Using the Polyphonic Wizard with the LG U 8110 / 8120 / 8150

The LG81xx series of handsets are the latest 3G handsets from the LG company.

Bringing the best features of the 2G handsets to the world of 3G,  and adding video features,  the 8110,  8120 and 8150 are probably the best handset currently available on any network! (July 2004).

When purchased on the 'Three' 3G network,  the phone comes complete with a PC USB connection cable,  and the LG Phone Manager software (ours was supplied with version 1.02, but later versions can be downloaded from the LG website).  You can also use the irDA link to transfer data to and from your phone.

Using the LG software in conjunction with the Coding Workshop Polyphonic Wizard you can create,  then transfer your own ringtones to the phone.

Quick Guide

If you want to skip the long guide and just get on with things,  all you need to do is...

On your PC...

1. Download and install the Polyphonic Wizard (here)
2. Start the Wizard by clicking on the desktop icon
3. Click the 'add a ringtone' button and choose a ringtone,  then trim the ringtone and finally select LG(alternate) for the phone type.  The LG8110, 8120 and 8150 need to use the LG(alternate) setting.
4. Select the 'Save to file option' to save the ringtone to a file,  ready to transfer to your phone.

On your Phone and PC...

1. Connect your phone to your pc (either with the supplied cable,  or an irDA link).  
   On the phone you need to select 'Menu',  then '9' for Settings,  then '7' for Connectivity,  then select either IRDA or USB.  Return the phone to the main menu screen by pressing the hang up button.
   On the PC you need to start the LG Phone Manager Software,  click on 'Contents',  then to top left icon to connect the phone and PC.
2. Copy the file from your PC,  to the 'LG Phone' 'audios' folder.  This should be shown once you have connected your phone in a window that looks like file manager.
3. Finally,  disconnect your phone from the PC then go to media (usually the top left button),  select the 'Audio player',  then 'My sounds' and play back your tone.  If you like it,  use options,  select 'Sound theme' and set the tone as your ringtone.

Full Guide

To add a ringtone to your 8110,  start the Polyphonic Wizard by double clicking the icon installed on your desktop. (If you have not installed the Wizard yet,  click here to download a free trial copy).

Important: You need to be using version 2.4 of the Polyphonic or later to add ringtones to the LG8110.

You should not see a screen like this one:

Click on the large 'Click here to add a new ringtone' button in the middle of the screen.

The Polyphonic Wizard will now ask you to select a midi file you want to add to your phone.  Select a midi file you have on your computer.  

If you do not have any midi files yet,  or know of a really good source  take a look at http://www.codingworkshop.com/forum/ as this contains links to popular midi sites.

Once you have selected a midi file you will be presented with the next step screen:

Using this screen you can listen to your midi file,  and trim it down to a reasonable size.  Remember,  when using a midi file as a ringtone you will only usually be able to listen to the first 20 seconds on your LG phone before your answer phone cuts in,  so there is little point downloading a 5 minute midi file and using up all your phones memory!

Slide the arrows above the bar to the left and right and click the 'Preview' button to listen to the new trimmed midi file.  When you are happy with your new composition,  click the 'Continue to next step' button at the bottom of the screen to move onto the next step.

In this step you simply need to select the make of the phone,  so for the Lg 8110, LG 8120 and LG 8150  we simply select 'LG (alternate)'.  If you have a different LG,  such as the 5300,  select LG (standard) if you find the standard setting does not work for you.

You may also be given the option to volume enhance the ringtone at this stage.  The Polyphonic Wizard will have looked at your midi and will only present this option if it is possible.  If you are given the option try it out - it can make your ringtone a lot louder,  however on some ringtones it may cause distortion so try the ringtone with it on and off to see which you prefer.

When you have selected LG (alternate),  click the 'Continue to next step' button again to move forward and you will be shown another screen like this:

You now have a choice.  

To use the cable supplied with the phone to transfer the ringtone select the 'Save ringtone to file' option and save the ringtone to a file.  You can then transfer the ringtone to you phone using the supplied 'LG Phone Manager' software.

Alternatively to use the WAP service built into the phone click the 'Continue to next step' button to open the WAP server.

*Important* : On the Three 3G network in the UK,  you must use the cable to transfer ringtones as the WAP service appears to be restricted to certain sites and will not load the Polyphonic Wizard wap site pages.

We recommend therefore you save the ringtone file,  and transfer it to your phone as follows:

1. Connect your phone to your pc (either with the supplied cable,  or an irDA link).  
   On the phone you need to select 'Menu',  then '9' for Settings,  then '7' for Connectivity,  then select either IRDA or USB.  Return the phone to the main menu screen by pressing the hang up button.
   On the PC you need to start the LG Phone Manager Software,  click on 'Contents',  then to top left icon to connect the phone and PC.
2. Copy the file from your PC,  to the 'LG Phone' 'audios' folder.  This should be shown once you have connected your phone in a window that looks like file manager.
3. Finally,  disconnect your phone from the PC then go to media (usually the top left button),  select the 'Audio player',  then 'My sounds' and play back your tone.  If you like it,  use options,  select 'Sound theme' and set the tone as your ringtone.

Summary

The LG8110, LG8120 and LG8150,  with both WAP and cable support is one of the easiest phones to add polyphonic ringtones to  without paying per ring tone.  It sounds a bit daunting at first,  but once you get the hang of it,  its really quite easy,  and can save you money,  and give you a unique ringer for your phone.

Why not try using the free trial version and see how it works?

Click here to download the trial version now.