Before you start, you need the following:
- 1. the phone! - this tutorial is for the LG Chocolate (VX8500 model), it may work with other models of the Chocolate but I have no idea.. you can check your phone’s model # by removing the battery and reading the manufacturer sticker.
- 2. USB data cable - to connect your phone to your computer. you can buy the Music Essentials Kit from Verizon for 30 bucks, or you can do what I did and get the cable for 3 bucks on eBay :P (it came with all necessary drivers)
-
3. USB drivers. - these needed drivers come with the music essentials kit, and most sellers on eBay include them with the cable.. but if you didn’t get a cd with your cable you NEED to download and install these drivers in order for your phone to communicate with your computer.
Free Chocolate USB Drivers HERE
(drivers for “MEK Music Essentials Kit”) - 4. BitPim - this is the program we’ll be using to transfer the ringtones to the phone.
-
5. AudaCity - this is the audio editing software we’ll be using to create the ringtones.
Download Audacity HERE
Download the Lame encoder
(to export your ringers as mp3 files)
that’s it! now time to make the ringers..
1. open Audacity and open/import an mp3.
2. now edit, crop, fade out, ect your mp3. final audio should be no longer than 30 seconds!
3. assuming you’ve installed the lame encoder, edit the output settings by pressing Ctrl+P.
3a. on the File Formats tab
3b. go down to MP3 Export Setup, now change the bitrate to 64. (see below)
4. now export the ringtone by clicking File in the toolbar and click Export As MP3…
BAM! you’ve just made your first custom ringtone. congrats. now it’s time to put that motherfunk on your phone.
5. Install the USB drivers BEFORE connecting the phone to the computer.
6. Connect your phone to the computer via the USB cable.
7. Assuming you’ve already installed BitPim, open the program.
8. It should be set to automatically detect your phone, but if not, go to Edit in the toolbar and on the dropdown menu click Detect Phone.
9. Now open the ringers on the menu tree (see below)
10. Once inside the ringer folder, drag and drop your mp3 ringer that you exported in step 4 into the ringer folder.
11. You’ll get a popup to convert the file, use the settings shown below, then click Convert.
12. After you’ve converted the mp3, click ok. now you’ll see this screen below with your ringer in it.. we’re almost done!
13. All that’s left is to send the ringer to your phone by clicking the button (shown below)
14. check the Ringtone box & click Add. then OK.
Your phone will dial a code when you transfer your ringtone, it DOES NOT charge you!
15. enjoy your new custom made FREE ringtone! if it doesn’t show up in your ringers on the phone, you may have to powercycle the phone (remove battery & put it back in).
to import/export wallpapers & images, it’s pretty much the same steps as above only with “images” folder. same thing for full songs, just use the “music” folder.. videos (youtube, myspace, ect..) on the other hand are a bit more tricky.. i’ll write up that tutorial soon :)
For those who have “access blocked by provider” issues with bitpim, please read below.
- Newer phones have a different version of firmware (V05 & V06).
- To find out what version firmware your running on your phone, go to
Menu >> Settings & Tools >> Phone Info >> SW Version >> now right at the top of the list you should see “SW Version”, now right below that you’ll see what version your running.. T85VZ… you’ll either have an 04, 05, or 06 at the end, that’s the version number!
Solution 1: Uninstall Bitpim, then download & install the latest bitpim-test (beta). Then refer to Krans’s comment for further instructions
Solution 2: This involves flashing lower versions of firmware onto your phone (which can brick it!) so I’m kinda hesitant to post it, however, I will type it up if people are still having problems with solution 1.
i guess a few people are having this problem.. sorry to say it but i have no idea! i guess i got lucky and got my phone before the new firmware updates. since i don’t have this problem i can’t attempt to hack it, not like i could anyway :P
Do you get charged for the # the phone dials?
Hey i followed all your instructions and it says that my phone is block please i mean please try to find a way of unblocking my phone
Thanks so much for this guide, I’m pretty much a blond when it comes to this stuff and it worked perfectly for me you rock thanks again so so much ^_^
Dont up date your phone. if you do you are poop out of luck and this will not work anymore. bummer……
my phone was stolen and when i bought a new one it was updated and didnt work. so anyone with a new phone or an updated phone is out o luck!
