How to Make Your Own Ringtones With AfterDawn

Using the guides located on the AfterDawn website, cell phone enthusiasts can create custom ringtones for their phones. Creating ringtones will require the use of a few different programs, so make sure that you have space on your hard drive to accommodate them. Ringtones will be exported to your phone as MP3 files, which should be recognized file types for major cell phone service providers.

• 1

  Visit the AfterDawn website (see References) to download Audacity. Click on the "Audacity" link, and then click the "Download" button at the top of the page. Click "Save," and then select "Save" once again to save Audacity to the desktop. Return to the AfterDawn website, and click on the "LAME MP3 Encoder" link, and then the "WinRAR" link (see References). Download both of these programs as you downloaded Audacity. The programs will be saved by default to the desktop.

• 2

  Open the LAME MP3 Encoder pack in WinRAR, and highlight all files and folders listed in the pack with your mouse. Right-click, and select "Extract here." Wait until all the files have finished extracting, and look for a file named "Lame_enc.dll".

• 3

  Click "Start" from the bottom left of the screen, and then select "Computer." Open the "C" drive, click "WINDOWS," and then select "System." Drag and drop the "Lame_enc.dll" file from WinRAR and into the "System" folder. Open Audacity, and click on "File," and then "Open" to select the song or sound you wish to use for your ringtone. Click "Open" to open it.

• 4

  Push the green "Play" button, and select the "Pause" button when you have found the part of the song where you want your ringtone to begin. A small green arrow pointing downward on a bar with the time in seconds will be above the song. Click on the arrow and drag it over the next 30 seconds of the song. A 30-second section of the song should be highlighted. Click the yellow "Stop" button, then select "Edit" from the toolbar. Pick "Trim" to delete everything but the selected 30 seconds of the song.

• 5

  Select "File" and then pick "Export as MP3." Save the file to your desktop. An "Edit ID3" dialog will appear letting you enter a name for the song and its artist. Click "OK" when finished. Export the ringtone to your phone from your computer.