You can create ringtones for free
with iTunes using the steps outlined below, and can upload them to your cell
phone with a USB data cable or a Bluetooth connection.
I'm assuming you already have your
song loaded in iTunes, and you can refer to other articles in the iPods and MP3
Players forum if you need instructions for loading songs into iTunes
from your iPod or a music CD.
Set
the song length to about 30 seconds
Right-click on the song in iTunes
and select "Get Info" from the pop-up menu. Choose the Options tab
and change the Stop Time to 0:30 for 30 seconds of play time.
This won't change or damage the
actual file; it just tells iTunes to only play the first 30 seconds of the song
(plenty of time for you to answer your phone). You can change this setting back
to full length after you create your ring tone.
Configure
the iTunes MP3 Encoder
Configure the MP3 Encoder built into
iTunes to use 22khz and mono encoding (the format used by cell phone ring tones).
Click the Preferences menu and then
choose the Advanced tab. Click "Importing" and then choose "MP3
Encoder" from the Import Using drop down. Choose "Custom..."
from the Settings dropdown, which will display an "MP3 Encoder"
dialog like the one shown below.
Convert
the song to a ringtone
Convert the song to ringtone MP3
format by right-clicking it in iTunes and selecting "Convert Selection to
MP3" from the popup menu.
iTunes will make a copy of the song
and you'll see that the time will change to 30 seconds. Send the ringtone to
your phone using a usb data cable or Bluetooth.
NOTE: Do not select "Create
Ringtone", as this option will charge your account, and also only works
with songs you have purchased through the iTunes store.
Transfer
the ringtone to your phone
You'll need to download software to
transfer your new ringtone to your phone via Bluetooth or a USB data cable,
something phone manufactures don't include with their phones. They'd rather you
use email to transfer files because then they can charge you for the bandwidth
- as much as 10 cents a kilobyte in the case of AT&T. This can cost a
couple dollars per ringtone depending on the file size.
Instead, I think it's better to
invest a little money up front in a software program that will let you freely
transfer as many files as you like, without having to pay any wireless service
fees. You'll also be able to use the software to transfer pictures and videos,
so it will quickly pay for itself after just a few free transfers.
I recommend a program called DataPilot
that works with a USB data cable to transfer ringtones to your phone - it works
with all major phone types and lets you transfer multiple ring tones, photos,
videos, contacts, etc at a time.
When you run DataPilot, it will open
a file explorer window and you'll be able to copy any music files from your
hard drive to your phone.
iTunes stores it's music files in
your "My Music" folder in Windows XP (under "My
Documents"), and in your user folder in Windows Vista (e.g.
C:\Users\rickysays\Music\iTunes\iTunes Music).
You'll use DataPilot's file explorer
to open this folder and from there you'll be able to select music files and
transfer them to your phone.
Set
your new ringtone as your default ringtone
Now that the ringtone is on your
phone, you can set it as your default ringtone.
For the Motorola Razr, this involves
entering Settings and selecting Ring Styles. Choose the second option, which
ends with "Detail", and scroll to find your ringtone (hint, scroll up
instead of down, since the newly added ringtone will be at the end of the list,
and scrolling up will pick up the last item on the list).
Other phones will have slightly
different menu selections, but the concept will be the same - find the audio
file on your phone and then set it as your default ringtone.
With the tricks described in this
article you can make iTunes create free ringtones for you, or you can use
Ringtone Media Studio to make it even easier to create free ringtones out of
your favorite music.
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