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How to shorten m4r file for ringtone?
- Thread starter DougY
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I have converted a sound file to m4r format, but it is too long to create a ringtone for my iPhone. How do I select and save just a portion of it?
Certainly you used Google to search for a program for your Mac or PC to do this.
use GarageBand if you have a Mac, it is easy and allows you to make a 40 second sound clip for a ringtone, this is what I use for all of my ringtones.
You don't need garage band, the following is a guide that I pieced together from various sources online on how to create ringtones for your iPhone using either PC or Mac. It's pretty straightforward. I don't claim to be any kind of expert, but I've used both methods on both platforms and they work just fine. Both are simple, feel free to PM me if you need any help. I was in an accident a few months back and will be recovering from surgery coming up soon so have tons of dead time to answer questions if you or anybody else has them regarding this sequence of events.
For PCs
1. Start iTunes and find the song you want to convert into a ringtone. (It must be an MP3.
2. Right-click the song and choose "Get Info."
3. Click the "Options" tab.
4. Check the "Start Time" and "Stop Time" boxes, then enter times for each (no more than 30 seconds apart, the maximum length for a ringtone.)
5. Click OK, then right click the song again and choose "Create AAC Version." You should immediately see a new 30-second version of the song.
6. Drag that version out of iTunes and into the folder of your choice.
7. Delete the 30-second version from iTunes and undo the start/stop time changes to the original.
8. Open the folder containing the 30-second AAC file that you dragged out of iTunes, then change the file extension from ".m4a" to ".m4r." Double-Click it and it immediately gets added to the iTunes' Ringtone library.
How to turn file extension changing on
(Do this either before doing anything, after creating a folder with your ringtones, or at least before step 6 in the above sequence.)
1. find the folder that you dragged the file into from step 6 above.
2. click the dropdown box that says "organize"
3. Click the option that says "folder options"
4. click on the tab that says "view"
5. un-select the option that says "hide extensions for known file types."
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For Macs
How to create custom ringtones for iPhone using iTunes for free?
The following steps show how to create free ringtones for your iPhone using only iTunes and songs you already have on your computer.
Note 1: This method only works with songs that are DRM free. To make iPhone ringtones using DRM protected songs please follow This Guide to remove the DRM protection first.
Note 2: If you want to avoid the trouble of making custom iPhone ringtones by following the steps below, you can simply get an iPhone Ringtone Maker Tool to help you easily and quickly create ringtones for your iPhone.
To make iPhone ringtones using only iTunes:
1. Right click on the song you are going to make into a ringer and select "Get Info".
2. Go to the "Options" tab and go down to the "Start Time" and "Stop Time" check boxes. Check both boxes and input the time you want your ringer to start/stop. The ringer has to be 30 seconds or less. Click "OK" when you're done.
3. Right click on your newly "clipped" song and select "Convert Selection to AAC". The song will be re-encoded using the start and stop times determined (If your menu item does not read "Convert Selection to AAC" and reads "Convert Slection to MP3" (or some other format) please go to iTunes -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Importing and change the "Import Using" drop down menu to "AAC Encoder").
make free ringtones for iPhone, create free iPhone ringtones
4. After the song is done encoding navigate to your iTunes Music folder, locate your song, and drag it to your desktop. After the song is on your desktop go back to iTunes and delete the clipped version from you iTunes library (It won't delete it from your desktop, it will only remove it from iTunes).
5. Go back the song on your desktop and right click on your song and chose "Properties". Go to the name and extension section and change the extension from .m4a to .m4r (or you can just change the extension right from your desktop).
6. After the extension is changed simply double click on the file to add it to your iTunes library under the ringtones section. Sync your phone with iTunes and you're done!
Note: Remember to go back into iTunes and uncheck your custom start and stop times for the original version of your song.
Yes I am well aware of these methods as that is what I'm currently using. I'm more interested in the 40-sec thingy though.
But thanks for posting the method for the general public.
But thanks for posting the method for the general public.
step 2 of the mac version or 4 of the pc version should have the info on that part of the process.
Didnt create "clipped" song
1. Right click on the song you are going to make into a ringer and select "Get Info".
2. Go to the "Options" tab and go down to the "Start Time" and "Stop Time" check boxes. Check both boxes and input the time you want your ringer to start/stop. The ringer has to be 30 seconds or less. Click "OK" when you're done.
I tried this on several songs in my iTunes music folder, but it didnt create a shortened "clipped" song. It remains the same length it was originally.
1. Right click on the song you are going to make into a ringer and select "Get Info".
2. Go to the "Options" tab and go down to the "Start Time" and "Stop Time" check boxes. Check both boxes and input the time you want your ringer to start/stop. The ringer has to be 30 seconds or less. Click "OK" when you're done.
I tried this on several songs in my iTunes music folder, but it didnt create a shortened "clipped" song. It remains the same length it was originally.
That's where you go to step three of the windows or mac versions. You have to create a new file.
Ive done the whole process, the final result being that I have a 2.02 minute music file in the m4r format, and am unable to shorten it to 30 seconds or less. I followed the above process EXACTLY as I read it, but each time I brought up Options for the music file, put in the start and finish times, clicked on OK, it still remained 2.02 minutes.
(Im to lazy do delete the rest of the post...)
Regarding step 2.
What if all options besides the rating is greyed out? What should i do?
There are loads of good videos on how to do this on YouTube. Most follow those instructions almost exactly!
I have converted a sound file to m4r format, but it is too long to create a ringtone for my iPhone. How do I select and save just a portion of it?
Open it in QuickTime player Edit>Trim select your range, save it, rename to m4r and you are done.
Hi, I have tried this in QuickTime but the 'trim' button will not activate, can you help me please?
Transfer it to your iCloud Drive, open it with GarageBand and use the slide bars to edit it Then export it to your Idevice as a ringtone.I have converted a sound file to m4r format, but it is too long to create a ringtone for my iPhone. How do I select and save just a portion of it?