Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Ringtones

K

kcfroines

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 10, 2007
25
0
why does apple charge you to make a ringtone in iTunes, when you can do it for free in garageband? seems kind of stupid...

even when I tried to do it in iTunes (before I knew about doing it in garageband) most of my songs could not be turned into ringtones (even ones i bought from iTunes)

Is it just a way for them to make extra money off of the people who don't know better (or don't own a mac)? or is this something they've overlooked?

any thoughts?:rolleyes:
 
kcfroines said:
why does apple charge you to make a ringtone in iTunes, when you can do it for free in garageband? seems kind of stupid...

even when I tried to do it in iTunes (before I knew about doing it in garageband) most of my songs could not be turned into ringtones (even ones i bought from iTunes)

Is it just a way for them to make extra money off of the people who don't know better (or don't own a mac)? or is this something they've overlooked?

any thoughts?:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You can't take songs purchased from iTunes and make a ringtone out of garage band can you?
The reason iTunes does it they way they do because you purchase the song for .99 and the ringtone for .99 and you pay 1.98 for two songs versus the 2.99 for standard ATT ringtones. Its not a scam to get more money... Its a great way to innovate the way consumers purchase a product and/or service
 
Maclver said:
You can't take songs purchased from iTunes and make a ringtone out of garage band can you?
The reason iTunes does it they way they do because you purchase the song for .99 and the ringtone for .99 and you pay 1.98 for two songs versus the 2.99 for standard ATT ringtones. Its not a scam to get more money... Its a great way to innovate the way consumers purchase a product and/or service
Click to expand...

I just tried it with a song i bought through the iTunes store last week on my iphone and it worked just fine... plus with itunes you can't create one from a cd you have an actual hard copy of.
 
Not everyone has a Mac, so don't have Garageband?
Also, for the less tech-savy out there, they aren't going to bother with the Garageband route, they'll just pay for the ringtone.
 
kcfroines said:
I just tried it with a song i bought through the iTunes store last week on my iphone and it worked just fine... plus with itunes you can't create one from a cd you have an actual hard copy of.
Click to expand...

I personally like the way you purchase a ringtone right off the iPhone... Its much easier and most people don't have a problem spending .99 for a ringtone.... Phone companies have been charging much much more than .99 for years. So if anything Apple is saving consumers money!

Lukenn love your avatar !
 
lukenn said:
Not everyone has a Mac, so don't have Garageband?
Also, for the less tech-savy out there, they aren't going to bother with the Garageband route, they'll just pay for the ringtone.
Click to expand...

So what, on a PC you use iTunes to make ringtones. It's very easy. Paying for ringtones is just throwing money away.
 
-aggie- said:
So what, on a PC you use iTunes to make ringtones. It's very easy. Paying for ringtones is just throwing money away.
Click to expand...

Ok fair enough. Can't say I've ever had to make a ringtone on a PC so I can't compare.

Right back at ya Maclver!
 
Why pay for ringtones when you can do it yourself for free. Convert them to acc. I do it and don't spend anymoney. You take anysong you have and create them into ringtones, at least thats how I do it.
 
Maclver said:
You can't take songs purchased from iTunes and make a ringtone out of garage band can you?
The reason iTunes does it they way they do because you purchase the song for .99 and the ringtone for .99 and you pay 1.98 for two songs versus the 2.99 for standard ATT ringtones. Its not a scam to get more money... Its a great way to innovate the way consumers purchase a product and/or service
Click to expand...

Little much of a fanboy for apple there aren't you.
Most people I know all know how to easily create a ringtone out of an MP3 file by cutting it down the the 30 sec or so of the song they want. Load MP3 onto said phone and then set as ring tone. They are not limited by apple only special ring tone files.

The answer why apple does it is to force people to pay 1.98 for a ring tone and apple gets free money. They make it look nice and pretty by the fact they say it is cheaper than AT&T and you can choose what you want but they do not tell you the fact that any one can make their own out of their own sound files for free. Hell they block you from doing that so they can get free money.
 
Rodimus Prime is correct that is exactly the way I do it, no need to pay for rigntones.
 
-aggie- said:
So what, on a PC you use iTunes to make ringtones. It's very easy. Paying for ringtones is just throwing money away.
Click to expand...

Isn't this like asking why people pay for valet parking, manicures, lawn care, or any number of a multitude of other things most can do for themselves? Convenience. Apple sells it (as does almost every cellular service provider, non?). Doesn't mean one has to buy it, right? Stack it up alongside many other things that Apple markets, which I will probably never care to buy. Meanwhile, while I am capable of changing the oil in my car, I am pleased to pay a mechanic to do it.

What's the point in complaining about it?
 
mkrishnan said:
Isn't this like asking why people pay for valet parking, manicures, lawn care, or any number of a multitude of other things most can do for themselves? Convenience. Apple sells it (as does almost every cellular service provider, non?). Doesn't mean one has to buy it, right? Stack it up alongside many other things that Apple markets, which I will probably never care to buy. Meanwhile, while I am capable of changing the oil in my car, I am pleased to pay a mechanic to do it.