I get that same error. It bites. I also tried texting the MP3 to my phone, but that didn’t work either. My mom got a chocolate in December and these instructions worked PERFECTLY, now for me… not so much! :-( Hopefully someone will find a way around this soon.
i am reading this works than wont work for others. how will i know if it will work for me? like i stupid when comes to this stuff.. will it miss up my phone if i add the pics and ring tones to it? i would like to know. thanks
it works like a charm every bit of it Thankx for this tutorial
Um… my phone is LG chocolate TG8500F and that isn’t anywhere in the list. So… it couldn’t detect my phone! >
Eek! I mean TG800F! >
Crap, i dont know why they dont have my phones model name.
When i go to BitPim Settings it never detects my phone and i ahve a TG800F chocolate from fido, so i have no idea how to get connected with my phone with BitPim PLEASE HELP.
Thanks
if some1 knoes the answer to this help me to cuz i have a telus chcoclate phone and it only shows the verizon version on the install wizard thing??
Well it seems there are many people out there with this problem. I too now have this problem as the send button stopped working on my phone. When I brought it in they said “There’s nothing we could do for it so here’s a new phone. Yeah that’s cool I got a new phone, now the slider is not worn out and everything seems a little smoother, like when you reinstall windows.When I got home I started the ritual of putting my ringtones on the NEW phone and I got the blocked message I have heard so much about. Let’s just say it put me in a bad place. There is a reason for it, and yes it sucks. If you have the firmware version T85vzv05 or newer, it may be different with other companies, I have Verizon, but if it ends in 05 or 06 then you are out of luck. Bitpim will only work on Ver. 04 and earlier versions. Some people can still email them, though they sound like crap. For some reason when you do that it converts it somehow. I haven’t tried it yet but I think the only way to get YOUR ringtones on YOUR phone is to get a micro sd card. Damn those money hungry corporate assholes. Personally I think what I pay them a month is enough. I should be able to put anything on their that I like. Especially considering that I bought the cd or got the song from a music site, if I want to snip the song and put it on my phone, that should not be a copyright issue. I have already bought the song and am using it for my own phone. AHHH enough rambling. Hopefully this has helped you. Sorry for the bad news.
For those who have “access blocked by provider” issues with ringtones
________________________
Go to http://www.bitpim.org then go to the download site SourceForge, you need to download the Test version of Bitpim 9.15 and i think the other two files with it as well there should be 2 files including the main setup.exe file. Uninstall your previous version of BitPim if it is really old otherwise just run it.
Ok now once you’re up and running the first thing you need to do is use BitPim to read the numbers from your phonebook to BitPim, this is supposedly going to put the phone in DM (download mode), next try writing the numbers (especially if you have old ones saved) back to the phone. If and when both of these are working you should be good to go, make ringtones the same old way and send them over.
I did this last night, got my old numbers back and once again have custom ringtones. TAKE THAT VERIZON! heh anyway hopefully this helps everyone get out of this unnecessary mess.
I retract my last statement. I’m not sure I get it, but it works. For some reason getting it in DM mode makes it work. Now let’s kick back and make some ringtones, some good ringtones. Thank you Krans!!!
what is the sourceforge website and where do i download bitpim 9.15? does anyone have exact links!?
it works!!!! THANKS!!
i need some assistance. what can i do if the phone doesnt get detected by BitPim?? are there any other softwares that would work???
Thanks sooooooooooo much… my LG cherry chocolate is now hooked up with my own ringers!!!!
thanx to krans for informing us on how to get past the phone blocked message. also the tutorial was very easy thanx 4 the help
shit i hav’nt even tryd but shit it look like it wrk
krans i get everything you wrote down but the writing back the numbers that i dont get pls help me
Hey, does can anyone give me details on how to delete a ringtone that I put on my phone. Thanks!
is the quality better on these then if you email your phone the ringtone?
i’ stuck at number 3 help