Creating an iPhone ringtone

I love my iPhone.  Let’s start with that.  I find I listen to a lot more music when I’m walking around town than I did before just because I’ve now got an iPod in my pocket too.  I take more pictures because I have a camera too.  But that doesn’t mean the iPhone doesn’t have its limitations.  One of the biggest ones for me is the fact that you can’t use the songs that are already on your iPhone as a ringtone.  Of course Apple doesn’t want this because they want you to create your own ringtone for $0.99 on iTunes.

Well, I went on a personal mission to figure out how to create a ringtone and many failed and frustrated attempts later I think I’ve got it down.  The instructions below are for a Mac, but I imagine they’re fairly similar on a Windows.  Here’s what you need to do:

 

1. Trim out the part of the sing you want to use as your ringtone.  I use a freeware program called MP3 Trimmer.
2. Fine tune your ringtone (about 10-15 seconds is ideal) and then save it as an mp3 on your desktop
3. Open the ringtone mp3 with iTunes.  Double-click the mp3 file or from iTunes go to ‘File’ and choose ‘Add to Library…’ (thanks Ed)
4. In iTunes, right-click the ringtone mp3 and choose Save As AAC.  (if this option doesn’t appear, open up iTunes preferences and change the importing options to be AAC).
5. A new song will appear in iTunes.  Right-click it and choose Show in Finder.
6. Rename the song in Finder, changing the extension from .m4a to .m4r.
7. Copy the .m4r song to your Ringtones folder under where iTunes saves your music.  (This can usually be found by opening Finder, clicking Music in the left folder column and then scrolling down to the Ringtones folder).
8. Open the .m4r song from the Ringtones folder using iTunes.  It should automatically be recognized as a ringtone.  You will know this because iTunes will display it in the Ringtones folder.

I hope that helps and that you finally make that “Who Can it Be Now?” ringtone that you’ve always wanted.

You can find the ringtones I’ve made in the right column of my blog.  Download the ringtone you want and start with step 7 of these instructions, copying it into your Ringtones folder.

Midomi – notfomi

Updated 8/8/8 – I no longer feel the same about Midomi as I did the first time I tried it.  I still think it’s an amazing concept but the app just doesn’t do what it says it does.  There have been a couple of times I’ve had a song on the radio that I wanted to know who it was, and so I held up Midomi to the speakers, as they suggest to do, but it never figures it out.  Not even once.  I’ve heard of another app called Shazam that supposedly does a similar thing.  I’m not sure I’m ready for the emotional investment after being so let down by Midomi.  The original post title was Midomi! but now it is simply Midomi – notfomi.

Original post - This must be the coolest iPhone app out there. Have you ever had a song or even just a short part of the rhythm stuck in your head, and you wanted to know what song it is? Meet Midomi. You literally sing or hum for a few seconds and it’ll show you what song it is. Amazing. And you can hold it up to your radio and it will tell you the name of the song playing.

I will add that it’s not perfect. I gave it the official, stringent Emile test singing a variety of songs and here’s how it fared:

• Amazing Grace – first test.  It listed a bunch of songs with Amazing Grace the #2 and #3 songs.  Not bad.
• Major Tom (by Peter Schilling) – it found this song pretty easily.  I used this song because Katia called me up back in March humming the tune to this song and really wanting to know the name.  Perfect time to call up Midomi.
• Easily I Approach (by Eazy E) – it never found this.  I tried several times.  I’d rap the opening few lines for about 20 seconds.  Usually it just stayed there spinning.  One time it crashed the app.  Finally one time it brought up a list of potential matches, none of which were right.  Several were Italian.  And there was even one Hilary Duff entry.  Nice.  I’m glad to know my voice resembles that of Hilary Duff.
• Low (Apple Bottom Jeans) – first off, I felt really lame singing this.  I thought it’d be a cool song to sing but I was mistaken.  I tried this twice.  The first time I tried, it crashed Midomi.  Then the second time it found no matches.  Seems like Midomi may have issues matching rap songs. 
• One Moment In Time – nailed it.  This is the ultimate song and I would have been very disappointed in Midomi didn’t match it.  But it did.  Perfectly.  I’d like to think part of it was my spot-on rendition of it.

