How to Change Audio Speed Easily?

If you have a music file, and you notice that it is a bit slow or fast, making the entire ambiance kind of dull or overly exciting respectively, you can change audio speed to get the track right as per your mood. However, when you make any such adjustments, some unwanted effects can be experienced, such as format limitations while exporting, changes in the pitch of the sound, etc.

That said, here, you will learn how to change audio speed with the least adverse effects using some of the most popular and highly recommended tools.

How to Change Audio Speed in Filmora

Being a lightweight and less resource-intensive post-production tool, Filmora is admired by several professionals across the globe and is many times preferred over other editing programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X. Easy-to-understand UI and large-sized, clearly visible options and buttons are what make Filmora extremely popular among those who are new to the industry and don't have a computer with a powerful processor, gigantic memory, and enormous GPU.

You can follow the steps given below to learn how to change audio speed with Wondershare Filmora:

Step 1: Import Audio and Add to Filmora Timeline

Launch Filmora on your Windows or Mac computer, make sure that the Media icon is selected from the standard toolbar at the top, click the + icon in the Media (also referred to as Library here) window (on Mac) or anywhere in the Media window itself (on Windows) from the upper-left corner of the interface, and import the audio file that you want to manage the playback speed of. Next, drag the media file from the Library to the timeline.

Step 2: Increase or Decrease Audio Speed

Ensure that the audio track is selected in the timeline. Click the Speedometer icon from the timeline toolbar at the upper section, hover mouse to the Slow option from the menu, and click your preferred value form the submenu to reduce the sound speed. Likewise, hover the mouse to the Fast option, and choose a value from the submenu to increase it.

Note: Usually, the audio pitch wouldn't change as long as you pick the values anywhere between 0.5x and 5x. However, if you select any option beyond this range, you may experience variations in the pitch according the value you selected.

Step 3: Set Custom Speed or Reverse the Audio

Click the Speedometer icon from above the timeline, and click Custom Speed from the menu. Use the slider to slow down (move to the left) or speed up (move to the right) the audio on the Custom Speed box. Alternatively, you can manually enter your preferred value in the available field for granular control. In addition, you can also check the Reverse Speed box to reverse the audio if need be.

Step 4: Export the Output

Click EXPORT from the top-center area of the interface, go to the Local tab on the Export box that opens next, select your preferred audio format from the Format list in the left, make necessary customizations from the right pane, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner of the box to export the audio with the modified speed.

How to Change the Speed of Audio with Video in Filmora

The process to change audio speed that also has a video is identical to what is explained in the previous section. The only additional step required in this case is separating the audio track from that of video.

You can learn how to get this done by following the instructions given below:

Step 1: Import File to Media Window and then Add to Timeline

Use the method explained in Step 1 of the previous section to import a file to Filmora, drag the media to the timeline, and click MATCH TO MEDIA when the Project Setting box appears and prompts for confirmation. Note: Except for the Project Setting box, the rest of the process for adding audio and video files to the timeline is the same.

Step 2: Separate Audio from Video

Select and then right-click the video track with audio in the timeline, and click Detach Audio from the context menu.

Step 3: Adjust the Audio Speed

After the audio is detached, you can select the audio track and follow the method explained in the previous section to adjust its speed as needed. As for the video, you can use the trimming and cropping options to adjust its duration and size and export the entire project as explained in Step 4 of the previous section. Note: To export the project as video, all you need to do is, choose a video format like MP4 or something similar to that when on the Export box.

How to Change Audio Speed without Changing Pitch in Audacity for Free

One of the most downloaded, used, and admired applications, Audacity, is an open-source and free audio editing software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers in both x32 and x64 variants. The software has all the professionals' tools for basic to advanced sound editing to produce industry-standard outputs.

You can follow the steps given below to learn how to change audio speed with Audacity without changing the pitch of the sound:

Note: Changing the tempo usually doesn't change the pitch of the audio up to some extent. However, you can expect some variations in the pitch if the new tempo value is too high or too low.

Conclusion

You may want to slow down or speed up audio if the existing one is not up to the mark, and you wish to manage the ambiance with the help of the music track either while playing a video or when merely a soundtrack is to be played during some event. In either case, the best tool for all your needs is Wondershare Filmora, and if you are looking for a program dedicated to audio only, Audacity is something worth trying.