Once upon a time, Apple wanted you to buy ringtones on iTunes. But after awhile, they realized brilliant minds would hack around and find a way to create their own. Ultimately, Apple relented and built the tool to create ringtones right into GarageBand. And if you have the software, you can now make your own kind of tones and sync them to your smartphone with nary a worry. Here’s how.

Create A New File

Simple. Open the GarageBand app, and select CREATE NEW MUSIC PROJECT. You’ll also need to locate your tone’s source song file in either the AAC, MP3, WAV or AIFF format.

Import the Source Song

One of the nice features of GarageBand is that if you want to import an existing song into a project, all you have to do is drag the source song into the GarageBand timeline and drop it. GarageBand automatically imports the song. Remember, the source file has to be of the AAC, MP3, WAV or AIFF format.

Mark The Start

Find the spot in the song that you want to be the beginning of your ringtone. Place your mouse pointer in the lower-left corner of the audio clip until you see the RESIZE pointer(⬌). Drag the pointer right until you reach the point you want your ringtone to start. Drag the shortened sound file to the start of the GarageBand timeline. Look at the song’s sound waves to find natural breaks and pauses in the music that will adapt into the ringtone.

Mark The End

Since a ringtone can only be 40 seconds long, you’ll need to mark the end of your tone too. Select CONTROL->SHOW TIME IN LCD to change the LCD mode to TIME mode, if isn’t already set. Once again using the RESIZE pointer, slide the end of your sound file from right to left until you get to your end spot. Looking for a natural end in the song makes for a less annoying ringtone and makes it sound professional.

Set & Create The Loop

If you aren’t familiar with GarageBand, you may not realize that you can create your own loops within the recording studio. The CYCLE REGION button (the chasing arrows located on the START/STOP control panel at the bottom of the app) will create the loop that becomes your finished ringtone. Click this button, and a thin yellow line will appear above the timeline. Adjust the line (by dragging the right side) so that it covers the entire span of your ringtone. Play the selected area, and if you’re happy with it, you can now import your new ringtone.

Send It To iTunes

This may be the most difficult part of all. If you’re happy with your new tone, select the SHARE menu, then select SEND RINGTONE TO iTUNES. That’s it. Once there, you can change the name of the ringtone and add additional info just like your music. If you want to sync your iPhone to your new ringtone, just plug it in and navigate to the RINGTONES tab in iTunes. Making sure that your ringtones are set to sync, select your CONTACT. Tap the ringtone name to assign to your new ringtones.

There you have it. You can create dozens of new ringtones once you get the habit of it. You’ll also wonder why you spent all that money on ringtones in the past. One thing is definitely for sure too: you’ll create your first ringtone far quicker than it took to write this post. Enjoy your newfound talent.

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Wolfmother

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