Speeding up then slowing speed / pitch destroying audio

Speeding up my audio and slowing it back down again is destroying my audio.

Here is what happens when I speed up by 1.30x and decrease pitch by -23.077 to match. This works fine.

This is what happens when I decrease speed by -23.077 (after speeding it up) and increase pitch by 1.30x to match again. The speed and pitch are right, but there is something messed up about the audio.

What in the world is happening here? Did I destroy my audio by speeding it up and changing the pitch initially? Can I get it back? Thank you.

Why not just use “Change Tempo”? Change Tempo - Audacity Manual

To undo the last change in Audacity, use “Command + Z”


That’s the wrong amount if you want to get back to normal speed. To get back to normal speed you need to change the speed by (multiplier) 0.821x, which is -17.949 percent.

Why a different percent?
Consider how percentages work.
Increase 100 by 50% = 150.
Decrease 150 by 50% = 75.