How to Make Your Own Ringtones for a Motorola Phone
Understand the process., Make the ringtone., That's a lot of words, but it's necessary to explain the process to everyone., Connect your phone., Copy the ringtone to your phone's memory card., You've now made a ringtone (or ringtones) and put them...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Understand the process.
A ringtone is nothing more than a short audio file in .mp3 format.
You will hear it when your phone rings; your contact will just hear the usual rings.
Once your caller has heard four of these rings, they will disconnect from your phone and connect to your voicemail.
Once they have connected to your voicemail, the call is missed and the ringtone stops.
Call yourself and time this.
Any ringtone longer than that time is too long.
It will work but you will not hear anything after that max time. -
Step 2: Make the ringtone.
First, download Audacity.
This is a free audio editing program that is quite easy to use.
Other programs can do what Audacity will do, but Audacity is free, easy, and it's available on Mac and Linux, so should you choose to leave Windows, this process will still work for you.
Unpack Audacity to a location that is convenient for you.
On Windows, C:\Program Files\Audacity is convenient and common.
If it helps, then make a shortcut to your desktop (right click audacity.exe and choose "Send To">"Desktop (create shortcut)".
Open Audacity.
Find the .mp3 file for the audio file you want to make into a ringtone.
Drop the file on Audacity, anywhere on the window.
Wait a few seconds for it to analyze the song.
You are now looking at the waveform for your song.
Find the zoom icon (magnifying glass with a plus).
Zoom in a couple steps.
If you are not familiar with Audacity, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the interface.
Play the song and find the beginning of the part of the song you want.
The zoom should let you see at least 45 seconds of the song.
Click before a "peak" and hit Play.
Is this an acceptable start to your ringtone? If not, hit Stop (important!) and then move the start point by clicking elsewhere (close by).
Repeat this until you have found the perfect start. (Later, when showing off your ringtone that YOU made, the start will grab your friends and make you look great.) Easy way to finish it:
Down below you'll see three boxes with hours, minutes, and seconds.
In the middle one, put in 30 seconds.
Be sure above it, it says Length.
Hard way to finish it:
Do the same as above but put in 35 seconds.
Now hit play.
The 35 seconds will play.
Pay VERY special attention to the end.
Look for where it should end, any time after 25 seconds in but perhaps closer to 30 seconds depending on your network/provider.
A good ending is NOT as important as a good start, but it's OK for showing off or if your mates are watching your phone as you ignore it.
Use the mouse buttons to adjust the ending.
Play the segment using the Play button to ensure this is what you want.
If not, repeat above steps.
If so, read on.
From the File menu choose Export Selection.
You'll be asked to edit the metadata.
Artist, album, stuff like that.
Ringtones don't need this, so hit Clear, then OK.
Now you're looking at a mostly common Save box.
But first click Options in the lower left corner.
Set the options as follows:
Constant, 96kbps, Stereo.
Find a folder to save to.
You should keep your custom ringtones on your PC and then transfer them later.
This way you can delete the ringtone to make space, and then get it back later.
Hit Save.
If this is your first time saving a .mp3 file, Audacity will politely inform you that it can't find the .mp3 encoder.
Don't bother; you probably haven't got it.
Just hit Download.
This will take you to a web site.
Depending on your OS (Windows, if you don't know) follow the given instructions.
You'll end up downloading a ~375KB .DLL file to your Audacity directory which will expand its resources to allow it to write to the .mp3 format.
Repeat as necessary for as many ringtones as you would like to make. , And it's by far the hardest, most technical part. , First, go into your phone's menu (usually the center button).
Go to Settings.
Go to Connections.
Go to USB Settings.
Press your Center/Enter button and arrows to change the "Default" option to "USB Drive".
Your phone will now appear to your computer as a removable hard drive with the size of your phone's Micro SD card.
Connect the USB cable to the computer and to the phone.
The order does not matter.
If done right (and wait for this), your phone will say "Connected as USB Drive.
Files on Memory Card are not available now." If you're using Windows and it's configured correctly, Windows will first "install" a "new (or unknown) USB device".
Once it's done, your phone will be recognized as a removable hard drive, and Windows will ask you what to do with it.
