'American Idol' Music Director Talks Auto-Tune, Live Shows

Coming into the shiny new season of "American Idol," the show's producers made it clear to the viewing masses that season 10 would be a revamped version of the ratings juggernaut. But along with the competition show's many changes plenty has remained the same, in particular, the show's stance on all-live singing, all the time.

When MTV News caught up with new "Idol" music director Ray Chew recently, we asked him to address those Auto-Tune rumblings that seem to creep into critical discussions and/or Internet message boards each season, and whether it's even possible to incorporate the device on the show.

"No Auto-Tune," Chew told us. "This is a [singing] contest, so that is absolutely a no-no. Plus the show, it's happening live, so Auto-Tune would be a process that you'd either have to use globally or selectively with parts," he explained. "All the vocals that you hear are live, there is no kind of manipulation of anything and auto-tune is absolutely a no-no in this show."

Another point of contention — also mentioned in previous seasons — is the judges, contestants and studio audience experience the sound during live tapings of "American Idol," versus the version that TV audiences hear at home. (Former judge Simon Cowell, for example, used to make comments that the version he heard in the studio was different from the one he watched on his TV.) Chew assured us that the "Idol" team goes to "great lengths" to ensure the sound quality is the best it can be.

"I know that they've been aware of comments like that," Chew revealed. "And we've gone to great lengths to improve the audio production and the sonic quality of what happens coming out of the final TV mix," he said.

Before signing on to "Idol," Chew worked as the musical director for a myriad of live-music performance events, including the BET Awards, the Inaugural Ball, as well as performances by artists like Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Prince and Aretha Franklin.

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday on MTV.com, following the "American Idol" results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.