When you bounce your mix, you should maintain all of your panning positions and if you don't have automation, make any panning moves and fader moves you might need to make make during the bounce.

When you open the newly created bounced file, pan the respective sides hard left and hard right in order to create your stereo soundstage.

"I have just been keeping it all "center"...will that effect my stereo quality?."

Are you serious? :D

With 9 tracks, I would have 2 tracks be a stereo mix of the drums, however you go about getting it, panned hard left and right. track 3would be a bass track panned center.4 and 5, 2 seperate tracks of guitar, or one stereo, panned left and right. 6 and 7 panned keys, backup vocals,more guitars, kazoos, whatever. Bounce all 7 tracks to 8 and 9, manipulating the faders as you do so (like Animatrax said)while trying to leave room, frequency wise, for the vocals.

If you can, copy and paste this mix into a new session as to preserve your original tracks ;)

You will now record vocals onto tracks 3 and 4 of the NEW session (moderatly panned lead vocal track that has been doubled..either sung twice (preferred!)or ranthrough a short delay. You now have 3 tracks left to play with,(backups?) but dont use them just cause theyr'e there.
When your done the vocals, pan 1 and 2 HARD left and right to preserve the stereo-ness of the initial bounce, pan 3 through 7 as desired, bounce all tracks to 8 and 9, which you should probably have panned hard left and right as well as you bounce. Burn to disc. Take out to your car and listen to the mix. Be amazed at how much different it sounds in there. Cuss. Go back and mix it again. Repeat as necessary. :c: