how to create custom ringtones in iTunes 8

I recently upgraded my mobile from some random piece-of-junk to one of the new iPhones (the 16GB 3GS). One of the things I had wanted to do was create custom ringtones out of some of my favorite songs.

It’s not immediately apparent how to do this in iTunes, but after some intense Google-fu I found the secret formula for Windows users:

  1. Open iTunes
  2. Pick the song out of which you want to make a ringtone.
  3. Open the Edit -> Preferences menu.
  4. Go to the General tab, and click Import Settings button near “When you import a CD”.
  5. Make sure it says Import using AAC Encoder. Close the Preferences windows.
  6. Right-click on the song you want to use, click Get Info.
  7. Go to the Options tab and, using the Start Time and Stop Time checkboxes, select a block of time from the song that doesn’t exceed 40 seconds.
  8. Click Ok to go back to the main iTunes window.
  9. Make sure your song is still selected. Open the Advanced menu and click Create AAC Version.
  10. Wait for iTunes to create your new song clip.
  11. Go back into Get Info for your original song and un-check the Start/Stop time you had set. You don’t need them anymore.
  12. Select your new, smaller song clip. Right-click and select Show in Windows Explorer.
  13. You should see an .m4a file for your song clip. Change the extension to .m4r
  14. Double-click on it to have iTunes import it into your Ringtones library. This will likely have iTunes start playing your new ringtone at the same time. iTunes will also have moved the .m4r file to the Ringtones folder in your iTunes directory.
  15. Go back into your Music Library window and delete your song clip, since the source file (.m4a) no longer exists.

That’s it!

July 2, 2009, 6:51 pm permalink | general |

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