It’s certainly not Logic Pro, but GarageBand (free with all new Macs) is a GREAT audio editing app. You can compose music, edit movie soundtracks, create audio loops, have a TON of fun with sound effects (and live voice modulations), and even create custom ringtones.
Custom ringtones are great for personalizing your iPhone. Not only that, but with custom ringtones, you can have different ringtones for different people in your Address Book. For example, one for family, one for friends, one for work colleagues, etc. That way, when your phone rings, you can tell immediately who’s calling without looking.
To create your own personal ringtone, let’s start by launching GarageBand, and choose to create a new Voice project. Note: be careful what you name the file here... this name will ultimately be the name of your ringtone in iTunes and on your iPhone.
Once you have created your new file, start recording the audio (you can have your kids help, if you want). Make it as fun or as serious as you want, but keep in mind that you are limited to 40 seconds.
When you are done editing your ringtone, it’s time to export to iTunes. To do this, go to Share | Send Ringtone to iTunes. You will be prompted with this warning (this is to be expected):
It’s basically telling us that we need to edit the Cycle length to match the length of our new ringtone. Click “Adjust”, then drag the right side of the yellow Cycle bar to match the length of the track, as shown here:
Now that we have adjusted the Cycle bar, let’s try exporting again by going to Share | Send Ringtone to iTunes. The rest of the process is automatic. When it’s done doing its thing, GarageBand will have exported your new ringtone to iTunes.
From here, connect your iPhone to iTunes and let it sync. Once it’s done syncing, it’s time to go into your iPhone and select the new ringtone.
