# Where can I buy ringtones that don't sound tacky and immature? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833 "2007-03-28T14:43:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/1 "2007-03-28T14:43:58Z")
I just bought a new cellphone. It comes with exactly zero normal ringtones - everything is some cheesy melody, or recording of some crap pop song. Verizon has more ringtones in their online store, but they’re all just more music or juvenile sound effects - like “toilet flushing”. At the moment, I have it set to ring using the same sound as the alarm clock, which is incredibly unpleasant. I really don’t like music ringtones. They seem childish to me. I just want a ringtone that is loud, clear, and unobtrusive. Does anyone know where I can find something like that? Searching for ringtones on Google produces so much domain squatting and fly-by-night, potential scam crap, it’s impossible to sift through. ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/2 "2007-03-28T14:53:44Z")
I use this [website](http://rumkin.com/tools/sprint/) I’ve used it several times and I’ve never gotten any junk texts or unsolicited calls. It has a FAQ section towards the bottom that explains the in’s and out’s of creating and uploading ringtones to your own phone. It covers a wide range of phones and carriers. After using it to learn how to create my own ringtones I’ve never had the urge or need to download a ringtone. Good Luck! ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/3 "2007-03-28T14:56:26Z")
Oh, I know how to put ringtones on my phone - my problem is finding something that I _want_ to put on there. I don’t want music, just simple beeps. I guess I could make my own in Matlab or something, but surely someone has done this already? ---
**Author:** ![DustyButt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DustyButt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DustyButt)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/4 "2007-03-28T15:07:11Z")
I simply looked up sound effects online and converted them to the appropriate file format for my phone and uploaded them. I currently use the ringtone from a videogame that was in wav format that I converted and uploaded myself. Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/5 "2007-03-28T16:43:49Z")
Well, I finally found one: [http://www.avalys.net/low.mid](http://www.avalys.net/low.mid) ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/6 "2007-03-28T17:09:39Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] Well, I finally found one: [http://www.avalys.net/low.mid](http://www.avalys.net/low.mid) [/QUOTE] Damn. I was just about to post an offer of my services, for a fee, about learning to live with a tacky and immature ring. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/7 "2007-03-28T18:30:58Z")
Why not just put it on vibrate so that you don’t annoy everyone around you when it rings? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/8 "2007-03-28T18:39:29Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] Why not just put it on vibrate so that you don’t annoy everyone around you when it rings? [/QUOTE] In general, I do - but it’s my only phone, and I don’t carry it around in my pocket all day. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/9 "2007-03-28T19:03:56Z")
My cell phone, a Motorola that’s a few years old, came programmed with several ringtones. The default one (which is the one I use) goes bleep-bleep. Do the new phones not have these? Or are you just looking for some specific type of bleep-bleep that you’ve been hearing in your head? ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/10 "2007-03-28T19:16:42Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] My cell phone, a Motorola that’s a few years old, came programmed with several ringtones. The default one (which is the one I use) goes bleep-bleep. Do the new phones not have these? Or are you just looking for some specific type of bleep-bleep that you’ve been hearing in your head? [/QUOTE] Nope - my new LG VX8600 came only with little tunes and melodies, no normal rings. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/11 "2007-03-28T19:21:22Z")
[QUOTE=Vinyl Turnip] My cell phone, a Motorola that’s a few years old, came programmed with several ringtones. The default one (which is the one I use) goes bleep-bleep. Do the new phones not have these? Or are you just looking for some specific type of bleep-bleep that you’ve been hearing in your head? [/QUOTE] That’s what I was thinking. I know the newer phones pack a bunch of sing-song ringtones on them but I thought they all still had 3 or 4 standard ring-ring, beep-beep, or bzzt-bzzt type rings. Do they not have these anymore? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/12 "2007-03-28T19:40:46Z")
If you’re on windows, and can figure out how to load a .wav as a ringtone, just browse through the windows supplied sounds. In fact, I believe there should be one there called ringout.wav. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/13 "2007-03-28T20:56:14Z")
That’s borderline insane. I hope my next new car has a regular-sounding horn, and not a choice of “rooster crowing,” “Mario Brothers theme,” and “Fergalicious.” ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/14 "2007-03-29T10:20:23Z")
I have heard that the ‘Crazy Frog’ ringtone is both mature _and_ sophisticated. Hope this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-can-i-buy-ringtones-that-dont-sound-tacky-and-immature/397833/15 "2007-03-29T14:41:00Z")
Anything but a ring is by definition tacky and immature.