Definitely a cool app that you need to get.  Now I just need to stop referring to it as Midori and get the name right.

My SF Bucket List

Now that I’m thinking of traveling away from the Bay Area for a while, I’m realizing there are lots of things I never did, or didn’t do the right way, here in San Francisco and the Bay Area. So with the helpful suggestions of friends and Lonely Planet, I’m compiling a Bucket List of things to do before I leave. Or as Andrew so graciously calls it, the F*ckIt List, as in “F*ck it, I might as well go to the Pride Festival since I’ve never been before.”

I don’t suggest I’m going to do all of these things but I’d like to do a lot of them if I can. And if you have any suggestions please let me know. And if you’d like to participate in one that would be even better!

So here they are, in no particular order, and surely to be added to continuously:

• Visit the SF Zoo – DONE!  I went there with Tamar on a sunny Friday afternoon.  I’ll give big props out to the zoo.  It’s all very walkable and they’ve got every kind of animal there from polar bears to kangaroos to giraffes.  Kind of strange to think these animals live in the same small city as me.  A couple of the highlights included the penguin feeding at 2:30 p.m. everyday where all the penguins line up awaiting their daily ration of fish, and also Tamar feeding Rose the baby giraffe cow’s milk from a giant-sized baby bottle.  She looked like a pro!
• SF Pride Festival – DONE!  Went there with Alan when he was in town from Ireland
• Angel Island – DONE!  Went there with Joanna a bit hungover (I was, not she), had a beer once we got onto the island then had a great hike to the top of Mount Livermore where we lunched.  It’s an okay place, but a lot more crowded (read: annoying families) than I expected
• Half Dome in Yosemite Park – DONE!  I went to Yosemite with Felipe and we woke up super early and started our hike by 5:30 a.m.  It was really an amazing and challenging hike, one that I’m glad to say I’ve done and maybe will never have to do again.  Kind of like running a marathon.  I’m not ashamed to rest on my laurels when they’re there.
• The Fillmore – I have yet to see a show at SF’s biggest concert venue; Adam is interested in a couple upcoming shows so we may get this one covered.
• Mt Davidson – DONE! Mt Davidson is the highest point in SF.  I hiked there from my place this past Monday, an amazing 3 hour urban hike, going up and down the hills around Twin Peaks.  And I discovered a park I never knew existed, Corona Heights Park where there was a coyote warning sign.  Hmmmm…  We don’t get many coyotes up here in Russian Hill.
• Stern Grove – They have free concerts every Sunday during the summer and I’ve never been.  Update: I had planned to go to the final show but woke up with an unplanned hangover from drinking Everclear.  So it looks like this one is going to have to wait.
• Buena Vista Cafe – DONE!  this is a cafe in Fisherman’s Wharf that is known for their Irish Coffee.  Joanna and I went here after Angel Island and enjoyed a delicious Irish Coffee.  They really are quite good.
• Beach Blanket Babylon – never went to a show here and it’s supposed to be a must-see.  A fellow improv student from a few years ago, Cara, used to be in the show so it’d be cool to see her there if she’s still performing.
• Mount Tamalpais – DONE!  I hiked up to Mt Tam on the 4th of July with Alan and Andrew.  It’s a great hike and I keep wondering why I didn’t do more hiking in general while I’ve been in SF.  We are really lucky here to have all these trails around us.  It took me hiking 500 miles to realize how meditative it can be to hike even for just a couple of hours.
• Mission Street – DONE!  This is one I created myself.  Mission Street is the longest street in SF and I thought it could be cool to walk it from one end to the other.  I began from my apartment and caught Mission around 8th street, then proceeded to walk for around 3-4 hours, stopping for Nicaraguan food along the way.  It’s a relatively flat terrain the whole way which made for a really great day of walking.  What was amazing was how different the weather is in the Mission than everywhere else.  In the Mission it was sunny and warm, tshirt weather whereas by the time I got to Daly City and then Colma it was freezing and I could see the fog blowing around in front my eyes. All in all it was around a 10-11 mile hike.  And then I took BART back.
• California Street – just like the Mission Street one, except, you guessed it, on California which is the second longest street in the city.  This could be interesting because you’ll end up at the Ocean which is always a cool thing to do.
• Carnelian Room - DONE.  Technically I did do this, even though I didn’t get a drink here.  Andrew, who had suggested this place, and I rolled in one evening to get a drink, learned about a $20 cover due to a swing band playing live, and decided to hell with this, let’s go to a real bar.  So I may not come back and my life will be not too different for it.

