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In this tutorial, We will guide you in the step by step process for making your own MP3 ringtones.

Tools you need:

* Cell phone that support MP3 ringtones.

* Music CD or MP3 Music File

* Any method of transferring the ringtones from computer to phone (USB, Bluetooth, e-mail, instant message, etc.)

* Audacity v1.3 beta

* Lame v3.96.1

* MP3 Converter (to convert audio cd file to mp3 format)

Instructions:

If you plan to create your MP3 ringtones from a CD, rip the song you want as a WAV (Windows) or an AIFF file (Mac). It's a good idea to specify a new ripping location, too, so the ripped song wont be mixed up with the rest of your collection. But if you're creating your ringtones from an MP3 song, you may want to copy that MP3 song into a new folder so that when we edit the MP3 the audio-editing software won't messed up your original MP3 song.

Now, If you don't have any of the above mentioned audio file types you can use your own Audio CD. But, you will need to use a separate software to convert them to MP3, Wave or AIFF. You can also download MP3 songs the Internet.

Once you have chosen the song to edit and converted it to our desired digital music format (whether WAV, AIFF or MP3), run your audio-editing software. In this case we will be using Audacity, it is free, open source and runs on both Mac and PC. If you don't have Audacity you can download a copy of the file here http://audacity.sourceforge.net/.

Also Audacity needs another separate program (actually its called library) for MP3 compression. We will be using Lame, LAME is an MPEG Audio Layer III (MP3) encoder, you can download Lame Library here http://lame.sourceforge.net/index.php . Once your download is complete you need to decompressed the file. Please take note where you decompressed the file.

So once you have all the tools we need, let's start!

Run Audacity, go to Edit/Preferences/File Format menu, and click the "Find Library" button near the bottom of the screen. Navigate to the folder where you decompressed the Lame Library File, and select it. Also set your bit rate to 128 Kbps. You can choose a lower bit rate to save space on your phone, but you'll get lower-quality sound.

Now continue with Audacity, in Audacity's File menu, select Open and find the music you want to create for your MP3 ringtone. It might take some time for Audacity to import your music depending on its size, the location and the speed of your computer. Just be patient!

Once the importing is done, you will see your music laid out from left to right. Click and drag your mouse around until you find the section you want for your MP3 ringtone. You can listen to your selection by pressing the spacebar, just play around until you find the part that you want to make as your MP3 ringtone. You're looking for a phrase of 10 to 15 seconds or so. Once you found what you want for your MP3 ringtone you now go to "File" Menu and click on "Export selection as MP3".

Audacity comes with several effects; to try them out, leave the ringtone selected in the Audacity window, and then select anything in the Effect menu.Adding these effects is a matter of taste, but I figure it adds a bit of spice to the ringtone and makes it more of an individual statement.

So once all is set and you've finalize your mp3 ringtone, it's time to transfer the ringtone onto your phone. The easiest way to do this is with Bluetooth, assuming you have already paired your computer and cell phone. If your phone came with a USB connection, use that; otherwise, try e-mailing or texting it as an attachment. If you need some info about datacables please go here http://real-ringtones.awardspace.com/datacables.html. Put the mp3 ringtone file into the Audio folder if your phone has one, and then select the new ringtone in your Tools or Options menu. Each brand of phones has a separate way of adding or selecting new ringtones, but this tutorial does not cover that.

So that's it! I hope you enjoy your new MP3 Ringtone!

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MP3 players are in league with the digicams, mobile phones, and palmtops when it comes to the most popular techno gadgets to enter the market. An MP3 player is simply an electronic device that plays not only MP3, but other audio files as well. Hence, the term 'MP3 player' is actually a misnomer as the closest term to accurately define it is 'DAP' or Digital Audio Player.

The first MP3 player on the American market appeared in the summer of 1998. It was a very basic unit, portable and with a memory capacity of 32MB. Since its first release, the MP3 player underwent many innovations until it became what it is now.

Today, MP3 players are highly versatile. They can be hooked into car stereos, CD players, computer hard drives, and simply as a standalone player with its own music collection. Other MP3 players are software-based as well and available for most computer platforms. There are many sites that offer software-based MP3 player downloads. Below are a few examples of these sites.

