So thanks to the marvelous website of youtube, and my ever increasing boredom at work, I decided to to type out the step by step process of how to create free ringtones for the iPhone usnig songs you already have in you iTunes library. Ringtone formats seem standard so the songs created would probably be compatible with other phones, it's just getting them on the phone that you'd have to figure out on your own. If your like me, you get bored with ringtones and hate paying the $3 or $4 which is why i decided to do this. First, you'll need iPhone software update 2.0 or greater and I believe iTunes version 8.0 or greater. Anyway, here's how to do it....
IF YOUR USING VISTA
1) If your using vista, simply click Start then type 'folders' in the search bar. the results should show 'Folder Options,' open up this folder.
IF YOUR USING XP
1) Go to 'My Music,' Tools>>Folder Options, click on the 'View' tab
2) make sure the box associated with 'Hide extensions for known file types' is NOT checked and hit OK
3) Ringtones can be a max of 40 secs, so in iTunes, play a song you want to make a ringtone of, and note the start and stop time you'd like the ringtone to be.
4) Right click the song, click in Get Info>>Options, and type in the start and stop times while making sure the two corressponding boxes are checked. Click Ok
5) Right click the song again and click on 'Create AAC Version' (or something to that effect). Wait a few seconds and you will see a copy of that song shortened to the 40 secs appear above (or below) the original song.
*Once the AAC version is created you may want to go back to the start/stop time of the original and restore it to full length, otherwise it will only play the time indicated. However you can do this later if you prefer.
6) Right click the new AAC version and click on Open in Windows Explorer, and it should bring up a new window with the AAC song in it.
7) Now, you'll notice the song is in .m4a format. Right click the song again, choose Rename, and change the format from .m4a to .m4r. You'll get some prompt saying you cant play the song/format, but just hit accept anyway.
8) Once you've done that, it's my preference to copy and paste the new .m4r song into a new folder which I simply titles 'Ringtones' in order to keep seperate from other music. Also, this allows me to delete the AAC version from my normal library and not have to hear a random 40 sec clip if i'm listening to the music.
9) In iTunes, click File>>Add File to Library then from the folder storeing the ringtone, select the new ringtone and add it. You'll notice a new folder titled ringtone will automatically appear in the left pane of your iTunes.
10) from there, just sync your iPhone and the ringtone will appear under the Sound portion of your Settings.
Hopefully i didn't miss a step, so let me know if this doesnt work and I'll go thorugh it again with my own comp when I get a chance. I know this all seems like a lot of steps and a lot of work, but trust me, do it once or twice and it takes you less than a minute to do it all. If you a Mac user, sorry, ipods/iphones are about as Mac as I get and can't even imagine what extra crap you have to go through without the convenience of a right clicker.