GarageBand 4.1.1 brings custom tones to iPhone

As the pic says ladies and gents, Apple has decided that if you're clever enough to work in GarageBand -- and really, aren't we all? -- you deserve custom tones. To get this working all you need do is grab at the fresh GarageBand 4.1.1 update released yesterday, select a cycle region in your song -- a cycle region is just an area in the song's timeline you want to repeat -- then "share" and select "send ringtone to iTunes" option. Of course, your iPhone will need to be at version 1.1.2 to accomplish this little feat of magic, but we're sure most of you out there have sorted updates by now. Enjoy the music and feel free to drop us a note with how things go.

[Via TUAW]

Read - Create custom ringtones in iTunes
Read - GarageBand 4.1.1 update

[kevjohn @ Dec 14th 2007 11:00AM]

I always read that as GarBageBand for some reason.

[Ireland @ Dec 14th 2007 11:13AM]

I know the reason. You can't read :P

[NovaLand @ Dec 14th 2007 11:50AM]

For me, It's GangBang.

[jimmy dietz @ Dec 14th 2007 7:56PM]

Just made 4 great ringtones from my own itunes music and sent them to my iphone. It's so easy. Thanks Steve !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bobs @ Dec 14th 2007 11:01AM]

You shouldnt have to resort to hacks for basic functionality.

[Matt @ Dec 14th 2007 11:07AM]

This isn't a 'hack', it's a feature of GarageBand.

[DeathFromAbove @ Dec 14th 2007 11:29AM]

You know what, you shouldn't. I agree with you. But the iPhone's Mobile OSX platform isn't in it's 6th revision like Windows Mobile and it's not open source like Symbian. It's not going to be open source right out of the gate, because then you'd have thousands of unhappy customers with bricked iPhones due to the open source tinkering they performed.

It's a shame the people like yourself aren't understanding when a company wants to push quality over quantity. I think everything will be revealed in due time, but in the meantime if the iPhone doesn't interest you then maybe you need to ignore it for awhile. Comments like this are repetitive, unimaginitive and stale to put it nicely.

[StrangeBum @ Dec 14th 2007 12:39PM]

Well, there's an easier way to do these things anyways, though I'm not sure if it works with the iPhone. But it's myxer.com, you can use any program you want to get the music ready, then just upload it into myxer, it's free and easy.

[smi1ey @ Dec 14th 2007 11:02AM]

drat. i just submitted this as a news item... a few minutes too late!

[Mystic @ Dec 14th 2007 11:12AM]

Do you think this will shut up the whiners and bitchers? Guess not, 2nd post by Bob is a bitch.

[Prime81 @ Dec 14th 2007 11:17AM]

Anyone have a good free Windows program to do the same thing? Drag and drop mp3, crop and hit an export button?

[Andrew @ Dec 14th 2007 11:17AM]

Too bad this is just for macs. I guess this means any non-drm song may be used as a ring tone sweet.

[roole @ Dec 14th 2007 11:49AM]

A couple of steps of instructions for us tech-knuckleheads? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!?

[Andrew @ Dec 14th 2007 11:53AM]

The instructions are up there in the post. But as I said you have to have a mac.

[p @ Dec 14th 2007 11:20AM]

All I wan't is the ringtone in the iPhone commercials! It's simple and perfect!

[Jeff @ Dec 14th 2007 12:32PM]

I have it on my phone - just look in the iTunes store for: Perfect Timing (This Morning) by Orba Square, then use the iTunes built in ringtone tool.

It's a great ringtone because of the clarity of the high-pitched instruments in the song. It really comes through clear, even on the iPhone's dinky speaker.

[macona @ Dec 14th 2007 11:29AM]

So that must be why you can use any .m4r file as a ringtone in 1.1.2, it must have been to get ready for this. Wonder why they bothered covering the hole in 1.1.1?

[Brad @ Dec 14th 2007 11:47AM]

Here's whats going to happen: Apple expected to keep this little feature semi-quiet, all the blog sites are gonna talk about it, the RIAA will find out, flip it's lid and force Apple to lock it back down again.

