Is Making Your Own Ringtones Really Free?

If there is one thing that mobile phones, personal computers, tablets, and other pieces of recreational technology have given us, it is the ability to completely and uniquely customize our equipment. Whether we are placing a personalized homepage on our computer or downloading a unique ringtone for our mobile phones, we are personalizing tech and subsequently customizing our lives. But just how easy is it to create our own ringtones for free? Many would be surprised at how easy it really is to have our own custom free ringtones.

What Is Needed to Create a Ringtone?

The obvious answer to this question is a mobile phone. However, it is not only necessary to have a mobile phone to hear your custom ringtones, but in many situations it is necessary to have a phone in order to also create your own free ringtones.

For example, one of the easiest ways to create a custom ringtone for free is to use the microphone on the mobile device. The microphone built in to most phones allows the user to record 5-40 seconds of a particular sound, a song, a part of speech and anything audible that the user wants their ringtone to be. A recording on a mobile phone is often saved as a wav. File and these are easily allocated into the ringtones folder of a phone. But, as with many microphone recordings, there is a considerable loss in quality. Fortunately, there is another way.

For Android users, the app store offers a unique program called “Ringtone Maker” that is absolutely free to download and use. This application scans your phone for music files like mp3, mp4s, and wav files or it can be connected to your computer through your mobile phone to scan your hard drive. After a song is selected, the user can select which portion of the audio file to designate as a ringtone. This can be a short 3 second portion for a notification or text message setting or a 60 second portion for a full ringtone. Ringtone Maker allocates the selected recording in the proper file folder and the user has a free ringtone in a matter of minutes.

What About iPhone Users Who Do Not Use Android?

Even if the user doesn’t have an Android phone, the popular iPhone can be supplied with free custom ringtones as well. This is particularly beneficial for the iPhone as it can be difficult to find affordable ringtones for the mobile device.

One of the easiest ways to create a custom ringtone for the iPhone is by utilizing 3rd party software, much of which can be found for free. For example, programs such as iPhoneRingToneMaker, iToner, or Garage Band for MAC users operate by directly copying ringtones to your iPhone or by editing and transferring designated files. 3rd party software is highly advantageous as it allows the use of computer processor to manipulate sound files and select exactly what sound is desired for a customized free ringtone. Furthermore, many computer software programs allow the user to add personalized effects to their songs and audio files which create an even more custom ringtone. Lastly, free 3rd party software exists for both iPhone users and Android users as some work better with the Windows platform and subsequently Android, while others are more compatible with the Apple Mac platform and subsequently the iPhone.