I’m on a really tight budget of just over $500, and I want to make decent quality recordings. I know a little about the topic, and apart from a bit of info, I am a beginner. I basically until recentally wanted a just a Tascam 414mkII 4-track (because it was recommended to me), and then a good mike. The trouble is that I really want an 8-track for backing vocals and a couple of guitars. The 488mkII 8-track would be perfect but is simply out of my budget…..same old story. Can you recommend a something for me from maybe another company? But my main question is that, to save money, why can’t I convert my 4-track into an 8-track. What I would do, I record my first 4 tracks as normal, and then mix them down onto a normal cassette. Then start a normal track, and for the first track on the next recording, attach the 4-track to the line out of my tape player, and play my 4 tracks that I recorded before onto 1 track of my next recording, therefore compressing 4 already mixed tracks onto 1 track. This would leave 3 more tracks free, theoretically converting my 4-track into a 7-track. I realizes that this would mean a lack of quality as the first 4 tracks would be second generation, but is it feasible? If not, what is my next best option? Thanks.