In this video I tested Waves’ first generative AI tool, Illugen (Illusion), and I’ll be real: it’s kind of disappointing right now. I break down how it works (one-shots, loops, and SFX from text prompts), the creativity settings from “tame” to “wilder,” and the subscription/credit pricing. I also talk about the real-world experience, like the lack of VST integration, the buggy desktop app installs/logins, and how much the results depend on having a solid internet connection. Then I run it through actual prompts and demos. For one-shots and loops, the sound quality is often really bad or it misses the prompt completely—pianos sounded weak, and complex “soul sample with vocals” prompts came out clown-ish with no vocals. Where Illugen did better for me was sound effects: swooshes, risers, and even weird “deep texture” ambience were surprisingly usable. After that, I compare it to better alternatives like Suno AI (full songs/samples from text, way more advanced) and Output Co-Producer (AI-assisted sample searching inside Arcade’s human-made library). Finally, I get into ethical AI, training data, copyright concerns, and why I think “ethical AI” is the future—but Illugen just isn’t ready yet. And honestly, you don’t need any of this to make great music.