Click View Files and Folders. , In your phone's root folder, open the Motorola folder.
Open the Shared folder.
Open the Ringtone folder.
Browse to where you saved that ringtone(s) you just made.
Click on the ringtone, or if there is more than one, highlight them.
Use the right button to drag the file(s) to the Ringtone directory.
Release it.
Choose Copy. , But you're not quite there yet.
The ringtone is only on the memory card, and that's not good enough for a Motorola phone.
Motorola requires that the ringtone be stored in its internal memory.
Read on... ,, You now need to unplug your phone at either end of the cable.
Once the connection is broken, phone and memory card can communicate again.
The memory card can only have one master at a time
- computer or phone.
Find your ringtone.
Hit the Center/Menu button.
Go to Media Gallery.
Go to Sounds.
Use the arrows to find the file.
If you have a lot of files, start typing the name of the file as if you were writing a text message (without dictionary mode).
Usually you will only need to type the first letter or two.
Notice the memory card icon to the right of the file.
That means it's stored on the memory card.
Click Options, usually Left Shoulder Button.
Go down to Manage; hit Right.
Go down to Move; hit Enter.
Choose where to move the file to.
Choose Phone and hit Enter.
Repeat for any ringtones you have made. , But it's not assigned anywhere. , From your home screen, click Center/Menu.
Choose Ring Styles.
Change your ring style to either Loud or Soft.
Choose (Loud Detail or Soft Detail).
Go down to Calls.
Hit the Center/Enter button, scroll down, find your new ringtone, and hit Center/Enter. , Open the Contacts menu.
Find the contact you want to assign the ringtone to.
The ringtone will be applied to all phone numbers associated with that contact (home, cell, work, etc.).
Click Options.
Click Edit Contact.
Scroll down about a page and a half to find Ringer ID.
Click Center/Enter and select the ringtone. , -
Step 3: That's a lot of words
-
Step 4: but it's necessary to explain the process to everyone.
-
Step 5: Connect your phone.
-
Step 6: Copy the ringtone to your phone's memory card.
-
Step 7: You've now made a ringtone (or ringtones) and put them on your phone.
-
Step 8: Move the ringtone to the phone.
-
Step 9: Remember when you plugged your phone in and it said files on the memory card will not be available?
-
Step 10: You now have a ringtone that you have made yourself.
-
Step 11: Optionally
-
Step 12: make it a global ringtone.
-
Step 13: Optionally
-
Step 14: set it for just one Contact.
-
Step 15: Congratulations
-
Step 16: you're off to making your own ringtones for free.
Detailed Guide
A ringtone is nothing more than a short audio file in .mp3 format.
You will hear it when your phone rings; your contact will just hear the usual rings.
Once your caller has heard four of these rings, they will disconnect from your phone and connect to your voicemail.
Once they have connected to your voicemail, the call is missed and the ringtone stops.
Call yourself and time this.
Any ringtone longer than that time is too long.
It will work but you will not hear anything after that max time.
First, download Audacity.
This is a free audio editing program that is quite easy to use.
Other programs can do what Audacity will do, but Audacity is free, easy, and it's available on Mac and Linux, so should you choose to leave Windows, this process will still work for you.
Unpack Audacity to a location that is convenient for you.
On Windows, C:\Program Files\Audacity is convenient and common.
If it helps, then make a shortcut to your desktop (right click audacity.exe and choose "Send To">"Desktop (create shortcut)".
Open Audacity.
Find the .mp3 file for the audio file you want to make into a ringtone.
Drop the file on Audacity, anywhere on the window.
Wait a few seconds for it to analyze the song.
You are now looking at the waveform for your song.
Find the zoom icon (magnifying glass with a plus).
Zoom in a couple steps.
If you are not familiar with Audacity, take a moment to familiarize yourself with the interface.
Play the song and find the beginning of the part of the song you want.
The zoom should let you see at least 45 seconds of the song.
Click before a "peak" and hit Play.
Is this an acceptable start to your ringtone? If not, hit Stop (important!) and then move the start point by clicking elsewhere (close by).
Repeat this until you have found the perfect start. (Later, when showing off your ringtone that YOU made, the start will grab your friends and make you look great.) Easy way to finish it:
Down below you'll see three boxes with hours, minutes, and seconds.
