My Audacity track got exported at a very high speed sounds like the chipmunks

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
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Hi, I always record and edit with Audacity at the same settings, but somehow, an audio I just edited and exported is at a very high speed, so listening back to it, it sounds like the chipmunks.
Something must have got adjusted by accident in the final edit/export process.
What do I need to adjust in the settings/export process to get this audio back to the standard audio speed (and what is the standard audio speed supposed to be by the way?)

Side note: I edited another audio AFTER that came out normal. It wasn’t until I tried to upload the chipmunk sounding audio to Apple, that Apple gave me an error message that the sample rate of the audio was too low, so when I put it back into Audacity to fix the sample rate to 44100, I think thats when the problem with the sound happened

Thanks in advance

UPDATE: The original audio I edited and exported sounds normal but it is at 33k sample rate. WHen I put it back into AUdacity and change the rate to 44,100, thats when its making it sound like chipmunks- simply by changing from 33k to 44100

2

44,100 means 44,100 samples per second. If you play it at a lower rate it plays slower and at a lower pitch (and vice-versa).

I’m a Windows guy but it’s usually not easy foul-up the sample rate.

If you re-sample in Audacity or export at a different sample rate the data gets interpolated so the speed or pitch doesn’t change.

3

So this is the Apple message I get when I upload to Apple

“Sample rate 32000.0Hz for episode_4**********.mp3 is less than the required minimum of 44100.0Hz”

So simple enough, I see this error message, I go back into Audacity and adjust to 44,100 and not adjust anything else, and this is when Audacity is speeding up the audio- after I adjust to 44,100

4

Okay, I notice this.
When I adjust my normal sounding audio from 32000 HZ to 44,100HZ, the audio length time changes from 1hr38 minutes to 1hr,11 minutes. So it is condensing down the audio to a shorter length, and playing at a higher speed. My Audacity has never done this before.

Should I reinstall Audacity?? Or has a setting somehow changed that I need to address?

5

How did you do that?

if you select 44,100 in the export window it should be OK (assuming it’s OK before you export).

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That’s what I am doing
Here’s a screenshot

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As soon as I change it to 44,100 to export it, the audio length is immediately getting shorter and the audio speed much faster

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Okay, fixed it (I think)

Yes, changing the sample rate in Audacity can affect the playback speed of your audio if done incorrectly. If you’re changing the project’s sample rate, or if you’re resampling without using the proper function, it can cause the audio to play back faster or slower.

Here’s why and how to fix it:

  • Sample rate and playback speed:

The sample rate determines how many samples of audio are taken per second. A higher sample rate captures more detail but can also make the audio file larger. Changing the sample rate without proper resampling essentially changes the number of samples played back per second, which affects the perceived speed.

  • How to change sample rate properly:

To change the sample rate without affecting the playback speed, use the “Resample” function under the “Tracks” menu. This function will convert the audio data to the new sample rate without changing the playback speed.

This last step seems to have fixed it

9

I am wrong there is still an issue.
Apple is recognizing my audio file as a 32000HZ file despite me having adjusted it to a 44,100 audio file (see screenshot)

And now, I just put the file I fixed and exported as 44100 back into Audacity and now Audacity is saying its a 32000 HZ file again, totally lost here

So as seen in below screenshot
#1 I converted the audio file properly in Audacity from 3200hz to 44100HZ without it affecting or speeding up the audio any longer, or shortening the audio length

#2 I then upload the corrected audio to Apple and it tells me its still 32000

#3 I re upload the audio back into Audacity, and now Audacity says the same file I just converted in Audacity to 44100 is still 32000

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So now I think I fixed it- something, someplace was off in Audacity.

I just clicked TOOLS/ RESET CONFIGURATION

It rearranged some Audacity settings and seems to have fixed the issue

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So short answer is, when Audacity has a weird error you have never had before and acts weird, try the TOOLS/RESET CONFIGURATION step first

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MediaInfoOnline may come-in handy for diagnosis if you have any similar issues in the future. It will give you the details for audio/video files.

There is also a version that you can install on your computer.

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