Subscription-based shift from audio plugins to AI-powered sound sample generator by Waves.
Waves Debutes Illugen: AI-Powered Desktop Application for Music Production
Waves, a prominent music technology company, has unveiled Illugen, a new AI-driven desktop app that generates sounds, loops, and sound effects based on text prompts. The app offers users the ability to create unique, unheard-of sounds by describing a specific scene, mood, or idea, and Illugen will transform it into audio.
Waves suggests using a combination of mood, instrument, and an unexpected twist in prompts to create an atmosphere, rather than providing specific directions. Examples provided on the website include "a haunted piano playing in an abandoned mansion", "tension-building strings as a hero faces the villain", and "a snail's journey scored with synths".
While users can set a specific BPM for loop generation, Illugen does not support musical keys or scales, necessitating manual transposition of samples to fit with other elements in a track. The app creates loops only in a 4/4 time signature and allows users to request sounds in the style of a particular artist or track without restrictions.
Users can adjust Illugen's 'Creativity Level' in its Settings tab, allowing them to choose between Tame, Wild, and Wilder settings, which produce more or less predictable results. Sounds generated are 16-bit, 44.1kHz WAV files, usable in users' own tracks, but not for redistribution or sale.
Illugen operates on a credit-based, tiered subscription model, with a lack of perpetual license availability. Each sample generated will cost a credit, with one-shots using one credit, loops requiring two credits, and sound effects potentially requiring up to three. Users can test Illugen with 30 free trial credits on Waves' website.
The Basic plan offers 150 credits for $7.99/month, Premium provides 300 credits for $12.99/month, and Pro delivers 600 credits for $19.99/month. First-time subscribers will receive a pack of bonus welcome credits, and unused credits roll over to the next month, remaining in the account for 12 months should the user unsubscribe.
The ethical background of Illugen revolves around Waves' commitment to responsible AI development and respect for creators' rights. The company asserts that Illugen's AI model was trained exclusively on "documented, legally owned material", emphasizing their dedication to ethical AI development in music technology.
As generative AI in music production continues to evolve, reactions to Illugen's launch have been mixed, with criticism of Waves' subscription-basedmodel and ongoing debates regarding AI's influence on creativity and rights within the music community.
In contrast to some other generative AI music platforms accused of using copyrighted music without authorization in their training, Waves aims to distinguish Illugen as a tool that generates original sounds without infringing on existing works, thereby respecting intellectual property rights and artist contributions.
While the technology behind Illugen is not groundbreaking, Waves is one of the first major players in the music tech industry to release a product utilizing generative AI for creating from-scratch samples for music production. A notable precedent is Output's Pack Generator, an experimental, free tool launched in 2023, that curated, combined, and resynthesized samples from their library. However, since then, both Output and Splice have prioritized AI-assisted searching and discovering of human-made samples over AI-based sample generation.
For more information, visit Waves' website.
Users can utilize Illugen, an AI-driven desktop app by Waves, to generate unique sounds, loops, and effects by describing a specific scene, mood, or idea for music production. This app allows users to experiment with various artistic styles, including those of specific artists or tracks, and customize the 'Creativity Level' for more predictable or unpredictable results. The app operates on a credit-based, tiered subscription model, offering users access to hundreds of credits monthly with the option to test it using 30 free trial credits on the Waves website.
