Collin,
I'm no Manny Laureano, but I also have been working on this issue a bit, so I want to kinda drop my two cents, and then back away for the real pros here.
Have you ever payed attention to how you aim the air through the mouthpiece? We sometimes dont aim very well, and a lot of sound can be swallowed up by the mouthpiece cup. Actually think about aiminy your air through the throat of the mouthpiece. That may clear some of it.
Van