Industry coverage, news, original feature articles, how to guides, videos, podcasts and reviews of BlackBerry service providers, software, accessories, hosted exchange providers and more

If you are new here, you may want to subscribe to my feed or subscribe to us on Twitter!

Getting Started

The first step you need to take in order to outfit your BlackBerry with custom ringtones is to find a decent software package to help you convert your great idea/favorite song into an audio format supported by your particular hardware. (Scroll to the end of the article for a complete list of BlackBerry models and their various levels of ringtone support.)

There are countless options out there; some are free, and others carry a cost. For the purpose of this walkthrough, we have decided to focus on one particular product, named DJ ToneXpress.

Check out our video walkthrough of the DJToneXpress ringtone creation software hosted on Youtube.

The overall process of creating a custom ringtone while having variances in specific steps will be similar across the majority of software packages available. Therefore, even if you do not opt to go with the software profiled here, the process discussed in this guide will hopefully be of use to you going forward.

One of the reasons we have decided to profile this particular software package is that it allows for potential customers to download a trial version for evaluation before purchase.

Disclosure: You will not be able to download the final ringtone created using trial software for free.

NOTE: It is important to keep in mind that not every model of phone on every carrier will be able to interface with the DJToneXpress Ringtone Creator. Before you decide to download/purchase this software, please navigate to the following URL to perform a compatibility test.
DJToneXpress compatibility Test

Now that you have determined that you are able to use the ringtone creator published by DJ ToneXpress, let’s download the trial version and have some fun.

Downloading the DJToneXpress software trial version

If you still have the compatibility testing page open in your browser, look to the colored blocks along the right rail. Click on the colored block labeled “Try It”. If you have already closed your browser session, simply click this link to download the DJToneExpress trial software to your PC.
Downlaod DJToneXpress trial software*. *Please note that we do not own, make or support this software and are not responsible for the content you download from the DJToneXpress website.

Once the “Try It” link is clicked, you will be prompted to download the trial software. Click “Save File” and choose the appropriate location where you would like this file saved on your computer.

When the short download is complete (2.80 MB), navigate to the location you have saved the executable file and double click the setup icon.

Agree to the presented License Agreement and choose the directory you would like to install your new ringtone software. When the installation has completed, click the “Finish” button to launch the application right away. You will note that an icon has now been placed on your desktop for easy access to the DJToneXpress software. (When using the free demo version, you will be presented with a screen upon launch, which suggests that you purchase and register a copy of the software. You will be asked at the end of the creation process as well.)

Making your first ringtone

Selecting a great song

The first step to creating a ringtone that will wow all your friends is to pick a song that rocks. Whatever you do, please think carefully about what your custom ringtone says about you. There is already a great number of boring/cheesy/overused ringtones assaulting the senses of unsuspecting people every day. Make sure your choice is either clever or just plain badass!

DJToneXpress offers support for many audio formats. These include:

• MP3
• WMA
• OGG/Vorbis
• WAV (including your own voice recordings)
• Select Audio CD Tracks
• AAC,M4A, MP4 (This functionality only applies to DRM free music files)

Once you have decided which song you would like to craft into your new ringtone, use the browse button, located in the lower right of the DJToneXpress window, to select the music file. Click the continue button to import your chosen file into the ringtone editor.

DJToneXpress will now perform an audit of your selected file and transform it into an editable waveform.

Making your Ringtone

Once your imported file has been transformed into an editable waveform, you will be asked to select a portion of the song/recording to “ringtonize”. This selection can be anywhere from 5 seconds to 30 seconds in length.

There are a number of options you are presented with which make it incredibly easy to select a specific section of your song, either lengthening it or shortening it as required. You also have the option of adding a fade in or fade out to your selection in the event that your selection does not end on a clean beat or break.

Selecting the right audio

By default, the first 5 seconds of your song will be selected as the base for your new ringtone. If this is not exactly what you had in mind, you can change it pretty easily. Position your cursor over top of the highlighted area and click and drag the selection to the desired location.

Start/End

The first editing option you will want to use is the start/end tabs. When you place your mouse over the words “start” or “end” on either side of the selection area, you will notice that the titles get replaced by a set of outward-facing arrows. Clicking on the tab will show the arrows move apart slightly. This visual indication shows that you can now slide the selected tab to the right or left of its current position. Through a combination of sliding both the start and end tabs, you can crop your selection to include only the audio data you wish to be captured in your ringtone.

Zoom

The zoom button is where you will want to look next. Clicking on this button will enhance the view of audio timeline, making it easier to determine the pattern associated with specific sounds in the song. Use the zoom mode to fine-tune your selection.

Hint: If you are creating ringtones longer than 5 seconds and are having a little trouble getting the exact end point you want, simply make note of the start time in the lower right corner of the timeline and slide the start tab to the right, leaving the minimum amount of audio selected. Since there is no fast forward or jump to option while in playback mode, this little step will save you lots of time. You will not have to listen to the entire 20 – 30 second clip, just 5 seconds of it. Quickly determine your end point and then move the start tab back to its original position.

Fade in and Fade out

In the event that you cannot get a clean start point or end point using the song you have selected, there is a fade in and fade out option available to you. In the lower right corner of the DJToneXpress window, there are two check boxes, one for each fade option. Check either box or both boxes to apply the effect accordingly.

That’s all there is to making your new custom ringtone. Play it back as a whole a couple more times and make sure you like it. After all, it will be blaring from your hip on a regular basis from now on.

Click the continue button will tell DJToneXpress that you are ready to go. The software will finalize your audio clip and compress it into a proper ringtone.

Sending the ringtone to your phone

This is where the free demo ends. You are presented with two options. The first option is to purchase a full license for your PC and continue with the sending of the message to your phone. This option costs a one-time fee of $16.95, but will allow you to use the software going forward to create as many ringtones as you like.

The second option is to pay $2.99 for the single ringtone you have just created.

WARNING

It is important to note that there may be additional charges applied by your local carrier for sending ringtones to your phone via WAP. Wherever possible, you should stick with sending the ringtones to your phone via PC connection.

A very special warning to all Verizon Wireless customers out there who are thinking of purchasing this software: the program will only send a QCP file, which is very poor quality. Unfortunately for you guys, as well, you do not have the functionality of sending your ringtones via PC connection. You will have to shop elsewhere.

Ringtone options supported by you BlackBerry model

Supported audio formats by device

UPDATE:

This article discusses in depth the trial version of the DJToneXpress ringtone creation software. After seeing our review, the kind folks at DJTone inc. notified us about the huge list of value added extras that are available to licensed software owners. Well folks, in the interest of providing you with the most complete information available, we have decided to do a comprehensive rundown of all the great bonus content you will receive.

The comprehensive review of the DJToneXpress Value added plug-ins can be read here.

Share on Facebook | Add to De.licio.us | Digg This! | Technorati