The Easiest Way to Make Ringtones

Create ringtones for your cell phone.

You don't have to purchase computerized ringtones to get a cool ring for your cell phone. You can make your own ringtones easily and for free directly in iTunes or by using simple file conversion programs. Turn any song you own into a ringtone for your phone and impress your friends with your music taste.

Things You'll Need

• iTunes
• File conversion program

Instructions

In iTunes

1. Open iTunes and find the song you want to turn into a ringtone.

2. Right-click the song on a PC or Control-click it on a Mac.

3. Select "Get Info" and then select a 30-second segment of the song by altering the track's start and stop times in the "Options" tab.

4. Go to the "iTunes" menu at the top of the screen and choose "Preferences."

5. Click "Import Settings" in the new window and then choose "AAC Encoder" from the "Import Using" menu. The compressed AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) file format works well for ringtones.

6. Return to the song that you edited and highlight it.

7. Go to the "Advanced" menu at the top of the screen and click "Create AAC Version." The AAC version will appear in your music library.

8. Drag the AAC track to your desktop and change the file's extension to .M4R, so that the iPhone can recognize it.

Free Online Ringtone Maker

1. Go to the Make Own Ringtone Web site to use the free online ringtone maker.

2. Click "Upload" and find the song on your computer that you want to turn into a ringtone.

3. Select a 30-second section of the song to use for the ringtone.

4. Preview your chosen 30-second segment by clicking "Selected."

5. Click "Make a Ringtone" to convert the file.

Joy Ringtone Converter

1. Go to the Joy RingTone Web site to download the Joy RingTone Converter. The program can convert MP3 and WAV files to a variety of ringtone formats, including MMF, AMR, MIDI and 3GP. Install the software and open the program.

2. Click "Add File" and browse your computer's files for the song you want to convert.

3. Select your file's format from the "Input Format" menu.

4. Select your desired output ringtone format from the "Output Format" menu.

5. Click "Convert" to convert the file.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure software is compatible with your computer before you download it.

References

• FileInfo: .AAC File Extension
• FileInfo: .M4R File Extension
• Ricky Says: How to Create a Ring Tone for Free Using iTunes
• Art of the iPhone: How to Make an iPhone Ringtone in iTunes

Resources

• Make Own Ringtone
• Joy RingTone Converter