Free Custom Ringtones in iTunes 7.4.2

MacRumors · Sep 17, 2007, 07:25 PM

Shadowfax discovered how to restore custom ringtones (for free) in the latest version of iTunes 7.4.2 that was released. The newest iTunes apparently broke the previous iTunes hacks that allowed you to easily sync any AAC file as a Ringtone.

The workaround is simple, and simply involves combining the previous methods (file renaming, and ID3 tag changes).

Quote:

You have to use that ID3 mod (Atomic Parsley), but use .m4r extensions. Once you change the STIK field to 14 using atomic parsley and change the extension from .m4a to .m4r, you can drag ringtones into your library again by hand

The ID3 mod was previously described which properly tags the AAC files as Ringtones. The M4R filetype also tells iTunes to place the ringtones into the proper location.

Due to the simplicity of the changes, it seems maybe Apple didn't maliciously break Ringtone support but simply solidified the format.

Article Link

devilot · Sep 17, 2007, 07:26 PM

I <3 me some geekery.

I have no intentions of putting my own custom ringtones (or buying any either) on my phone, but I love that the geeky Mac community comes out with "fixes" in no time. Hehe.

ghall · Sep 17, 2007, 07:32 PM

Well, that didn't take very long.

chr1s60 · Sep 17, 2007, 07:35 PM

That took a whole, what? Two hours?

I still think iToner is the way to go.

Dagless · Sep 17, 2007, 07:35 PM

When are Apple going to realise that we're a resourceful bunch and give up on this? Let those who don't know pay full whack and leave us lot alone? I hope we don't end up in a PSP situation where there is a ¨required¨ update every other day to get around piracy.

Telp · Sep 17, 2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chr1s60

That took a whole, what? Two hours?

I still think iToner is the way to go.

itoner isnt free though, this is.

shadowfax · Sep 17, 2007, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chr1s60

That took a whole, what? Two hours?

I still think iToner is the way to go.

I stumbled on it after about 5 minutes of toying around, although I had already done the ID3 tag fix on my ringtones, so I just had to try changing the extension...

Nagooya · Sep 17, 2007, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadowfax

I stumbled on it after about 5 minutes of toying around, although I had already done the ID3 tag fix on my ringtones, so I just had to try changing the extension...

I feel like such a noob... but can you give me some detailed instructions? Thanks!

Superdrive · Sep 17, 2007, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macrumors

Due to the simplicity of the changes, it seems maybe Apple didn't maliciously break Ringtone support but simply solidified the format.

Wouldn't that be something?! I'd love to see an end to all the back and forth play. I also find it interesting that iToner sticks through. That's a good record so far.

gceo · Sep 17, 2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telp

itoner isnt free though, this is.

That's not drag and drop. iToner is.

~not trying to start anything, just pointing out the *differences* to be fair.

Atomic Parsley is command line. This gives some folk the heebeejeebees.

jsinger986 · 08:16 PM

Its not about people who don't know or can't figure out how to do the hacks... its about people who just don't want to deal with the hassle of doing ringtones themselves. To these people, who probably only want 1 or 2 ringtones total, its worth the $1 per ringtone to just use the iTunes ringtone system to create the ringtone and download it.

Why go through the hassle of making your own ringtone by editing down a song with a third party app or Garageband, do whatever hackery is needed to make the file compliant and then sync it to your phone when you can do it all in iTunes in a matter of seconds. Its not just about the ringtone, its about the ease and simplicity.

I do my own ringtones because the songs I want aren't available on iTunes. But, for my girlfriend, I just told her to do it off iTunes because it would be a lot less hassle.

Jeff

donlphi · Sep 17, 2007, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gceo

That's not drag and drop. iToner is.

~not trying to start anything, just pointing out the *differences* to be fair.

Yes, but MakeiPhoneRingtone is, and I'm sure they will fix this in their free upgrade.

I've asked this in about six other posts, does iToner suvive all firmware updates? Just curious, because I agree with your previous post (or somebody's previous post) and I like the thought of prompt customer service/upgrades due to the fact that money changed hands.

