# Extracting audio from a .flv file **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 11, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771 "2010-04-11T22:03:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771/1 "2010-04-11T22:03:25Z")
I’ve got a small video clip saved as a .FLV file. Using a MacBook Pro with the standard suite of software and an iPhone, is there a way to turn the audio portion of this video clip into a ringtone? I desperately need this to annoy my fiancee. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771/2 "2010-04-11T23:10:13Z")
I did something like this before. Oddly, you can’t make a ringtone from an arbitrary audio file directly in iTunes, but it is possible to do it via GarageBand: 1. Use MPEG Streamclip to extract the audio from the FLV file. Save it as an MP3 or whatever. 2. Open GarageBand and create a new project. Choose “Loops” for the project type. 3. Create a new Track in the project. Choose Track, New Track. Select Real Instrument for the track type. 4. Insert the audio file into the new track. You can just drag and drop it. 5. Edit the audio to your heart’s content. 6. Save it from GarageBand into iTunes as a ringtone. Select Share, Send Ringtone to iTunes. This opens iTunes automatically and puts the new ringtone in the Rintones section of the iTunes Library… Ringtones repeat and need to be 40 seconds long or less. 7. Sync the ringtone to your iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2010, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771/3 "2010-04-11T23:24:30Z")
Amended post: I did something like this before. Oddly, you can’t make a ringtone from an arbitrary audio file directly in iTunes, but it is possible to do it via GarageBand: 1. Open the FLV file in [MPEG Streamclip](http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html). 2. Export the audio from the FLV file. In MPEG Streamclip, choose File, Export Audio. Select MP3 for the audio type. I believe that the MP3 file is saved to the same directory as the FLV file by default. 3. Open GarageBand and create a new project. In GarageBand, choose “Loops” for the project type. This creates an empty GarageBand project. (If you choose Ringtone, it will populate the file with sample sounds for the ringtone. You can delete them, though.) 4. Create a new Track in the project. Choose Track, New Track. Select Real Instrument for the track type. 5. Insert the audio file into the new track. You can just drag and drop the MP3 file. 6. Edit the audio to your heart’s content. Ringtones are looped (they repeat) and need to be 40 seconds long or less. 7. Export the project from GarageBand into iTunes as a ringtone. Select Share, Send Ringtone to iTunes. This opens iTunes automatically and puts the new ringtone in the Rintones section of the iTunes Library. 8. Sync the ringtone to your iPhone. You can save the GarageBand project as well. It shows up as a .band file. GarageBand has all sorts of facilities for looping audio, overlauing it, etc. I should play around with it more–I’ve barely used it. ---
**Author:** ![Soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771/4 "2010-04-12T00:08:50Z")
Perfect! You are my hero. I never would have found Streamclip on my lonesome - thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extracting-audio-from-a-flv-file/535771/5 "2010-04-12T00:14:55Z")
> [@Soul](#): > > Perfect! You are my hero. I never would have found Streamclip on my lonesome - thank you! Your quite welcome! I used it to do the same thing… make a ringtone of a family event.