Stereo imaging and widening plugins are nice when you need to simulate some width on a track, making that track seem larger via the stereo field. Even better when you’re still in the recording phase is to try using a natural approach to generating width on an instrument: the mid side mic technique. This technique

The main thing which differentiates microphones is their polar pattern. Microphone patterns refer to how much sound they’ll pick up relative to which way they’re facing. Different polar patterns are useful for recording different things, so let’s cover the various microphone patterns, how they work, and what to use them to record. Polar Pattern Guide