Hi Colin, Those ringtones did work when I tested the AppleScripts several months ago, but I only did that to check when answering a question on a list. I did catch a typo in my post description: I meant to say that you have to rename the extension to ".m4r" for ringtones and not ".m4b" which are for audiobooks. I also checked that I could convert a (non-protected) mp3 file to an AAC file (with .m4a extension), delete it from iTunes (without moving it to the Trash), rename it to .m4r extension, add it to my iTunes library, have it show up as a Ringtone, and sync it to an iPhone and work. But this was some time ago, since I don't really need to constantly make new ringtones. And if I did make more ringtones for myself, I would use Amadeus Pro, since it already has shortcuts for easily selecting sections of a track.
The likely issue with having problems making ringtones by just changing the extension to .m4r is that if you don't separately delete the .m4a file from iTunes and add it back after you've renamed the extension, iTunes "remembers" that it created that new track as a music file with .m4a extension. Not to mention that it's quite possible that the person working with the files may have mistaken which file was copied and renamed, since you can't view the file extension unless your reveal the file in either Finder (with Command-Shift-R) or an Explorer Window under Windows (with Control-Shift-R), and even then you must set up Windows Explorer to show the extension in the case of iTunes on Windows. This was also true for the old methods of turning .m4a files ripped from CDs into audiobooks before Apple supported this with checkboxes on the Options tab. Doug Adams wrote a "Make Bookmarkable" AppleScript that turned the AAC files in your iTunes library into audiobooks. I suppose it's possible that some renamed .m4r ringtones didn't work. There were several versions of the "Make Bookmarkable" AppleScript to keep up with new quirks in different versions of iTunes, and I imagine this could also be true of "Make Ringable" if simple renaming was not reliable. I remember that at one time for changing files into Audiobooks, I had to actually start playing some tracks after running the AppleScript for them to update their behavior as audiobooks. Alternatively, anything that forced the iTunes data base to update (like slightly changing the name of a track or adding a comment or other new metadata) would get it to recognize new entries correctly. Something similar happened at the time of one of the iOS 4.2 update last November. People synced their iPhones, and for some of them everything but the audio tracks appeared to come over. However, if you expanded the entry for the device in the iTune sources table and selected Music, then navigated to the corresponding songs table, all the music was there. You could even play one of the tracks. Once you did this, if you resynced your device, all the audio tracks showed up in the iTunes database. So, it may just be a question of making sure that the iTunes database updates correctly, and doesn't confuse the entry with a previous, similar one with different attributes (song rather than ringtone). Failing to delete the earlier entry and just leaving the broken link there will probably make such a misidentification more likely, since the database error checking may lead it to think the previous entry (still present) is the correct one. This is all hypothesis, but it seems plausible, and it does work to find solutions (e.g., like playing the tracks to force iTunes or the device to check and update its database for the metadata.) HTH. Cheers, Esther On Jul 16, 2011, at 17:23, Red.Falcon wrote: > Hi all! > So do those ringtones made by that Applescript work on the Iphone! > I think someone once said that just changing the extension to .m4b will not > guarantee that it will work! > Or am I mistaken on this! > Colin > > On 17 Jul 2011, at 03:45, Esther wrote: > >> Hi Travis, >> >> When you set the start and stop times on the Options tab for any iTunes >> track, that limits the portion of the track to be used for any operation. >> It's most notably used for playback, and I remember subscribing to some >> podcast that had annoying advertisements at the beginning of each track. I >> simply set all of those podcasts to have start times about a minute into the >> track to avoid listening to the advertisements. >> >> However, using the start and stop times on the Options tab for any track you >> edit with Command-I to "Get Info", also sets the part of the track that will >> be used for conversions or burning. So if you wanted to make a ringtone of >> an mp3 track entirely with the native iTunes functions you could do it. >> When listening to an mp3 file, I'd press space bar to pause the track about >> where I wanted to start. Then I'd fine tune the time with the RestartAt >> AppleScript (again, using an assigned shortcut). I'd make a similar >> selection for the stop time, and check it with the RestartAt AppleScript, >> making sure that the total length is less than 40 seconds. Then I'd press >> Command-I, navigate to the Options Tab for the track, and enter those start >> and stop times, then close the window. To convert that selection to an .m4a >> file I'd bring up the contextual menu (VO-Shift-M), and select "Create AAC >> version". The .m4a file that is created will start and stop at the points >> I chose. >> >> Now, because I don't want to separately delete the .m4a version from the >> iTunes library (while not moving the file to the Trash), rename it with a >> .m4b extension, and then re-add it to iTunes so that it shows up as a >> Ringtone, I'd get Doug Adams' "Make Ring able" Applescript from his >> AppleScripts for iTunes website. (Just Google "Make Ring able dougscripts" >> to find it.) Since Doug Adams is a tidy AppleScripter, that script has the >> option to reset the start and stop times back to nominal when done: you >> simply select your mp3 track with start and stop times set, and apply the >> "Make Ring able" menu option from the AppleScripts menu. The script makes a >> copy of the selected region of your mp3 track specified by the start and >> stop times, creates an AAC copy of the section you're using for a ringtone, >> then renames it and adds it back to iTunes so that it shows up as a >> ringtone, and optionally resets the start and stop times back to the >> original values. >> >> Incidentally, I forgot to emphasise that when you're done burning the >> Audible tracks you should remember to reset the start and stop times on the >> Options tab. Either unchecking the boxes or just entering "0" into each >> field will work. >> >> I had some early Audible audiobooks with short stories that I wanted to >> split off by story, so I used the start and stop times to create separate >> files I could play. >> >> As for the ringtone creation, since I have Amadeus Pro, in practice I'd use >> that instead of the iTunes method, since it's already set up to let me >> easily listen to, mark, and shift the boundaries of selected areas of a >> track. I'd select a track in iTunes, use Command-Shift-R to reveal its >> location in a Finder window then bring up a context window (Command-Shift-M) >> to open it with Amadeus Pro. After selecting the region I want, I'd use the >> built-in "Export as Ringtone" menu option to make this show up as ringtone >> in iTunes. (No need for a "Make Ring able" AppleScript.) >> >> HTH. Cheers, >> >> Esther >> >> On Jul 16, 2011, at 15:41, Travis Siegel wrote: >> >>> Wow, I didn't even think of trying the start/end time tags with audible >>> books. To be honest, I hadn't even thought it would be possible. That's >>> another example of me just assuming itunes wouldn't allow it, so I never >>> even tried. >>> Well, phewey. Now I know what kinds of things to look for in the future. >>> Thanks for that little tidbit, I'm sure I'll have use for it in the future. >>> As always, an excellent post, thanks again. >> <--- Mac Access At Mac Access Dot Net ---> To reply to this post, please address your message to [email protected] You can find a monthly formatted archive of all messages posted to the Mac-Access forum at the following URL: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/mac-access/index.html> The Mac-Access mailing list is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free! 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