MakeiPhoneRingtone is great, but I have a hunch even that will not be free for long. They will probably include it into fission (their sound editing software), which is unnecessary when you have garageband or even audacity.

ivi7 · Sep 17, 2007, 08:14 PM

Its high time they should just let us make ringtones in itunes.

Cleverboy · Sep 17, 2007, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gceo

That's not drag and drop. iToner is.
~not trying to start anything, just pointing out the *differences* to be fair.
Atomic Parsley is command line. This gives some folk the heebeejeebees.

To be fair to both methods, I think YOU have to realize that it IS drag-and-drop simple... but that you need to find someone to package it right just for you (like Rogue Amoeba for instance). You just have to find the person/company who's created a drag-n-drop version FOR you. The fact of the matter is... once you've created the ringtone using this method, you'll never need to fuss with anything but iTunes to manage your ringtones afterwards! While iToner "manages" your ringtones, this method "converts" your ringtone so that its "iTunes compatible". Being "compatible" means that you don't need a separate "sync" to get new ringtones and another one in a different program in order to grab your latest podcasts... its all in one program (iTunes). It also means you can e-mail a ringtone to your iPhone-toting pals, and they can sync that ringtone in iTunes too.

As much as I dig iToner, you really can't get much simpler than that, especially without costing you anything extra. To repeat, while you can Do-it-Yourself with Atomic Parsely and renaming the file to m4r, numerous... NUMEROUS people have created drag-n-drop scripts from this technique.

The great thing about iToner is NOT how simple it is to use (as other free programs have come around, just as simple, considering they work WITH iTunes, and not as an add-on environment), but that once you pay Ambrosia the $15, THEY will keep up with updates FOR you and all you need to do is launch iToner and choose "Check for Updates" from the menu. It's an "update crazy" time right now it seems. By paying for it, you get the support of a very good company, watching your back.

~ CB

Bernie-Mac · Sep 17, 2007, 08:22 PM

Do you have to use the Atomic Parsley thing? Cuz that thing confuses me i never used that thing before i just changed the extension to m4r and then m4a when it was in the ringtones folder, what do i do exactly with this Atomic Parsley thing?

SilentCrs · Sep 17, 2007, 08:23 PM

I'm not entirely sure this workaround works. I tried the following with an m4a file:

1.) Changed the STIK field.
2.) Changed the file extension to m4r using Get Info.
3.) Dragged the file into iTunes.

Ok, great, it recognizes it on the Ringtone list. However, it doesn't show up on the Ringtone sync tab and when it gets to the point of copying the file iTunes complains that it won't work on the phone.

Next, I tried to change the file within the newly created Ringtones folder to m4a. Resynced. This time, it appeared to copy the file. But, it still doesn't appear on the Ringtones sync tab. Worse, it doesn't appear on the Ringtone list on the phone itself.

Unless I'm missing something obvious here, I think the people who came up with this "workaround" just saw the file show up on the Ringtone list and thought they were done. I can't seem to get files to copy to the phone AND be choosable on the phone's ringtone list.

Cleverboy · Sep 17, 2007, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivi7

Its high time they should just let us make ringtones in itunes.

It would seem Apple couldn't agree with you more:
http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Tec...right_Law.html

Remember when that video came out on YouTube, showing that Apple had integrated ringtones into iTunes, and then suddenly the feature never materialized after launch? You notice that after all that negotiation, Universal Music is entirely absent from iTunes ringtones selection? Yeah. It's not easy trying to create legal services that benefit consumers, while making your way through gobs of red tape. Just FYI.

~ CB

whistler72 · Sep 17, 2007, 08:29 PM

Apple encourages us to "Think Different", but it's funny when their Wallet is concerned they want us to think like everyone else and use only the ringtones that they approve...

GRRR.

alep85 · 08:37 PM

I changed the STIK value using Atomic Parsley, and it adds them to the Ringtone tab on the right side of iTunes, but they don't show up on the iPhone and don't show up in the Ringtones Sync option. Any ideas on what I'm missing?

EDIT: It's even COPYING them to the iPhone but they still aren't showing up on the iPhone sound options or on the Ringtones sync tab....HELP!

scotty588 · Sep 17, 2007, 08:32 PM

This trick isn't working for me. I changed the value using atomic parsley while the file is .m4r then renamed to .m4a and dragged into the ringtones spot in iTunes. Doesn't show up and not syncing.

shadowfax · Sep 17, 2007, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nagooya

I feel like such a noob... but can you give me some detailed instructions? Thanks!

