Ringtone Maker: Trim Any Song or Sound to Ringtone Length
Pick the best 20 to 30 seconds of a song, voice memo or video, add a fade, and trim it in EchoWave's timeline editor. The free export is an MP4 video; the sections below show how to turn it into an MP3 for your phone.
Ringtone Maker: Trim Any Song or Sound to Ringtone Length Features
Here is exactly what happens. You trim and fade your clip in the EchoWave editor. The free export is an MP4 video with a small EchoWave badge and a four-second end card, not an audio file. To get a sound file for your phone, either run that MP4 through the free Extract Audio tool to get an MP3 or M4A, or choose MP3 or M4A directly in Export on a paid plan. EchoWave does not make M4R files, the format iPhone ringtones use, so iPhone users need one extra step, covered below.
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How to make a ringtone with EchoWave
From song to phone in three steps:
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1. Add your song or recording
Open the editor and upload an MP3, WAV, M4A or other audio file, or a video if the sound is inside it. The clip appears on the timeline with its waveform.
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2. Trim to the hook and add fades
Drag the clip edges to keep only the part you want, or move the playhead and split. Select the clip and set Fade in and Fade out so the tone starts and ends cleanly. Keep it to 30 seconds or less.
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3. Export, then get the audio file
Free: export the MP4, then drop it into the Extract Audio tool and pick MP3 or M4A. Paid: open Export, switch to audio only and choose MP3 or M4A. Then follow the Android or iPhone steps below.
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What you get from a free export
The format you can download depends on the plan. This is what the export panel offers today.
| Plan | What you can export | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | MP4 video with a small badge and a four-second end card, up to 720p | Trimming and previewing. Pull the sound out afterwards with the free Extract Audio tool. |
| Creator | Audio only as MP3 or M4A, plus MP4 and WebM with no badge | Android ringtones straight from Export |
| Pro | Audio only as WAV or FLAC as well | Lossless copies |
The first download from the editor asks for your email address, which creates a free account. The Extract Audio tool turns the MP4 into MP3, M4A, WAV or FLAC and lets you pick 128, 192 or 320 kbps for MP3 and M4A. Because the free MP4 has a four-second end card after your clip, listen to the end of the file before you use it.
Put the ringtone on your phone
Android. Android takes MP3 and M4A files. Copy the file into the Ringtones folder on your phone, or open Settings, Sound, Phone ringtone and add it from your files. Menu names differ between Samsung, Pixel and other makers.
iPhone. iPhone ringtones must be M4R files, and EchoWave does not export that format. The usual routes are Apple's free GarageBand app on the iPhone, which can import an audio file and share it as a ringtone, or the Music app on a Mac, where you make an AAC version of the clip, rename the file from .m4a to .m4r and add it to the phone from Finder. Apple changes these steps between iOS versions, so check Apple's current instructions if a menu looks different. GarageBand limits ringtones to 30 seconds, so trim to that first.
Choose the right 30 seconds
- Start on the hook. Callers hear the first few seconds, so open on the chorus or the riff, not the intro.
- Keep it short. Aim for 15 to 30 seconds. It is long enough to recognise and short enough to get to the good part before you answer.
- Cut on the beat. Zoom in on the waveform and place the cut just before a drum hit so the first note is not clipped.
- Fade both ends. A fade of half a second stops a click at the start and a hard stop at the loop point.
- Mind the volume. A quiet clip is easy to miss. Listen at the same level you use for your phone.
Anything with sound works as a source: a song you own, a voice memo, a line from a video or a sound you recorded with the voice recorder. A ringtone cut from a song you bought is fine for your own phone. Using someone else's recording publicly needs the rights holder's permission.
About the EchoWave team
EchoWave is a browser-based video and audio editor built by Lemon Vault LLC since 2018. The people who build the editor write these guides and test every step in the production app before publishing.
Ringtone maker FAQ
How do I make a ringtone from a song?
Upload the song to the EchoWave editor, drag the clip edges to keep the chorus or hook, add a short fade in and fade out, and keep the result to 30 seconds or less. Export it, get the audio file as described above, then set it as your ringtone in your phone's sound settings.
Can I download my ringtone as an MP3 for free?
Not straight from the editor. The free export is an MP4 video with a small badge and a four-second end card. You can get an MP3 for free by running that MP4 through the Extract Audio tool, or pay for a Creator plan to export MP3 or M4A directly.
Does EchoWave make M4R ringtones for iPhone?
No. EchoWave exports MP4, MP3 and M4A among other formats, but not M4R. For an iPhone, export an M4A or MP3 and turn it into a ringtone with GarageBand on the phone, or with the Music app and Finder on a Mac.
How do I put the ringtone on an Android phone?
Copy the MP3 or M4A file into the Ringtones folder on the phone, or add it from Settings, Sound, Phone ringtone. The exact menu depends on the phone maker. Once the file is in the list, select it like any other tone.
How long can a ringtone be?
Keep it to 30 seconds or less. GarageBand limits ringtones to 30 seconds, and a short clip gets to the good part before the call is answered. Android phones are more flexible about file length.
Can I make a ringtone from a video or a voice memo?
Yes. Upload the video or recording, trim it on the timeline and export. For a video, the free Extract Audio tool then pulls the sound out as MP3 or M4A. You can also record a new clip with the voice recorder and trim that.
Does trimming change the sound quality?
Trimming only chooses which part to keep, but every export is rendered again as a new file, so start from the best copy you have. When you pull MP3 or M4A out with the Extract Audio tool you can choose 128, 192 or 320 kbps.
Is there a watermark on my ringtone?
The free MP4 export carries a small EchoWave badge and a four-second end card, which are part of the video. An MP3 or M4A you extract or export from a paid plan is a plain audio file, but check the end of a file extracted from a free export, because the end card comes after your clip.
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