Date:

December 8, 2008

Client:

Article Description:

A How-To article that teaches readers how to create their custom ringtones from any MP3.

Link to original article:

Filed under:

Articles, Instructional

Introduction

Custom ringtone have become very popular. What most people don’t know is that you can create your own ringtones free of charge. Follow the instructions below and you’ll be on your way to building your own ringtone library!

Step 1: Getting Started

Before getting started, make sure you have:

  1. A cell phone that supports MP3 ringtones. If you are unsure, check the documentation that came with your phone.
  2. A copy of MP3 from your personal music library (other audio formats may also work, but this article assumes the use of an MP3).
  3. A way to transfer an MP3 to your phone. Many phones have the ability to receive data via USB cable, Bluetooth, or Email.

Two Ways to Create a Ringtone

There are two ways create a ringtone. The first is to use a web service that will handle most of the heavy lifting for you. Most consist of three steps:

  1. Upload an MP3. Some support other audio formats as well.
  2. Select a section of the MP3 to be used as your ringtone.
  3. Send it to your phone.

The second method is to create the ringtone yourself using free desktop software. Web services keep the process very simple and fast, but do not offer much in the way of editing options. Manually creating your ringtone is a bit more complicated, but it affords you more overall control of the final product.

Free Web Services for Creating Ringtones

If you opt to use one of these services, just follow the instructions on the site. The rest of this article will be explain how to create a ringtone yourself using free and open source software.

Step 2: Get the Tools You Need

First, you will need to download some software.

Audacity

Audacity is a cross-platform, open source application that will meet most of your audio editing needs. It can be downloaded free of charge from Audacity’s download page.

Lame MP3 Encoder

To add MP3 support to Audacity, you need the LAME MP3 Encoder. Follow these steps to get Audacity up and running with LAME.

  1. Download LAME from its SourceForge Download Page. The saved file will be in tar.gz format. This is a file archive similar to a .zip file. GZip is a cross-platform application that can be used to extract files from a tar.gz archive. Visit the GZip download page to download the appropriate version for your operating system and install it. Then use GZIP to extract the LAME archive.
  2. Once you have downloaded and extracted LAME, move the file to a permanent location on your computer.
  3. Open Audacity. Click on “Edit” menu then select “Preferences.”
  4. Click on the “File Formats” tab and locate the section called “MP3 Export Setup.”
  5. In the “MP3 Export Setup” section click on the “Find Library” button and browse to the LAME file.

You are now ready to create your ringtone.

Step 3: Create Your Ringtone

Now that you have all the necessary software installed, it is time to start working with an MP3 to create a ringtone.

  1. Choose an MP3 from your personal library and make a backup copy just in case something goes wrong in the editing process.
  2. Open your MP3 in Audacity. In Audacity’s “File” menu, click “Open,” and browse to the copy of your MP3.
  3. When the MP3 is loaded, locate a twenty second segment that you want to use as your ringtone. To do this, use the playback controls in Audacity’s tool bar to play the MP3.
  4. When you find the section you want to use, use the “Zoom” button (the button with the image of a magnifying glass) to display the MP3 in five second increments.
  5. Highlight the 20 second segment using the “Select” on Audacity’s tool bar. When it is highlighted, you can preview it by hitting the space bar.
  6. Export the highlighted section by clicking on the “Edit” menu and selecting “Trim.”. Your twenty second segment has now been separated from the original MP3.
  7. Audacity comes with several audio effects that you can add to your ringtone. You can find them by clicking on the “Effects” menu.
  8. Finally, click on the “File” menu and select “Export as MP3″.

Congratulations! You have just created a ringtone. Now it is time to transfer it to your phone.

Step 4: Transfer Your Ringtone to Your Phone

There are three ways to transfer your ringtone to your phone: USB, BlueTooth, and Email.

USB and BlueTooth

If your cell phone has USB or BlueTooth capability, transfering your ringtone to your phone is simple.

  1. Connect your phone to your computer via a USB cable or BlueTooth.
  2. Follow the steps in your phone’s user manual.
  3. When you are done transfering the file, locate it in your phone and set it as your ringtone.

Email

If your phone does not have USB or BlueTooth capability, you can try sending your ringtone to your phone as an Email attachment. Most cell phone carriers give each phone its own unique Email address. This Email address consists of the phone number and a generic email format such as: Your-10-Digit-Number@ExampleCompany.com. You can find an extensive list of these Email addresses by clicking here. When you know your phone’s email address, follow these steps:

  1. Email your phone and attach your ringtone to the Email.
  2. When your phone notifies you that it has received the message, save the attached MP3.
  3. Locate the MP3 on your phone, and set it as your ringtone.

Conclusion

That’s all there is to it. By following the instructions above you can turn any MP3 into a ring tone. Have fun!