(Sorry for joining this thread so late, I've been on the road.)

For my money, Sir T's points are spot on. The inputs on a mixing board are mono. The engineer pans the signals to obtain a stereo effect. In this sense, all "imaging" is artificial.

Perhaps if you are using only two mics and each mic is going straight into the recording device, you have a chance at a "natural" image. But this technique is rare and wrought with sometimes insurmountable difficulties; i.e. balance between instruments, phase considerations, etc.. Also, as was mentioned earlier in this thread, all recording can seen as artificial.

Another point, and maybe a bit OT, I think there is a much better chance of getting a quality recording in a studio vs. live. The studio is a controlled environment and the mics and mic-pre's are usually of much higher quality that those used at a live performance. What you may not get in the studio is the spontaneity of a live performance. And you certainly won't get any audience interaction.