Can you drop the sample rate below 8000?

[lynzjammer]

As part of a lesson on sound representation, I’d like the students to be able to take a sound file’s sampling rate below 8000. Is this possible in Audacity?

[LWinterberg]

You can set a track to have a 1Hz sample rate if you want to, via the Track menu → Rate → Other

[lynzjammer]

When I try that, the speed of the mp3 drops - if that makes sense. So changing it from 48000 to 8000 for example stretches my 5.20 music file to 32 mins :-/

[LWinterberg]

Correct, the sample data don’t get changed, they just get interpreted as something much slower. You also can go to Tracks → Resample to resample it to a lower samplerate. (the input field there is a combobox, so even though it gives you a dropdown, you also can type in a number yourself)

[lynzjammer]

Thanks but I get exactly the same problem as before, where the song get elongated.

[LWinterberg]

It works for me in Audacity 3.5.0:

There’s a slight change in length as of course at a sample rate of 5, the samples are spaced very differently to before, but it doesn’t get significantly longer.