Well, in theory,

the simplest way to do this is to download Atomic Parsley, and then open a Terminal window, and drag the file "AtomicParsley" in the folder that you download onto it. Then press space in the Terminal window, and go to Finder and find the file you want, and drag it onto the Terminal window. now hit the space bar again in the Terminal window, and add "--stik value=14" (no quotes of course) to the input. It ought to look like this:

Code:

/Users/<yourname>/Desktop/AtomicParsley-MacOSX-0.9.0/AtomicParsley /Users/<yourname>/Desktop/<RingtoneName>.m4a --stik value=14

After that, go to the folder where the ringtone you added was, and you should see a file that looks like this: <RingtoneName>-temp-66832.m4a . Note that the number will be random (I think). Rename this file to <RingtoneName>.m4r. Make sure you do this by right-clicking on it, selecting "Get Info..." and changing the name and extension under the "Name & Extension" tab of the Info window.

After you do that, you can add it to your library. That's the simplest I can make it...

Let me know if this works, if you try it. It works for me, but one other user has found it doesn't--he's on a G4, though, if that is of significance.

shadowfax · Sep 17, 2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty588

This trick isn't working for me. I changed the value using atomic parsley while the file is .m4r then renamed to .m4a and dragged into the ringtones spot in iTunes. Doesn't show up and not syncing.

You need to add the .m4r version into iTunes. I hope that wasn't just a typo.

Can anyone else confirm this method? it works for me, but I haven't had anyone else try it and confirm it.

TurboSC · Sep 17, 2007, 08:46 PM

holy crap that was fast. lol way to go guys... new speed records hahah.

PBones · Sep 17, 2007, 08:46 PM

Shadowfax, have you tested this with an actual iPhone? The "stik then rename" technique works to add the file to the Library, and have it show up in the Ringtones sub-library.

However, the file does not appear in the Ringtones tab in iTunes, and of course, it doesn't sync over.

So, are you testing this with an iPhone, or just iTunes?

bravedeer · Sep 17, 2007, 08:47 PM

Just doesn't work. m4r, m4a, tried all sorts of songs. NADA!

Sep 17, 2007, 07:32 PM	#3
ghall macrumors 68040 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Rhode Island	Well, that didn't take very long. __________________ Blog \| Twitter

Sep 17, 2007, 07:35 PM	#4
chr1s60 macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: California	That took a whole, what? Two hours? I still think iToner is the way to go. __________________ 15" MacBook Pro 3.06GHz, iPod 4G 20GB, iPod Classic 120GB, iPod Shuffle 4G, White iPhone 3G S⃣ 16GB,tv 160GB

Sep 17, 2007, 07:35 PM	#5
Dagless macrumors 604 Join Date: Jan 2005	When are Apple going to realise that we're a resourceful bunch and give up on this? Let those who don't know pay full whack and leave us lot alone? I hope we don't end up in a PSP situation where there is a ¨required¨ update every other day to get around piracy. __________________ Maybe if everyone who'd ever been close to you had died, you'd be sarcastic, too.

Sep 17, 2007, 08:08 PM	#11
jsinger986 macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2007	Its not about people who don't know or can't figure out how to do the hacks... its about people who just don't want to deal with the hassle of doing ringtones themselves. To these people, who probably only want 1 or 2 ringtones total, its worth the $1 per ringtone to just use the iTunes ringtone system to create the ringtone and download it. Why go through the hassle of making your own ringtone by editing down a song with a third party app or Garageband, do whatever hackery is needed to make the file compliant and then sync it to your phone when you can do it all in iTunes in a matter of seconds. Its not just about the ringtone, its about the ease and simplicity. I do my own ringtones because the songs I want aren't available on iTunes. But, for my girlfriend, I just told her to do it off iTunes because it would be a lot less hassle. Jeff Last edited by Doctor Q : Sep 17, 2007 at 08:16 PM. Reason: removed unrelated URL (you are welcome to put it in your signature)

