Great minds learn alike, eh? :-)

When I first started multi-track recording, it wasn't with live instruments. I used to do a huge amount of layered electronic sound work using my Korg N1 keyboard, and the resulting fairly frigid sounds were made even more clinical by fairly wide separation - using the whole srea of the "watch face". But this was exactly what I wanted at the time - a sort of ethereality - as much of it was for theatre production ambient music.

However, like you, I eventually learned that one size doesn't fit all!