Ringtones are melodic sounds a phone makes when an incoming call or message arrives. They can be customized to signify certain calls and messages, and they can be changed as often as you like.
They can be monophonic (one note or beep at a time) or polyphonic (several tone series played at once). Most of today's phones are capable of producing up to 16 separate notes, making klingeltöne sound more rich and full than it does on the radio.
These ringtones are typically made from a series of MIDI tunes, but they can also be created using audio files that are compatible with a cell phone's ringtone system. They can be used in a variety of ways, including to distinguish callers and to play whenever the device is on vibrate mode.
Some ringtones are actually recorded in real life, and they are called truetone ringtones. They are usually segments of original songs that have been isolated and saved into MP3 or AAC format.
They are available on many cellular devices, and are usually free to download from the Internet. They are also sometimes distributed in SMS messages or through WAP services.
A ringtone can be changed from the iPhone's Settings menu, or from a person's contact card. Some people use different ringtones for each alert type, such as an old-fashioned phone ring, a ding for an email or text, and a swoosh for a new voicemail.
Some apps let you convert a song into a ringtone or alert tone. Pi Music Player is one of the best free ones out there. It offers a five-band equalizer, metadata support, themes and backgrounds, and a ringtone cutter.