Two hit wonders

We all know about one hit wonders. Rick Astley. Europe. Right Said Fred. VH-1 runs an entire programming schedule with shows about them. But have we ever thought about the ones who fared better than the one hit wonders? Those that made not just one but two solid hits? They had high hopes after the second hit because few ever reach that stage. But unfortunately their stars never got brighter.  

Well here is a chance to shine their star a bit brighter by acknowledging those two hit wonders we all wish we could hear more often because damn it, they just made good songs. That’s why they were hits.

And without further ado, here is my current list. I call it current because I will update it from time to time as I think of and hear of other two hit wonders, from here on out called 2HWs. This is not to be confused with the 2Legit2Quit, or 2L2Q, research project where they are finding artists who actually turned out to quit despite their legitimacy as artists having been proven.

(Update: it turns out this list is not as objective as I initially thought.  There are some artists who had more than two hits but I never heard those other ones.  So the question came up as to what constitutes a two hit wonder on this list.  The best answer I can give is that since it is my blog I will post those artists who I only know two of their songs.  But I will also mention their other hits as people point them out.  Ok, on with the show…)

Feel free to write in with any suggestions and I will add them. I will need artist/band name and the two song names.

• Rob Base and EZ Rock – ‘It Takes Two’ and ‘Joy and Pain’
• Crystal Waters – ‘100% Pure Love’ and ‘Dada-dee-dada-daa’
• Men At Work – ‘Who Can It Be Now’ and ‘Land Down Under’  **this entry is being contested by Kevin Wiggen as he claims they have a couple other hits, ‘Overkill’ and ‘It’s a Mistake’.  I listened to both songs but did not recognize either. Wikipedia shows that ‘Overkill’ #3 in the U.S. charts in 1983. Kevin, maybe you’re just too old for this list.
• Terrence Trent D’Arby – ‘Sign Your Name Across My Heart’ and ‘Wishing Well’ - my all time favorite two hit wonder.  I love both of these songs.
• Tone Loc – ‘Wild Thing’ and ‘Funky Col Medina’
• PM Dawn – ‘Set Adrift on Memory Bliss’ and ‘Paper Doll’
• White Lion - ‘Rise Again Little Fighter’ and ‘When the Children Cry’ ** my only senior citizen friend, Kevin Wiggen, has also contested this entry, claiming the song ‘Stay’ was a hit.  I looked it up and it actually did hit high up on the charts but after listening to it I have to admit I have never heard it.  I also think Kevin once saw Mozart live in concert.

Added on 7/8 (thanks Em for the submitting these!):

• Bow Wow Wow – ‘I Want Candy’ and ‘Do You Wanna Hold Me’
• Animotion – ‘Obsession’ and ‘I, Engineer’

Added on 7/10 (thanks to Aaron Murphy for these suggestions):

• Bel Biv Devoe - ‘Poison’ and ‘Do Me’
• ABC - ‘Aeisha’ and ‘Playground’

Added on 7/21 (thanks to Hassan Arshad for these suggestions.  The AD is a great one!)

• Arrested Development – ‘Mr Wendel’ and ‘Tennessee’
• Spin Doctors – ‘Two Princes’ and ‘Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong’

Added on 7/22 (thanks to Hassan again; he is now mildly addicted to discovering new 2 hit wonders)

• Fine Young Cannibals – ‘She Drives Me Crazy’ and ‘Good Thing’
• Kris Kross – ‘Jump’ and ‘Warm It Up’