You don't make friends with annoying ringtones. In this tutorial we'll show you how to create a ringtone for a mobile phone using your existing MP3 music collection.

When a mobile phone rings the tone that plays can say so much about a person in so few seconds. If, for example, you've still got the Crazy Frog ringtone then please follow this tutorial before you feel the social (and possible physical) wrath of your friends, co-workers, and family members.

Before you Start
Before you embark on this tutorial you'll need to know whether your phone can use MP3 files as ringtones. Check your phone's handbook or search for the features available on your phone through the manufacturer's Web site.

Step 1: Find your song
Next you'll have to find the right song for your mobile phone's ringtone in MP3 format. You'll need a song that will alert you to a call and not blend in with everyday background noise as you'll miss calls. A song with a hook you'll remember is always a good choice.

We can recommend the following songs as examples:

• Blondie, Hanging on the Telephone
• Kings of Leon, On Call
• Abba, Ring Ring
• De La Soul, Ring, Ring, Ring(Ha Ha Hey)
• Any song from Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album

Editor's note: Make sure you know the laws of your country or state before making derivative versions of songs (even if you own them). This article assumes you have the appropriate rights and does not endorse copyright infringement or breaking the law.

Step 2: Download Audacity and Lame encoder
Whole songs from start to finish probably won't be a good idea to use as your ringtone so it's best to cut the song up into a 15 second MP3 file. To do this we'll use a free and open source tool called Audacity.

The program is available for Mac, PC, and most GNU/Linux distributions and can be downloaded from the Audacity Web site. Install the program and start it up.

An add-on piece of software is needed for Audacity to encode the music to MP3 format called the LAME encoder. It's a free download and can be found at http://spaghetticode.org/lame/. The installation is basically a one-click process.

Step 3: Cut your song down
Open your MP3 file in Audacity. It should look like the image below. What you'll need to do is find the area of music in the song you want as your ringtone. When you find the snippet you want as a ringtone simply highlight the area of music and cut the song before and after this point. As a good rule of thumb a 15 second hook or climax in a song works well. As an example, Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" song really goes off when the chorus starts.

Step 4: Encode and export your new MP3 Ringtone
Now that you've got the ringtone you want you'll need to export it from Audacity. Click File->Export and it will come up with a range of options to format your file. In this instance we'll pick MP3. Save the file to your desired location.

Step 5: Move your MP3 to your phone
Now that you have your MP3 file you'll have to transfer it to your phone. You might have to visit the phone's instructions manual to do this but a general rule of thumb will be to connect via a cable, or even transfer the song via bluetooth. In some instances you may need the phone's special software to do this. If that software CD is long gone, look up the manufacturer via Google and see if you can find the necessary software online.

Well, that's it. You can now choose the MP3 files you own to be your cool new ringtone. Now please, delete the Crazy Frog.