How to create a ring tone

From TTC: Mobile Advocacy Toolkit Working Meeting wiki

Ring tones can be a great way for your organisation to market itself or promote a cause.

Contents 1 What software you can use 2 What hardware you will need 3 What documentation is available 4 How easy is it to do? 5 How much will it cost? 6 Other things you should know 7 Distributing your ringtone

[edit] What software you can use

• Choose a piece of music or a sound file you wish to use
• Create an Audio file using Audacity - available for free from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
• Export an MP3 file - there are detailed instructions available at; http://flossmanuals.net/Audacity/ExportingAFile
• Other file formats supported are mp3, mp4, acc, mid, midi, wma, m4a
• Browse to http://www.theunlocker.co.uk/ringtone_creator/ and upload the audio file
• The online system will let you edit and export your ringtone to your computer
• You can then use a data cable, Infra Red or Bluetooth connection to upload your ringtone to your phone

[edit] What hardware you will need

• PC with sound card
• PC that has a data cable, Infra Red or Bluetooth connection
• Mobile phone that can be connected to a PC using a data cable, Infra Red or Bluetooth

[edit] What documentation is available

The Know your mobile website has user guides for most phones which will show you how to customise the ringtone on your particular model of phone.

There is a detailed guide to making ringtones using [Audacity] which will bypass the need to use the online Ringtone Creator site.

[edit] How easy is it to do?

• Editing files in Audacity is very straightforward
• Using the online Ringtone creator system is very straightforward
• Customising ringtones on your phone depends on what type of phone you have

[edit] How much will it cost?

• The Ringtone Creator site is free to use

[edit] Other things you should know

• You will need to be able to transfer files from your desktop computer or laptop to your mobile phone; so you will need an Infra Red, Bluetooth or data cable connection.
• Check the Know your mobile website to see what the special requirements for ringtones for your model of phone is.

[edit] Distributing your ringtone

Read more on Using ring tones to popularise an issue

Ringtones can be used as a publicity or marketing tool for your campaign - simply make the ringtone available as a download from your site. You should also encourage viral distribution of your ringtone; users can do this for free by using Bluetooth connections to transfer files.