Sep 17, 2007, 08:14 PM	#13
ivi7 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2007	Its high time they should just let us make ringtones in itunes. __________________ Macbook Pro 2.16 GHz Core Duo 2 GB DDR2 Macmini 1.83 GHz Core Duo 2 GB DDR2 8 GB Iphone

Sep 17, 2007, 07:26 PM	#2
devilot Demi-Goddess (Moderator emeritus) Join Date: May 2005	I <3 me some geekery. I have no intentions of putting my own custom ringtones (or buying any either) on my phone, but I love that the geeky Mac community comes out with "fixes" in no time. Hehe.

Sep 17, 2007, 08:22 PM	#15
Bernie-Mac Banned Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sin City, NV	Do you have to use the Atomic Parsley thing? Cuz that thing confuses me i never used that thing before i just changed the extension to m4r and then m4a when it was in the ringtones folder, what do i do exactly with this Atomic Parsley thing?

Sep 17, 2007, 08:23 PM	#16
SilentCrs macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2006	I'm not entirely sure this workaround works. I tried the following with an m4a file: 1.) Changed the STIK field. 2.) Changed the file extension to m4r using Get Info. 3.) Dragged the file into iTunes. Ok, great, it recognizes it on the Ringtone list. However, it doesn't show up on the Ringtone sync tab and when it gets to the point of copying the file iTunes complains that it won't work on the phone. Next, I tried to change the file within the newly created Ringtones folder to m4a. Resynced. This time, it appeared to copy the file. But, it still doesn't appear on the Ringtones sync tab. Worse, it doesn't appear on the Ringtone list on the phone itself. Unless I'm missing something obvious here, I think the people who came up with this "workaround" just saw the file show up on the Ringtone list and thought they were done. I can't seem to get files to copy to the phone AND be choosable on the phone's ringtone list.

Sep 17, 2007, 08:29 PM	#18
whistler72 macrumors member Join Date: Aug 2007	Apple encourages us to "Think Different", but it's funny when their Wallet is concerned they want us to think like everyone else and use only the ringtones that they approve... GRRR. __________________ iPhone 8gb Powerbook G4 17" - 1.67mHz - 1.5gb RAM 100gb HDD (for sale.. PM me for more information) iMac 17" Micro$oft Slave by day..

Sep 17, 2007, 08:31 PM	#19
alep85 macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2005	I changed the STIK value using Atomic Parsley, and it adds them to the Ringtone tab on the right side of iTunes, but they don't show up on the iPhone and don't show up in the Ringtones Sync option. Any ideas on what I'm missing? EDIT: It's even COPYING them to the iPhone but they still aren't showing up on the iPhone sound options or on the Ringtones sync tab....HELP! Last edited by alep85 : Sep 17, 2007 at 08:37 PM.

Sep 17, 2007, 08:32 PM	#20
scotty588 macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Carlsbad, CA	This trick isn't working for me. I changed the value using atomic parsley while the file is .m4r then renamed to .m4a and dragged into the ringtones spot in iTunes. Doesn't show up and not syncing. __________________ Macbook Pro 15" Core Duo 2.0 Ghz \| 1.5 GB Ram \| 80 GB HDD \| OS X 10.6.2 ; iPhone 3G 8 GB

Sep 17, 2007, 08:46 PM	#23
TurboSC macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: California	holy crap that was fast. lol way to go guys... new speed records hahah. __________________ www.sciphone.net - The best iPhone wallpapers and applications on the Internet. Now serving: 8600+ Wallpapers \| 38,000+ Applications.

Sep 17, 2007, 08:46 PM	#24
PBones macrumors newbie Join Date: Sep 2007	Tested with iPhone? Shadowfax, have you tested this with an actual iPhone? The "stik then rename" technique works to add the file to the Library, and have it show up in the Ringtones sub-library. However, the file does not appear in the Ringtones tab in iTunes, and of course, it doesn't sync over. So, are you testing this with an iPhone, or just iTunes?

Sep 17, 2007, 08:47 PM	#25
bravedeer macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2006	doesn't work for me either! Just doesn't work. m4r, m4a, tried all sorts of songs. NADA!

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