MP3 Player Download: WinAmp.com

One of the great places to get an MP3 player download is at WinAmp.com. Developed by Nullsoft, the site offers WinAmp player, an audio software application that can play MP3 as well as other audio files. This MP3 player download lets you play music and video files, including MP3, ITZ, CDA, M3U, AVI, OGG, WMA, AU, NST, WAV, AIFF, MP2, MOD, FAR, NSA, MP1, VOC, WMV, and many more. With its full-featured media library, you can organize, search, and browse your entire media collection and create your own playlists from the search results. Several more features are included in the software, such as integrated Internet radio and TV, customizable skins, visualizations, plus the capability to rip and burn CDs.

MP3 Player Download: MusicMatch.com

MusicMatch offers the powerful Musicmatch Jukebox which is one of the most popular MP3 player downloads. There are two versions of this software-based MP3 player available at the site. The free version lets you play and manage your digital audio files, transfer music to portable devices, and burn music to your CDs. The MusicMatch Jukebox Plus on the other hand is a pro, full-featured version. With this MP3 player download, you can not only burn CDs at highspeeds of up to 48x, but also rip tracks from CDs up to 40x. This MP3 player download has the Super Tagging feature which lets you tag tracks fast for automatic file naming, covert vinyl and cassette audio files into MP3s, and many more.

Many more websites offer MP3 player downloads. What we've mentioned above are only a few.

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Camera capabilities have become common on cell phones and, for some users, these camera phones are their only means of capturing and sharing images. Certainly, the camera within a cell phone is readily available and portable, making them a good option for more spontaneous photography. In addition, they are less conspicuous than all but the more compact stand alone digital cameras, allowing users to take more candid shots easily.

Cell phone cameras also have a reputation for their limitations however. From slower shutter speeds that make blurry pictures likely, lack of manual control to adjust exposure, white balance, focus, and so forth, to the common lack of high quality lenses, CMOS sensors, and the megapixels necessary for sharp images, the average camera phone often doesn't compete well with stand alone digital cameras for producing high quality images for print.

With recent advancements in the design of cell phone cameras however, consumers can now find devices that are capable of creating far better images, even in the printed form. By choosing the right camera phone and employing a few basic photographic techniques, the images users create are usually quite acceptable.

For users who want to be able to print sharp, detailed 5x7 images, there are a few things to consider when making a camera phone purchase:

• Get better resolution. Until recently a 1.3 megapixel camera was the best available. Now cell phones that offer a camera with a CMOS sensor and 3 megapixels, or more, are available.

• Get a higher quality lens, and protect it. Some cell phone cameras offer better lenses; a Carl Zeiss lens for instance is highly regarded. Getting a lens cover to protect the lens from scratches, dirt, and dust can be important too; cell phones are often thrown into situations and locations that put them at risk for damage.

• Get features to reduce camera shake. Cell phones are small, thus more difficult to hold steady. Slower shutter speeds further exacerbate the need for a very steady hand. A camera with optical image stabilization can help to reduce blurriness and one that the user can securely grip is a bonus as well.

• Get optical zoom. Many cell phone cameras offer digital zoom. Better cameras offer optical zoom. When photographers can't step close to a subject, optical zoom is the answer without reducing image quality.

• Get features that allow some manual control. Great photographs often require photographers to adjust exposure, white balance, and focus. At a minimum, a user should have the option of turning off the flash.


• Get an LCD that helps in framing the scene that is to be photographed. A screen with a large viewing area is important in setting up shots. Good viewability should be checked, especially in sunlight. Potential buyers should pick the cell phone up and try framing a few shots indoors, and outdoors if possible.

Once a good camera phone is in hand, users then need to heed a few critical photographic rules that are particularly pertinent when shooting with small cell phone devices:

• Use high resolution settings on the camera phone in case prints are desired later; prints require higher resolution than sharing images on a screen.

• Keep the camera steady. Try holding the cell phone with both hands, bracing arms/elbows against the body. Try bracing against a doorway, a tree, a table, and so forth for added stability. It can also be useful to remain stationary for a few seconds after pressing the button to assure that the camera has completed the process of capturing the image.

• Get close to the subject. Camera phones are better at capturing nearby subjects rather than landscapes and such. Avoid using digital zoom.

• Keep the lens clean. Cell phones, as noted before, tend to be tossed around and accumulate a lot of fingerprints, dirt, and scratches without extra care.

• Lighting is critical as in all photography. Camera phones are better adapted for outdoor use in general. Avoid backlighting subjects; side lighting is generally best.


Cell phone cameras are improving and, although not yet competitive with most stand alone digital cameras, are capable of producing very acceptable images for the average user. For those who value the photographic ability of their cell phone, good options are available if they know how to make the right choice and are able to compensate for their limitations with good photographic techniques.

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