Let Your iPhone Sing Your Song
Ringtones can say a lot about you, your personality, style, and your attitude. And they can be very helpful to let you know exactly who is calling. But, for some reason, iPhone is limited in terms of ringtones. You can only use either the small default selection that comes on the phone or purchase from the iTunes store for 99 cents each. This is a super expensive way to go if you’re looking for ringtone variety.
You can also to create customized ringtones using GarageBand, but that’s a complicated process that likely will not appeal to those who don’t otherwise use the program. Fortunately, there are alternatives that let you create custom ringtones. I took a few of the available choices for a spin:
Wondershare iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac
Wondershare iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac enables users to convert almost any audio or video file for use on the iPhone, while providing options to create and transfer ringtones. It’s equipped with a wave-form function, an editor which allows users to choose what specific sections of files they want. The utility provides control over both the starting and stopping time of ringtones. Additionally, users can add fade-in and fade-out effects to their edited audio or video clips.
The software enables the transfer of files from either an iPhone or directly from iTunes, with an iTunes library located within the interface to simplify creating and managing ringtones.
PocketMac RingtoneStudio 2
PocketMac RingtoneStudio 2 for iPhone lets you create a new ringtone with a few clicks. Just drop a music file onto the interface (which looks like an iPhone), select the portion of the tune you want to use–up to 30 seconds, Apple says–and click Create. RingtoneStudio exports the new ringtone to iTunes automatically, ready for syncing. The current version of the product adds fade-in and fade-out options, volume boost, and a new waveform editor that looks similar to waveforms found in sound editing software. RingtoneStudio lets you zoom into a waveform up to 16x, and now features unlimited undos for volume adjustments.
Pixel Research Labs Ringer
Ringer actually has more in common with RingtoneStudio because it supports the same file formats as QuickTime (MP3, AAC, MOV, MP4, M4V) but no specialized formats, such as XviD or DivX. But, it does not support video conversion when you want to create a ringtone from your favorite Hollywood epic.
Just like iPhone Ringtone Maker, the interface for selecting a portion of a clip is easy to use–just drag the mouse to select the portion you want, and the default view on Ringer shows a large window of the audio waveform–you can make the app larger on screen to see an even closer view. However, the zoom functions and fade in or out controls are more limited. For example, Zoom just maximizes the window without actually zooming.
MG Make Ringtones on your Mac
AMG (Advanced Media Group) Make Ringtones on Your Mac is essentially a collection of loops and GarageBand songs that you can use to create ringtones. As such, it’s a departure from the PocketMac and Wondershare offerings, and is even different from how you’d normally create ringtones with purchased songs (by paying 99 cents and converting them). For the do-it-yourself approach, AMG has created a fun tool.
AMG’s Make Ringtones on Your Mac is a collection of loops and GarageBand songs for creating ringtones.
Choosing the best ringtone app is really not easy–there is no single tool that outperformed all the others in the group I tested, and their prices are pretty close. However, my nod goes to iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac because it can convert wirtually any audio/video format and work quickly.It also lets you make and transfer ringtones skipping using iTunes. Pixel Research Labs Ringer comes second for it does not support converting video formats.
For those who are interested in the free route to ringtones, you can go to Audiko, a free, online utility that can make ringtone from an audio file.
In: PocketMac · Tagged with: iphone..., Sing, Song