct through a Scarlett interface. And VST's just don't get the sound I'm looking for. They are very, very close, but no cigar.
Ben - Thanks a lot man. You know, tuning issues had never occurred to me. While they may very well be out on this take. I've been chasing this problem for almost a year now, and I don't think i'm out of tune every time I record. So basically, yea I'm leaning toward the muddy mix. And thats basically what Foxwolfen is saying too. And, yep, I agree with you on the snare too. Thanks for the great feedback.
So, I'm trying to get this heavy, crunchy sound running Direct and I'm always getting this problem. I've watched videos galore, read everything I can find on getting a heavy sound with just VST's. I've tried almost every amp sim you can find. I've used different Impulse Responses, EQ Captures. And while it sounds great while I'm playing, it apparently isn't translating well when I record and mix it. And I don't really hear the problem until I export my music.
So, I have put all my writing on hold until I get this sorted. While I thank everyone, and I think you have put me on the right track. Having recorded everything over and over , and changing guitar sounds over, and then to still have the same problem is really wearing me down and is very overwhelming. Especially when I don't hear other people having this problem.
Whew.....well, thanks to everyone again. This forum IS the greatest.
MetalTeK