​The recording of 'Gag' was a turning point in Tovey's recording career. It would be the first time he used a band of musicians to record an album - before he had recorded most of the musical parts himself. It would also see a major change in the recording location from London to Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin. The acoustic spaces in the German studio had excited Tovey. He was also excited about the recording equipment that was installed at Hansa at that time, including the computer controlled mixing desk. He found the new recording practices refreshing, having other people collaborating in the writing and recording process. Some of these collaborators included the viola player, Joni Sackett, and keyboard player, David Simmonds. The recordings included many acoustic instruments, which veered away from the electronic instruments which had been used on previous recording sessions. Tovey had used synthesisers when they were not fashionable to use - he had now moved away from electronic instrumentation when it was the current trend with other recording artists.