How to Create Text Message Sounds in iTunes

In addition to playing your music collection, iTunes can perform simple audio editing.

When your cellphone receives a text message, it notifies you by playing a sound. On most cellphones, this sound is, by default, a simple beep or chime. If your phone allows you to use MP3 or WAV files as notifications, you can change this default text message sound to something more exciting. You can use iTunes to cut out a selection of your favorite song or a sample of your recorded voice, which you can then transfer to your phone and use as the text message notification sound.

Instructions

1. Click "File," then "Add File to Library." Double-click the file that you want to use for the text message sound.

2. Click the "Edit" menu, then click "Preferences." Click the "Import Settings" button.

3. Click the "Import Using" drop-down menu and select the audio format that your phone uses for notification sounds. Click "OK," then "OK" again.

4. Right-click the song you want to use for the text message sound. Click "Get Info." Click the "Options" tab. Type the time you want the text message sound to start into the "Start Time" box. Type the time you want the sound to end into the "Stop Time" box. The duration of the sound should be no more than a few seconds. Click "OK."

5. Right-click the song in your library. Select "Create X Version," where "X" is the format you specified in iTunes' Preferences section. ITunes creates a short extract of the song according to your specifications. Transfer the sound to your phone, then set it as the text message sound.

References

• "Macworld"; ITunes' Start and Stop Times; Christopher Breen; Aug. 5, 2008

Resources

• Apple: iTunes