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Choose the audio sample rate for video from the project and delivery requirements, then check that the exported audio matches. If narration arrives at a different rate, use a proper resampling workflow or the editor's documented conversion rather than simply reinterpreting the samples at a new speed. Keep the original download and verify timing after export.
This guide is for a creator bringing generated narration into a video editor. It explains the handoff between an audio file, the editing project and the delivered video. It does not claim that Oakgen exposes a sample-rate selector or that increasing a number makes an existing voice recording more detailed. The worked example is hypothetical; no audio was generated or converted for this article.
Separate sample rate from the other numbers
The Audacity sample-rate manual defines sample rate as the number of audio samples per second. Thus 44.1 kHz means 44,100 samples per second, while 48 kHz means 48,000.
Do not confuse that value with video frames per second, audio bit depth, channel count or compressed-file bitrate. They describe different properties. A 30 fps video does not call for 30 kHz audio merely because both values involve time.
| Property | What to record | Example, not a universal requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Audio sample rate | Samples per second | 48,000 Hz |
| Video frame rate | Frames per second | 30 fps |
| Audio channels | Channel arrangement | Mono narration in a stereo mix |
| Delivery format | Required container and audio encoding | The actual publisher's specification |
A filename may include a rate for convenience, but inspect the media properties rather than trusting the label. Renaming a file to include 48k does not convert it.
Find the requirement before converting
Read the specification supplied by your editor, client or delivery destination. Check the audio project settings and the export settings separately; they need not be identical just because you opened a new timeline.
For a concrete video-delivery example, YouTube's published upload encoding recommendations list an audio sample rate of 48 kHz. The page also carries a YouTube Studio Content Manager partner-availability note; check its current scope and your own delivery guidance rather than treating it as a universal requirement.
For a project adopting a 48 kHz delivery workflow, 48 kHz is a practical working choice: set the project and intended export accordingly, then verify the file. If another required rate is specified, follow that instead. Keep a clean 44.1 kHz source when that is what you received; convert a working copy as needed rather than requesting another voice generation merely to change a file property.
For an already edited project, ask its owner before changing the project-wide rate. The useful goal is a predictable delivery, not an unnecessary round of conversion across every approved asset.
A worked narration handoff
Suppose a downloaded narration file reports 44,100 Hz and your fictional video project requires 48,000 Hz. First preserve the untouched narration. Import a working copy and inspect how the editor handles the difference.
If the editor performs the necessary resampling at playback or export, confirm its documented behavior and check the resulting file. If you need a separate 48,000 Hz narration file for handoff, export or resample a copy with the intended rate. Record which method you used so a later editor does not repeat conversions without knowing why.
Keep a short review passage containing the opening word, a mid-sentence phrase and the ending. Compare duration, pitch impression, word boundaries and alignment with the video. The expected result of a rate conversion is not a suddenly faster speaker.
Resampling is different from changing playback interpretation
The Audacity Tracks menu reference documents a Resample operation that adds or removes samples while leaving the track's length, playback speed and pitch unchanged. It explicitly distinguishes this from changing a track's rate through the track control menu, which changes how quickly existing samples play.
In the documented Audacity workflow, select the track and use Tracks → Resample to create the required rate. Then choose the intended project/export rate and verify the exported properties. Menu placement may differ in your installed version; consult that version's documentation rather than choosing a similarly named control by guesswork.
Do not use a playback-rate reinterpretation as a routine file conversion. If the narration becomes faster or higher, undo the change and inspect which operation you used. A deliberate time or pitch effect is a different editing decision.
Keep conversion separate from quality repair
A valid sample rate does not prove the audio is clean. A file can satisfy the requested rate while retaining clipping, noise, a mispronounced name or missing speech. Increasing its rate does not demonstrate that those faults have been repaired.
If the untouched download sounds distorted, use the clipped-audio diagnosis workflow before deciding whether to restore or replace it. If the words are wrong, use the pronunciation guide. If the words are correct but do not fit the picture, the voiceover timing worksheet addresses script length and visual holds.
These checks solve different problems. Do not regenerate a satisfactory voice merely because its file needs conversion for an existing video project.
Verify the exported file and the assembled video
Check the final file's sample rate, channel arrangement, duration and delivery format. Listen to it outside the timeline preview, then play the delivered video with the picture. Confirm that the first word, important action cues and ending remain aligned.
If you hear a change only in the export, compare the export settings with the source and project. If timing drifts over a longer video, investigate the complete media and timeline configuration rather than assuming sample rate is the only possible cause.
Use this handoff record:
- Source: original narration file and inspected rate.
- Project: required audio rate and video timeline settings.
- Conversion: editor/export method, source copy and intended output rate.
- Output: actual rate, duration, channels and file type after export.
- Approval: listening and picture-alignment result, reviewer and file version.
For platform-specific advertising delivery, the radio ad guide contains a separately dated specifications discussion; verify the destination's current requirements. This article's job is the conversion decision and speed-preservation check, rather than another platform-spec table.
You can generate the narration in Oakgen and perform the project-rate conversion in your existing editor. Create an Oakgen account if needed and review the current quote before generating. Conversion, resampling and video assembly here are external steps, not promised Oakgen editing features.
