What app makes ringtones from your music?

Ringtones are the customizable sounds that play when you receive a phone call or text message. They first gained popularity in the 1990s and 2000s when mobile phones allowed for customization beyond just preloaded options. Ringtones gave users a way to personalize their phones and express their personality when their phone rang in public. According to The Android Authority, the first custom ringtones debuted in Japan in 1996. Soon they spread worldwide in the early 2000s, coinciding with the rise of Nokia phones and other popular devices at the time.
Custom ringtones became appealing because they allowed self-expression and uniqueness. Rather than settling for the default ringtone sounds, people enjoyed assigning their favorite songs, sound clips or audio files as ringtones. Part of the fun was discovering new ringtones that fit your style. At the height of their popularity in the mid-2000s, ringtones generated over $600 million in sales revenue in the U.S. alone, according to Medium.
With music files and audio clips, it became possible to make your own custom ringtones from existing media. You could turn any part of a song into a ringtone with just a little audio editing on a computer. This opened up infinite possibilities for creating personalized ringtones.
Why Make Custom Ringtones?
Custom ringtones allow you to personalize your phone and make it your own. Having a custom ringtone helps your phone stand out from others that use the default sounds. You can set a custom ringtone with a snippet of your favorite song or something completely unique to represent your personality. As this article points out, custom ringtones allow you to identify loved ones based on their assigned ringtone. They also help you differentiate critical calls from other notifications when driving or in loud environments.
Creating a custom ringtone gives you control to choose the perfect sound for your phone. Rather than settling for the default options, you can set a ringtone that brings you joy whenever your phone rings. Custom ringtones allow you to showcase your musical taste or sense of humor if you choose a funny sound clip. Ultimately, customizing your ringtone is an easy way to add your personal flair to your device.
ITunes
One of the most popular free apps for creating ringtones on an iPhone is iTunes. As an app that comes pre-installed on iOS devices, iTunes provides a simple way for iPhone users to turn song clips into ringtones without any additional software.
To use iTunes to make a custom ringtone, you first need to locate the song you want to use and edit it down to a 30 second or less clip. This can be done right within iTunes by selecting the song, clicking File > Create New Version > Create AAC Version. From there, you can trim the length of the clip down to your desired ringtone length.
Once you have your edited clip, go to File > Convert > Create AAC Version and save the file. Then simply drag and drop the edited clip into iTunes’ Tones folder. Sync your iPhone, and you’ll now see the custom ringtone file available to be set as your default tone or assigned to specific contacts.
The drag and drop functionality along with iTunes’ clean interface makes creating DIY ringtones easy and intuitive. For iPhone users looking to make custom ringtones from songs they already own, iTunes provides a straightforward free solution. [1]
Garageband
Garageband is a free music creation app developed by Apple for iOS and Mac devices. It provides advanced tools for audio editing that allow users to easily make custom ringtones.
One of the benefits of using Garageband is that it comes pre-installed on iOS devices and Mac computers, so there is no need to download any additional software. The editing interface is intuitive with various options for cutting, trimming, and looping audio clips.
To make a ringtone with Garageband, you can import a song from your iTunes library or internal storage. Select the portion you want to use as your ringtone, then drag and drop it into a new project. Garageband will automatically loop the clip. You can then fine tune the start and end points, fade the audio in and out, and add additional effects.
When finished, export the ringtone by going to Share > Ringtone to iTunes. This will save it to your library ready for syncing to an iPhone. For other devices, export as an MP3 or M4R file. The app makes it easy to optimize the file for different devices.
Overall, Garageband provides a powerful yet user-friendly way to create great sounding custom ringtones on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. With its advanced features, you have full control over editing the audio exactly how you want.
Audacity
Audacity is a free, open source, cross-platform audio editor and recorder. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Audacity allows you to record live audio, convert tapes and records into digital recordings, and edit audio files. It supports editing and exporting audio in formats like MP3 and WAV which are commonly used for ringtones.
With Audacity, you can open an existing song or audio file, select a 30 second segment that you want to use as a ringtone, apply effects if desired, and export just that segment as a ringtone file. The steps are:
- Open the audio file in Audacity
- Select the 30 second portion you want for the ringtone
- Go to File > Export Audio and export as MP3 or WAV
The advantage of using Audacity is that it provides more advanced audio editing capabilities compared to simpler audio editing apps. You have full control over selecting the exact segment, applying effects, adjusting volume, etc. It also supports exporting in high quality lossless formats like WAV in addition to compressed formats like MP3.
