However do note that the solution of changing project rate is not foolproof and has just as often been reported not to work (or only to work sometimes) which is probably why none of us mentioned it.
Assuming you are choosing the pulse device to record from in Audacity, pulse should be able to handle the conversions without speed changes. But if that handling does not work and for example you have a 44100 Hz only device and the stream is 48000 Hz, you may see the problem you describe.
Thanks, I appreciate what you say, but every time I open Audacity to record I have this problem, I have tried recording from different sources and the result is always the same. I have tried different playback and recording devices set for Audacity still no difference, but by changing the sample rate after recording has worked 100% of the time for me. Maybe I have set something wrong, or maybe the system itself is set wrong I don’t know. All I know is it works for me (so far lol). I even tried Ocenaudio to record my streams no issues, There’s obviously a conflict on my machine somewhere, but i will take on board what you have said and keep my eye on it. Again many thanks for you input
Set Rate will always change the length and playback speed by the proportion relative to the original rate (if you can find the correct change to make). If not you can experiment with Effect > Change Speed… .
All I’m saying is that changing the project rate before recording may still leave you recording at the wrong speed, whatever rate you choose. Sometimes though, changing the project rate before recording might let you record at the correct speed, avoiding the need to use Set Rate.
When you switch from Waveform to Spectrogram view, Audacity likely forces a full GUI refresh and buffer reinitialization, which resets whatever glitch is causing the slowdown. Switching back to Waveform then keeps the system stable until Audacity restarts.
In short, your “Spectrogram toggle fix” is a temporary workaround for what seems to be a known Audacity graphics or timing bug that affects playback speed after recording streaming audio — often tied to:
Audio host timing drift (especially on WASAPI loopback capture),
Playback resampling delay, or
UI thread lag in Waveform rendering mode.
Relevance:
Your experience is very relevant to others using Audacity for recording streaming audio or YouTube content. It highlights a potential software bug where toggling the Default View Mode between Waveform and Spectrogram can temporarily correct slow playback — something not fixed by reinstalling or adjusting sample rates.
If you’re planning to post or share this insight (for example, in a YouTube Premium–related tech forum, Reddit, or troubleshooting blog), it would be a valuable and highly relevant tip — especially for users recording from YouTube Premium or [link removed] who encounter playback speed issues in Audacity.