iPhones do have some pretty good tunes, but a customized ringtone is your own, isn’t it? So we’re back again with another version of ‘making your custom iPhone ringtone’, but this time without iTunes! For people who want to know how to make custom ringtones in iPhones with iTunes, read it here. For others who’d like to try something new – GarageBand – here we go.
How to set a song as your ringtone
To be fair, this process is relatively easier than the one with iTunes, but whether you go in for it is entirely a personal preference. Anyways, for this process, you’ll be needing the GarageBand iOS app on your iPhone, a song preference and, again, a will to follow instructions without asking stupid questions (wonder why I keep bringing this up). Once you’re set, let’s get busy creating iPhone ringtones.
Step 1: Open GarageBand, scroll and select Audio Recorder.
Step 2: On the top left corner, you’ll see a three-line icon, just right to the equalizer icon. Tap that. This will now take you to the recording window.
Tap the three-line icon (beside the equalizer icon)
Step 3: Once you’re in the recording window (you’ll see a mic or voice icon on the left panel if you are), you will have a blank space for your songs. On the top panel, there’s a triangular-shaped icon just right to the big red dot. That is the Metronome icon that helps you play a steady beat while you are recording a song. But since you’ll be importing a track from your library, you should turn that off.
Tap the Metronome icon (Beside the recording icon, shaped almost like a triangle)
Step 4: Now, you need to click the Loop icon in the top right corner of your screen. The Loop icon is, well, shaped like a loop. Tapping on that, you get an additional window asking you to choose your file from Apple Loops, Files or Music. Select your preference.
Tap the Loops icon (Top-right window, shaped like a Loop)
Step 5: As you’re adding a song from your library, you’ll need to click on the music tab.
Music -> Songs -> Select Song
Alternatively, if you have the song on your device, you can tap the Files tab and locate the song. Once you’re done, drag the song to the recording window (main GarageBand screen) by touching and holding the song. You might have some issues in selecting a copyright song. So try to import an NCS or a song you bought from iTunes.
Files -> Song -> Touch and Drag
Step 6: Once your song is in the recording window, touch the + icon on the top right corner. This Add track option will allow you to change the section count to 30, meaning 30 seconds of ringtone (this is considered ideal runtime for a ringtone).
Tap the + icon -> Section A -> Manual -> Take to 30
Step 7: The next part is trimming the song. This is relatively easier as the GUI does most of your job. Click on the soundtrack and then click on the Trim icon that appears on top. Now you can slide the end and beginning part of your song and select your 30-second ringtone. You can also check your selection by tapping the play icon next to the recording icon.
Select Song -> Trim -> Slide Start and End -> Check by tapping Play icon
If you’re satisfied with the selection, that’s your ringtone!! Now you just have to export the ringtone.
Step 8: Once you’ve created your ringtone, you can save it with the help of an inverted arrow on the top-left corner. Rename your file and save it. Your song is ready to be exported.
Tap on the inverted arrow -> Save Song
Step 9: Select the recently saved song in GarageBand and tap on the share icon. Now you can export it as a ringtone by tapping the ringtone option in share. An ‘Exporting as Ringtone’ window appears. Once the ringtone is exported, you’ll receive a pop-up asking you to ‘Use Sound as’. You can select your ringtone here itself by selecting ‘Use Sound as’ and then ‘Standard Ringtone’. You can also set the saved tune as your ringtone from Sound and Haptics in Settings.
Select Song -> Share -> Ringtone -> Use Sound As -> Standard Ringtone
And Viola! You have successfully set your ringtone with the help of GarageBand. Which process did you find easy to set up your customized ringtone? With iTunes or GarageBand? Let us know below.
