How to Make an MP3 Into a Ringtone

By eHow Computers Editor

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Cell phone networks make tons of money every year selling us ringtones so we can hear our favorite tunes or other things every time our digital phone rings. But now you can get around that by creating your own ringtones using a computer, decent audio conversion software and a USB cable.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

Make sure you have the following before you begin: a cell phone that can support MP3 ringtones; a CD or MP3 version of the song you want to use; a way to transfer the ringtone to your phone, either Bluetooth, a USB cable, e-mail, or instant messenger.

Step2

Rip the song you want to convert to a WAV or AIFF file using your music ripping software (Windows Media Player, iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.) and save it to a folder separate from all of the other music on your computer. If you already have an MP3 version of the song, copy it to a new folder.

Step3

Run your audio editing software. If you don't have one, you can get free programs online. You will also have to download the free LAME library for your operating system to a separate folder. A link is listed in the resources section.

Step4

Run your audio editing software and open the LAME library. Set your bit rate to 128 kilobytes per second.

Step5

Find the song you want to convert. Open it with your audio editing software and find the segment of the song you want to convert to a ringtone. This should be no longer than 15 seconds.

Step6

Add special effects, such as an echo or phaser. Once you're happy with your ringtone, select "export to MP3," which is usually under the file dropdown menu and save it as an MP3 file.

Step7

Transfer your ringtone to your cell phone using either an USB cable, Bluetooth or e-mailing it to your phone then move the file to the appropriate folder on your phone and select it as the default ringtone.