In the middle one, put in 30 seconds.
Be sure above it, it says Length.
Hard way to finish it:
Do the same as above but put in 35 seconds.
Now hit play.
The 35 seconds will play.
Pay VERY special attention to the end.
Look for where it should end, any time after 25 seconds in but perhaps closer to 30 seconds depending on your network/provider.
A good ending is NOT as important as a good start, but it's OK for showing off or if your mates are watching your phone as you ignore it.
Use the mouse buttons to adjust the ending.
Play the segment using the Play button to ensure this is what you want.
If not, repeat above steps.
If so, read on.
From the File menu choose Export Selection.
You'll be asked to edit the metadata.
Artist, album, stuff like that.
Ringtones don't need this, so hit Clear, then OK.
Now you're looking at a mostly common Save box.
But first click Options in the lower left corner.
Set the options as follows:
Constant, 96kbps, Stereo.
Find a folder to save to.
You should keep your custom ringtones on your PC and then transfer them later.
This way you can delete the ringtone to make space, and then get it back later.
Hit Save.
If this is your first time saving a .mp3 file, Audacity will politely inform you that it can't find the .mp3 encoder.
Don't bother; you probably haven't got it.
Just hit Download.
This will take you to a web site.
Depending on your OS (Windows, if you don't know) follow the given instructions.
You'll end up downloading a ~375KB .DLL file to your Audacity directory which will expand its resources to allow it to write to the .mp3 format.
Repeat as necessary for as many ringtones as you would like to make. , And it's by far the hardest, most technical part. , First, go into your phone's menu (usually the center button).
Go to Settings.
Go to Connections.
Go to USB Settings.
Press your Center/Enter button and arrows to change the "Default" option to "USB Drive".
Your phone will now appear to your computer as a removable hard drive with the size of your phone's Micro SD card.
Connect the USB cable to the computer and to the phone.
The order does not matter.
If done right (and wait for this), your phone will say "Connected as USB Drive.
Files on Memory Card are not available now." If you're using Windows and it's configured correctly, Windows will first "install" a "new (or unknown) USB device".
Once it's done, your phone will be recognized as a removable hard drive, and Windows will ask you what to do with it.
Click View Files and Folders. , In your phone's root folder, open the Motorola folder.
Open the Shared folder.
Open the Ringtone folder.
Browse to where you saved that ringtone(s) you just made.
Click on the ringtone, or if there is more than one, highlight them.
Use the right button to drag the file(s) to the Ringtone directory.
Release it.
Choose Copy. , But you're not quite there yet.
The ringtone is only on the memory card, and that's not good enough for a Motorola phone.
Motorola requires that the ringtone be stored in its internal memory.
Read on... ,, You now need to unplug your phone at either end of the cable.
Once the connection is broken, phone and memory card can communicate again.
The memory card can only have one master at a time
- computer or phone.
Find your ringtone.
Hit the Center/Menu button.
Go to Media Gallery.
Go to Sounds.
Use the arrows to find the file.
If you have a lot of files, start typing the name of the file as if you were writing a text message (without dictionary mode).
Usually you will only need to type the first letter or two.
Notice the memory card icon to the right of the file.
That means it's stored on the memory card.
Click Options, usually Left Shoulder Button.
Go down to Manage; hit Right.
Go down to Move; hit Enter.
Choose where to move the file to.
Choose Phone and hit Enter.
Repeat for any ringtones you have made. , But it's not assigned anywhere. , From your home screen, click Center/Menu.
Choose Ring Styles.
Change your ring style to either Loud or Soft.
Choose (Loud Detail or Soft Detail).
Go down to Calls.
Hit the Center/Enter button, scroll down, find your new ringtone, and hit Center/Enter. , Open the Contacts menu.
Find the contact you want to assign the ringtone to.
The ringtone will be applied to all phone numbers associated with that contact (home, cell, work, etc.).
Click Options.
Click Edit Contact.
Scroll down about a page and a half to find Ringer ID.
Click Center/Enter and select the ringtone. ,
About the Author
Walter Roberts
Walter Roberts has dedicated 11 years to mastering education and learning. As a content creator, Walter focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: