Well If I cut a song down , both length and file size are decreased.
Furthermore, I figure it just happens to songs that are part of bigger megamixes, I could be wrong though.
I know it cuts them both down, I just wasn;t sure if your main priority was to shorten the song or make the file smaller without shortening the song (compressing maybe?).
I haven't had that problem before of the distorted sound. I use Audacity most of the time which is a really as basic as it gets for sound editors. If you're just looking to change the length of the song I'd recommend using it just for simplicity and the fact that it doesn't screw up the file.
Here's the link for the installer if you're interested.
Yeah, you're not saving at the correct bit rate. Always save at the highest, then you get the best quality. They use different bit rates for compression.
Get (search) Audacity. It's alot better and it's just as free.
Actually, Audacity is much worse and CoolEdit isn't free. I've used Audacity a lot in the past, but the problem with it is that you can't snap to beats (based on BPM/beat 1 start that you provide) in any way that I know of, which CoolEdit lets you do pretty easily. I eventually had to switch to it because it's basically not possible to cut a song many times with Audacity and still have it be completely onsync, since you can only approximate a full number of beats with it.
I don't know why it would be distorting it for the OP, tho. Make sure it's set to save MP3s of a high enough bitrate, I guess.
How come when I edit certain mp3's' with cool edit to make it an appropriate size, it sounds all distorted and terrible? I can't stepchart that =(
It's probably your program. Does the program edit other formats as well as MP3s? Cuz I had the same problem with one who did alot, it slowed my WMAs into slow mo haha.
It happened to me to. I was trying to do a Drool song, (p.s. that's just the name of my dad's band. It's nothing weird.) and the CD file was all scary sounding. Then SM quit.
I am stupid. Why do MP3's DO this?! 