[Cranioclast @ Dec 14th 2007 11:55AM]

That doesn't make any sense - why would the RIAA block songs people are producing on their own in GarageBand?

eg: The MPAA isn't going to come after me if I post a tutorial on YouTube...

[Brad @ Dec 14th 2007 11:57AM]

riiiiiiiiiiiight. My bad, i didn't realize everybody who owns a mac is also a musician.

[Zak @ Dec 14th 2007 11:57AM]

I don't know, I can't see how the RIAA can justify telling me I can't put my own music on my iPhone. And by my own music, I mean music that I create in GarageBand.

[paloooz @ Dec 14th 2007 12:35PM]

@Brad - The RIAA is on OUR side when it comes to ringtones.

http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/17/0355218

[Brian @ Dec 14th 2007 1:54PM]

erm... the RIAA not wanting to pay musicians to use their songs as ringtones is a lot different than the RIAA being on "OUR" side. They just want a larger percentage of the cash that comes from ringtones.

General rule of thumb: RIAA is on the RIAA's side (read, NOT OUR side)

[HornSolo @ Dec 14th 2007 12:05PM]

Does anyone know if this new feature of GarageBand will work for other phones as well? I know it wouldn't go through iTunes, but can you select a cycle region and then just export it to your desktop instead of iTunes or maybe export via BlueTooth directly to your non-iPhone?
(I'd love to have an iPhone, just can't afford it right now.)

[paloooz @ Dec 14th 2007 12:36PM]

That feature has existed for a while, I believe.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1036

[matt @ Dec 14th 2007 5:38PM]

Works fine with my Nokia, but you have to navigate to the ringtones folder in the finder, iTunes won't let you drag the ringtones from the iTunes window to say the desktop. easy enough workaround...until they figure it out. guess i'll go back to audacity then.

[markimark @ Dec 14th 2007 12:35PM]

well, this is an awesome way to create your "own" custom ringtones... drag&drop any mp3 into garageband, export it to iTunes, sync with your iphone ét voila, forget about the extra 99c price for the ringtone version of a song you already own.

[robert @ Dec 14th 2007 12:41PM]

so... if i've got garageband 3, anyone know how where/how to get v4? i dl'ed the update to 4.1.1, but... it won't update v3! :| (bought macbook in '06)

[Alex @ Dec 14th 2007 1:14PM]

I believe that's bundled in iLife '08, meaning you gotta buy it again. The cheapest deal I found was $40, in one of those college computer stores.

[Matt M @ Dec 14th 2007 6:11PM]

@robert

If you know someone who just bought a new macbook you might be able to borrow from them their OS X install DVDs that came with their macbook. If it's new enough it will have the new iLife 08 on there.

[Kweenie @ Dec 14th 2007 12:48PM]

Yay! You know, a while back, I made the perfect ringtone song...and now I can make whatever the heck ringtone I want! Must alert the family.

[SeanSolo @ Dec 14th 2007 1:01PM]

Doesn't mean custom tones? I cut and paste wave files into my songs so why couldn't I export that to iTunes!

[Corey @ Dec 14th 2007 2:01PM]

My question is, would a ringtone that someone else made on their Mac in GarageBand be transferable to my PC? =\

[Zandr @ Dec 14th 2007 2:28PM]

OK, so now I can open any MP3 in my iTunes library and create a ringtone in GarageBand, sending it back to iTunes. But I can't use the ringtone editor built into iTunes on the same file.

Sigh. Progress, but still stupid. :)

[ED @ Dec 14th 2007 2:38PM]

The detail guide to teach you how to create custom ringtones for iPhone in GarageBand.

http://www.winandmac.com/mobile/iphone/create-custom-free-iphone-ringtone-with-apples-official-tool/

[Ryan H. @ Dec 14th 2007 2:41PM]

I have never used garageband, and i was wondering if you can put songs from a cd onto GarageBand. That way any ringtones could be free.

[roole @ Dec 14th 2007 2:59PM]

Shhhhhh......

[slevytam @ Dec 15th 2007 5:39PM]

You can find a really detailed guide with screenshots on this new garageband feature here: http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=465

The instructions show how to create an iphone ringtone from an mp3 using garageband! works great!

[Alex Wong @ Dec 15th 2007 6:04PM]

If it going to be free or we have to pay?