Why can't I find a CD Recorder? Will I have to record my voice on a Cassette Recorder?

Question

I thought I would be able to find a voice recorder with a built in microphone that records on CD/R. But the guy at Radio Shack says I have to use a cassette tape machine, or record on my computer and transfer to CD/R.
I am ready to spend $34.95 on a cassette recorder at radio Shack, but where is the CD version of this machine?

Answer 1

You can't record audio in real-time on a CD.

In simple terms, today's CD/DVD drives are much faster than the bit rate of recorded audio ( 1x), so you need to store the recording in flash or a hard drive first, then burn it to a CD.