Abrasive Reducer, Any help?

[cjbroadbent]

I can't get my midtones up to scratch without going through Photoshop (see the difference between a boring 8x10 TMY and a digital tone map above).
Anybody tried Kodak Abrasive Reducer or some substite like Vim?
Anybody tried brushing flat areas with Selenium toner? Does the added contrast overcome the added fog?

[Fred L]

The photo at right has much more depth of field so that's kinda of skewing my comparison.