Mobile Apps
There are several great apps available for Android and iOS devices that allow you to make custom ringtones from songs in your music library. Here are some top options:
For Android, Zedge is one of the most popular choices. It has a huge library of ringtones and notification sounds to choose from, or you can upload your own music files and edit them into ringtones. Zedge provides tools to trim audio clips, adjust volume, and add fade in/out effects. One downside is it contains ads.
Another good Android option is Ringtone Maker. This app makes it easy to convert music files into ringtones. You can cut any part of a song, apply filters and special effects, and save as an M4R file ready to set as your ringtone. The interface is intuitive with lots of customization options.
For iPhone, Garageband is pre-installed and provides a full music editing studio right on your device. You can import songs, trim segments, tweak audio settings, and export as a ringtone file for the iPhone. This takes more effort than dedicated ringtone apps but offers the most customization and quality results.
An alternative iPhone option is MTP Ringtones & Wallpapers. This app makes it super easy to crop music files and convert to M4R ringtones ready for the iPhone. The app has a clean, minimalist interface that is beginner-friendly. The disadvantage is less ability to fine-tune the ringtone audio compared to Garageband.
Overall, Android users have access to more robust, fully-featured ringtone maker apps like Zedge and Ringtone Maker. For iPhone, Garageband offers premium customization abilities, while MTP Ringtones & Wallpapers provides a simpler tool to quickly generate ringtones from songs.
Copyright Considerations
When creating custom ringtones, it’s important to be aware of copyright law. Using clips from copyrighted songs or recordings without permission is technically a violation of copyright, even for personal use as a ringtone. According to the U.S. Copyright Office’s 2006 Ringtone Decision, ringtones made from copyrighted music are subject to compulsory licensing and royalties should be paid to the rights holders.
That said, some argue that short song clips used non-commercially as ringtones may qualify as fair use. The fair use doctrine allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like criticism, commentary, news reporting, etc. But fair use is decided on a case-by-case basis, so there’s no guarantee. To be safe, it’s best to use only royalty-free or public domain sounds and recordings to create your custom ringtones.
Some good sources for royalty-free music and sounds to use legally include: Fotolog, Quora, FreeSound, YouTube Audio Library, and more. Check the license terms before using any sound clips or music to confirm it’s okay for your intended use.
Uploading Ringtones
Once you’ve created your custom ringtone, you’ll need to transfer it to your iPhone. There are a few different ways to do this:
Connecting to iTunes to Sync Ringtones
The most straightforward way is to connect your iPhone to your computer via USB and use iTunes to sync the ringtone. First, save the ringtone file (.m4r) somewhere on your computer. Then open iTunes, click on your connected iPhone, and go to the Tones section. Drag and drop the ringtone file to sync it. Next time your iPhone syncs with iTunes, the ringtone will be transferred.
Emailing Ringtone Files
You can also email ringtone files to yourself as an attachment. Open the email on your iPhone and tap to download the ringtone. This will save it to your device and allow you to set it as a custom ringtone.
QR Code Scanning
If you host the ringtone file online somewhere, you can generate a QR code linking to the file. Then simply scan the QR code with your iPhone’s camera to download the ringtone and add it to your device.
Custom Vibration Patterns
In addition to creating custom ringtones, some apps allow users to make custom vibration patterns to accompany ringtones and notifications. This can help differentiate notifications from different apps using unique vibration pulses.
For example, the app Custom Vibration Ringtones lets you create custom vibration patterns by adjusting vibration intensity and duration. You can make simple patterns or complex sequences to assign to contacts.
Another app called Vibrons also allows creating personalized vibration notifications for different apps. This helps you identify which app is notifying you without having to look at your phone.
With the ability to customize both ringtones and vibration patterns, users can truly personalize notifications on their device.
Conclusion
In summary, there are several ways to make custom ringtones from your own music library, with iTunes and GarageBand being popular free options on iOS devices. Third-party mobile apps like Ringtone Maker and Audacity for desktop provide additional functionality. While custom ringtones were a hot trend in the early 2000s, their popularity has declined with the rise of smartphones and default ringtones. However, custom ringtones still allow for personalization and self-expression. As long as music can be edited and uploaded to phones, custom ringtones will likely persist for those interested in standing out from default sounds.