which compressors do you prefer on toms?

[earworm]

well, i finally found something i really like for kick and snare,
dbx163x , i like the agressive sound they can produce,
i've had nice results before with other comps, but i've never had anything satisfying for my TOM TOMS...
i got sennheiser md421's on toms now, got rid of my 57's (kept two for bottom snare and kick batter...) but i really wonder, what compressors do you guys prefer to put on toms? i think most people don't use gates while recording, only during mixing, but did you have any real nice results with gating during recording?
i sold my behringer quadgate a while ago since it had electronic clicks when the gate opened and just didn't sound so well...
and the gates in my dbx166XL and A aren't extremely cool, no hi-or-low-filters...too bad

i'm curious

 

[dr.colossus]

I would have thought the 163x to be much better on toms than snare....

 

[earworm]

i'm gonna test that next week,
see what the best results are, didn't put them on toms yet,
time will tell

 

[gemsbok]

i say no to compressing toms as long as its done not so wacky. they are a dynamic element that only happens for brief moments in the song.

 

[skipwave]

Same. I don't comp the toms individually, they get comped with the drum bus. If you don't like bus compression and still need something on the toms, try limiting.

I don't really like close mics on the toms, but I have issues with drummers being inconsistent. It's a perceptual thing, from behind the kit the toms seem much louder. Then while mixing, the fills are inaudible, but the crescendo leading into the bridge is overpowering.

I remember reading that Glyn Johns, when a drummer would complain about not hearing enough of a certain drum, would just say, "Then hit it harder."