Drum tuning for small rooms: less ring or simply better balance?

In small venues I often hear “take all the ring out of the kit”, but completely dead drums can disappear once guitars and vocals start. I have had more success keeping a controlled amount of tone and shortening only the frequencies that build up in the room.

For toms, that usually means even tension, a slightly higher resonant head, and minimal dampening added only after hearing the kit in context. On snare I prefer a lively centre with the troublesome edge overtones controlled, rather than covering the whole head. Kick drum treatment depends heavily on whether it is miked.

How do other drummers approach tuning for pubs, rehearsal rooms and low ceilings? Do you arrive with a fixed setup, or tune and dampen for each room?