I never explained the story of how I laid my hands on a free miniDSP 2x4HD and a UMIK mic... Well it was quite simple really. I emailed them and asked for one.
OK I admit it wasn’t that simple, but it’s not far from the truth. I’ll explain.
Though I’m barely able to sting a sentence together, be it due to dyslexia, crap education in England in the late 80′s/early 90′s or I just don’t notice my mistakes. This hasn’t stopped me emailing random people or organisation asking for help, advise or sponsorship.
I try to be as honest as possible, stating who I am, what I’m after and most importantly, what it is I want from them. The latter usually required some form of leverage if you are after something, IE give and take.
I’ve been sending random emails out every morning for nearly two years now, though they’re rarely fruitful, on occasions you hit jackpot. My success have included making friends with the “godfather of stencil art”, miniDSP sponsoring me some vital equipment for testing my pet speaker project and a Tête à Tête with a leading loud-speaker manufacture CEO.
No matter what the media want to shove down your throat about how bad the world is, or ignoring the fact that most social media platforms look to be nothing more than data harvesting portals; receiving a response from an email you’ve sent does restore faith in humanity.
miniDSP sponsored me equipment they produce for free, however prior to the initial email I sent, I did build something which was a little out of the ordinary; my omnidirectional speaker. I knew this was a head turner with posting on Facebook and noticing the number of views as well as the engagement rate!
This was my “leverage” and on this occasion I think both parties got something in equal measures - Feeling they have helped one another!