How to Cut Music to Put on My Phone

Many mobile phones, such as the iPhone, the BlackBerry and the Android, allow you to transfer music files from your computer, whether for the purpose of making custom ring tones or using the phone as a digital music player. In many cases, you may want to cut the length of a song before transferring it, particularly if you want to preserve only a clip from the song or remove lengthy, unwanted portions to save memory.

• 1

  Open your music file using an audio editing program. If you do not already have this type of software, you can choose from among numerous free programs online (see Resources). When you open your program, just click "File" on the menu bar and select "Open" from the list. Use the navigation window to select your song file.

• 2

  Press the "Play" button on your project window to listen to the song. As the music plays, pay attention to the timeline across the top of your window, which resembles a ruler, indicating the seconds of the song. Make a note of the points at which you want your edited file to start and end. For example, if you want to save the chorus of the song, note the start and end time of the chorus (such as "01:15" and "01:40" respectively).

• 3

  Place your cursor at your desired start time on the timeline. The cursor rests above the horizontal song region, along the timeline at the top of the project window, and usually resembles a down-pointing arrow. Use your mouse to drag it to your desired starting point (such as 01:15, to refer to step 2).

• 4

  Split your song file into two. Among your menu bar options, find the option that reads "Split" or "Cut." In some programs, the option will appear as an image of a pair of scissors, directly on the software window. Select the option to divide your file into two regions.

• 5

  Repeat steps 3 and 4, but using your desired ending point instead of the starting point. Your file should now contain three regions, unless "0:00" is your desired starting point.

• 6

  Delete the regions that you want to cut from your song by clicking them with your mouse and clicking the "Delete" key on your keyboard.

• 7

  Export your edited song as an audio file. Click "File" on your menu bar and select "Bounce," "Export" or "Save as Audio File." If the exporting option does not appear under your "File" menu, check the other menus on your menu bar. Some programs (like GarageBand) will place the option under a different menu.