What's the point in complaining about it?
Click to expand...

I think the complaining part about it is because apple forces you to use it or have to go threw some pretty huge work around which you should not have to do.

I have no problem with apple offering the service for a fee. I draw the line at them requiring you to use it if you want to add your own custom ringtone.

lukenn said:
Ok fair enough. Can't say I've ever had to make a ringtone on a PC so I can't compare.

Right back at ya Maclver!
Click to expand...

It is pretty easy to do it on a PC with iTunes. It is how I made my first ringtones for my Sony Ericson I used to have.
1. it is take the song/sound file I want,
2. go into the properties of it and set a start/stop time
3. Right click and say convert song. This makes a new file that is smaller and with in the start stop time I choose.
4. Upload to phone and set as ringtone.

As for converting the song for a ringtone I tend to using 128kps Mono channel. This makes the file the size of a 64kps file because it only has one channel instead of 2. No point to have the 2nd channel if you only have 1 speaker to hear out of and from what I discovered going higher than the 128kps is just making the file larger than it needs to be since there is no improvement in the sound quality over the phones speaker any how.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
I have no problem with apple offering the service for a fee. I draw the line at them requiring you to use it if you want to add your own custom ringtone.
Click to expand...

It doesn't seem such a huge workaround to me... but I guess I could also see the argument that they should do it as a perk and let users use the iTunes ringtone generating tools for free...

Rodimus Prime said:
It is pretty easy to do it on a PC with iTunes. It is how I made my first ringtones for my Sony Ericson I used to have.
Click to expand...

I agree -- I was resistant to MP3 ringtones initially but I gave in a long time ago, starting I think with my RAZR. I used this method once or twice, but I predominantly use Audacity (and I used some sound editor that came bundled with my iBook before there was GarageBand), just because I like to do some tricks like compress the audio further to make the volume more consistent and add fades. Now that's not hard, but in fairness it's probably also not something that's accessible to 100% of cell phone users quite as easily as it is for me or you to do it.
 
mkrishnan said:
I agree -- I was resistant to MP3 ringtones initially but I gave in a long time ago, starting I think with my RAZR. I used this method once or twice, but I predominantly use Audacity (and I used some sound editor that came bundled with my iBook before there was GarageBand), just because I like to do some tricks like compress the audio further to make the volume more consistent and add fades. Now that's not hard, but in fairness it's probably also not something that's accessible to 100% of cell phone users quite as easily as it is for me or you to do it.
Click to expand...

Well I think the reason for apple is it crosses the line between average user and knowledgeable one when you have to change file extensions. Be default on OSX and Windows they are hidden and for a good reason. People can do a lot of damage if they started changing file extensions with out understanding what they mean or what happens if they change the wrong one.

As for MP3 ringtones I personally am not a huge fan of the ones of popular songs. My own personal ringtone is a electric guitar playing the chorus of "Beyond the Minds of Eyes" but I have though about changing it to the opening theme of Stargate or Stargate Atlantis. Both which only a small number of people would pick up on. Everyone else would just think it is a nice ringtone.
 
Rodimus Prime said:
Everyone else would just think it is a nice ringtone.
Click to expand...

Nice. :p I was doing the theme song from Fraggle Rock for a while, and for quite a while now, I've had the Joan Jett & The Blackhearts cover of Love Is All Around (from the Mary Tyler Moore show). It's probably time to start looking for a new one, though....
 
Interstella5555 said:
You're doing it wrong.
Click to expand...

how am I doing it wrong? just tried it again, it says:

"A RINGTONE CANNOT BE CREATED FROM THE SONG 'TITLE HERE'.
You can iPhone Ringtones only from songs purchased from the iTunes store."

Am I missing something?
 
kcfroines said:
how am I doing it wrong? just tried it again, it says:

"A RINGTONE CANNOT BE CREATED FROM THE SONG 'TITLE HERE'.
You can iPhone Ringtones only from songs purchased from the iTunes store."

Am I missing something?
Click to expand...

No.

Maybe they meant you should use a different program to create a ringtone, although "you're doing it wrong" is a waste of a post.

There seems to be quite a few avenues discussed above for you to try out.
 
kcfroines said:
why does apple charge you to make a ringtone in iTunes, when you can do it for free in garageband? seems kind of stupid...

even when I tried to do it in iTunes (before I knew about doing it in garageband) most of my songs could not be turned into ringtones (even ones i bought from iTunes)

Is it just a way for them to make extra money off of the people who don't know better (or don't own a mac)? or is this something they've overlooked?

any thoughts?:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I think its more along the lines of what music, groups and ideology.
Stuff like U2 and Dixie Chicks are installed with Itunes, but it took
me 3 days to download Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.
Can't even find any of the Gary Sinise Band.
 
to the OP in my signature is a list of links to making your own custom ringtones and a WHOLE BUNCH!!!! of ringtone packs feel free to check it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back