The narrow EQ notches in midrange of the heavy guitars, that was reducing harshness?
Yes, that was the intent. There were a lot of freq's in that range that spiked greatly when EQ sweeping. They didn't appear to be adding any harmonic content that was useful or in key.
The lead guitar is more abrasive, but is pretty low in the mix.
It needed to be grittier and more aggressive to poke through the heavy guitars. It needed attack for the small lead section before the second verse.
That tells me your master bus plugins aren't the trouble, if indeed there is trouble.
I've been trying to say that for awhile now. The master bus plugins are a compressor and a limiter. The compressor is reducing volume by about 2.5db max, and very slowly. Same for the limiter. Those are not the cause of any trouble. It is the guitar sounds.
When I turn the volume up, it's definitely those pointy midrange frequencies that make me want to turn down again.
Good, that's what I want to know. So it's better with the EQ cuts? Are you able to EQ sweep that song and tell what frequencies seem to be the most harsh to you? Can you pinpoint where the issue is, frequency-wise? Of the 20 or so amps I have at my disposal, and 30 cabinets, I always come back to the same 2-3. Therefore, fixing any problem here would make things easier for other tracks. It's mostly the same equipment and processing.
Is anybody else telling you the mix is harsh? Do you think it is?
Not really. You and Nola, that's about it. But I have been giving you guys the benefit of the doubt because I do believe you have good ears and could be hearing something I am not. I don't think any modern alternative rock stuff can be played very loud without some midrange instrument becoming overwhelming at some point, and it's usually the guitars.
But...if I am mixing the guitars poorly, or setting up the amp sim suite deficiently, I'd like to resolve that. It could be something I've overlooked, like my mic placement, for all I know.