Apple today released an informational note about creating custom ringtones in GarageBand 4.1.1. "With GarageBand 4.1.1 you can export your original song, your original audio recordings, or use Apple Loops and iLife jingles to create a custom ringtone for your iPhone," the company says. Users need GarageBand 4.1.1, iTunes 7.5 or later, and an iPhone with firmware version 1.1.2 or later. The process involves setting up a cycle region that covers the desired area of a song to use in a GarageBand song, which must be 40 seconds or less in length.

Once the cycle area is set, users simply choose the 'Send Ringtone to iTunes' menu item under the 'Share' menu.

Troubleshooting

In the event that issues arise creating or syncing ringtones, Apple offers two suggestions to repair the issue:

• If the 'Send Ringtone to iTunes' menu item in GarageBand is dimmed, users must check to ensure they are running iTunes 7.5 or later. Users running earlier versions must upgrade using the Software Update feature under Mac OS X.
  
• If an error message indicates that the ringtone was not copied when the iPhone was synced, ensure that the iPhone has firmware version 1.1.2 or later.