Can a Mac User help me slow down an audio track?

[Liz21]

Hi!
I have downloaded audio tracks to my iTunes. They are "Kaiwa" that I found online from the text book that my class is using: an Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese (which, by the way, is too hard for me, since I'm a beginner).

Anyway, the speech is way too rapid. I want to slow it down. I have Garage Band, of course, and Audio Hijack. Could someone tell me how to slow this mp3 down?

[Belton]

I know Audio Hijack won't do it. I'm not sure about Garageband; I could never figure it out! But Garageband seems more about recording and sequencing than editing.

Audacity is a free audio editor
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

open your audio track in audacity.
File... Open...

Select All

then
Effect... Change Speed...
Try 50% to slow down by half.

This will change the pitch. radically. If the speed is good (test using the play controls at the top of the window.) you can then try to put some of the pitch back in.

Effect... Change Pitch...
Try 100% as a starter.

I think you'll need some trial and error to get a speed and pitch combination. Once you do it'll be easy enough to process your files. But the sound will never be as clear as the original.

Then Export As...
(I suggest mp3 as being small and universal) don't overwrite your original file.

There are filters available that can change speed and keep a natural pitch but any I've seen are fairly expensive.

You should be able to something similar in any waveform audio editor. or a video editor like Final Cut Express or Premier (on PC)

[Jason]

Quicktime can change playback speed on the fly. Go to Window\Show A/V controls, and the playback speed control is in the bottom right. You can slow it down to as much as 1/2 normal speed. And it does it without pitch change.

Audacity can also change play speed without changing the pitch in one command. Use Change Tempo instead of Change Speed. Also to export to MP3, you'll need to install the LAME MP3 encoder.

[Belton]

I should stick to pictures.

The audio does get a little bit muddy with these processes.

The Amazing Slow Downer
http://www.ronimusic.com/
seems to do a pretty good job while keeping clarity. BUT it costs money.
thought I'd mention it though.

[Jason]

The audio does get a little bit muddy with these processes.

Well, it's the nature of the process. Without getting into too much technical detail, the techniques used to stretch the audio without pitch dilation brings into focus and exaggerates all the little "microsounds" in the sound that you don't really percieve when played normally.

[Liz21]

Belton-san and Jason-san,
You are the best!! Thanks very much for your help.

I tried the QuickTime right away. It works, thanks, Jason, but you're right: it sounded very "echoey". Used the pitch adjustment, too, and, boy was that creepy!! But the lady's voice was way too chirpy for me, hahahaha!

Robert, thanks for all the tips!! You are an amazing resource. I will download that Audacity thing. I love free stuff and I need lots of things to monkey around with sound!!

[Jason]

Robert, thanks for all the tips!! You are an amazing resource. I will download that Audacity thing. I love free stuff and I need lots of things to monkey around with sound!!

I don't want to discourage you from downloading and playing with it, but you should know that Audacity is not like a program like iMovie that's geared towards making its use as easy as possible. It can do a lot of stuff, but its interface is not very friendly.

If you've ever heard my song, Henkyoku, either from my audiri page or I gave you a direct download link for it, a fairly large number of sounds in it were created/edited in Audacity.

[Liz21]

Jason,
Thank you for the "heads up" about Audacity! "Fore-warned is fore-armed"!