I once got asked what I do. I told them "I mix music for people" and their response was, "like Tiesto"? I was like, not exactly.

It's hard to describe to somebody that doesn't know what a mixing engineer does. What a mixing engineer does.

How do you do it?

 

If someone randomly asked me that question " Like Tiesto?", this is what I would do. I would first, maybe be surprised they even come up with that much. But at this point, you already know this is probably the technical limits of what they are going to understand about Composing, Audio Production, Remixing, Gig Work, Freelancing, or any of these other topics you probably find interesting. Your choices are then "Something like that", "what is your email so I can send you a CV?", or become a boring person to them who actually takes the time to explain the difference between what you do, and Tiesto do. Which is probably 75% the same stuff anyway. They will not understand it either way. "Computer work, Oh".

 

Just tell them people hand you the recordings of each instrument in a song and you put them together in a way that sounds nice. An oversimplification, but it's the easiest way to get the idea across i think.

 

Usually by showing them this pic

Spoiler: and sometimes this one

 

Indeed, very often it's a process of artification.