I have a audio clip that I need to scale down by 4.5 seconds but not loose anything and hopefully have it not sound as though it’s being speed read. I hope this is possible ?
For one option, see here: http://audacityteam.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10881
Alternatively you could manually cut out some short bits, for example by reducing the length of any silences. You may be able to do this with “Truncate Silence” from the Effects menu (Audacity 1.3 and later)
Alternatively you could use “Change Speed” (Effects menu / Audacity 1.3)
Which method produces the best results will depend on the source material that you are using.
I had to upgrade to Audacity 1.3 but using some of the suggestions that you suggested I did manage to cut off a few seconds and it ended up sounding close to the same, thank you.