kushview.net

They solve different problems, so the honest answer is that most people need Element first and plugins second. Element is Kushview's open-source modular host for building custom effect chains and instrument racks, available free on GitHub, with paid builds that fund continued development. The plugins — PulseDial, Witch's Brew, Tone Generator, Smoothie, and Roboverb — are finished sound tools you load into a host like Element. Buy the plugins when you want a specific effect or instrument ready to go; use Element when what you actually need is control over how your existing plugins are wired together.

What each option actually is

Element is a modular plugin host. Kushview describes it as open-source software for building custom effect chains and instrument racks, with no fixed signal path — you patch the routing yourself. It runs VST3, AU, CLAP, and LV2 plugins, works standalone, and supports Mac, Windows, and Linux. It's free and open-source on GitHub; paid builds exist to fund continued development.

Kushview's plugins are individual audio products:

These are self-contained tools. You don't need Element to use them if your existing DAW already hosts the format they ship in.

Choose Element if you want routing control, not new sounds

Element's value is the patching model. If your problem is "I want to chain these effects in a way my DAW won't let me," or "I want to build an instrument rack with a custom signal path," Element is the tool — and it costs nothing to try from GitHub. The paid build is a support choice, not a feature gate, based on the site's framing.

A concrete case: you have several third-party plugins and want to route audio between them in a non-linear order, or run a standalone rig outside a DAW. That's Element's job.

Choose the plugins if you want a specific sound now

If you already know you want a bitcrusher, a DTMF synth, a tone generator, or a reverb, buying the plugin gets you a finished tool without building anything. This is the faster path when your need is "I want this effect," not "I want to rewire my chain."

The practical decision

• Need custom routing or a modular host? Start with Element (free, GitHub). Consider a paid build only if you want to support development.
• Need a specific effect or generator? Buy that plugin.
• Need both? They're complementary — the plugins run inside Element or any compatible host.

One caveat worth checking before you buy: confirm each plugin's supported formats and platforms match your setup, since the site lists VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, and standalone for Element specifically, and pricing or licensing terms aren't detailed in the available page content.

Kushview's plugins and its modular host, Element, support VST3, AU, CLAP, and LV2 plugin formats, plus standalone operation, across Mac, Windows, and Linux. That single compatibility range covers both Element and the plugins Kushview sells, so you can check your OS and host format before buying or downloading.

Supported plugin formats

Kushview lists four plugin formats plus standalone use:

• VST3 — the cross-platform standard, relevant on all three OSes.
• AU (Audio Units) — Apple's native format, relevant on Mac.
• CLAP — the newer open plugin standard.
• LV2 — the open Linux-oriented format.
• Standalone — running without a host at all.

Because Element is described as a modular host that runs plugins, the format list applies to what it can host as well as to the plugins Kushview builds. If your DAW or setup relies on one of these formats, it falls inside the stated support range.

Supported operating systems

Mac, Windows, and Linux are all listed. This is worth noting because LV2 support and Linux coverage are less common among commercial plugin makers — if you work on Linux, Kushview explicitly includes your platform rather than leaving it to chance.

The table reflects where each format is normally used; Kushview's stated coverage is the format list plus the three OSes, not a per-format OS breakdown.

What Element adds on top

Element is an open-source modular host for building custom effect chains and instrument racks. There is no fixed signal path — you patch the routing yourself. It is free and open-source on GitHub, with paid builds that fund continued development. For compatibility purposes, treat Element as the environment your plugins run inside: if your plugins are VST3, AU, CLAP, or LV2 and your machine is Mac, Windows, or Linux, you are within the supported range.

How to verify before you commit

1. Identify your OS (Mac, Windows, or Linux).
2. Identify the plugin format your DAW or workflow requires (VST3, AU, CLAP, or LV2).
3. Match both against the list above.
4. If you only need to run plugins without a DAW, standalone is also an option.

If both your OS and your required format appear in the list, you can proceed. If you depend on a format outside these four, Kushview's stated support does not cover it.

A note on scope

Kushview also operates as a JUCE/C++ audio development shop with 15+ years of experience, offering plugin development, CLAP migration, legacy plugin rescue, and white-label plugin hosting. That service side is separate from the product compatibility question — the format and OS list above describes what the plugins and Element support, not custom development work.

Kushview is an audio software company that builds audio plugins and Element, an open-source modular plugin host. Its products run as VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, and standalone formats on Mac, Windows, and Linux. If you want a flexible host for custom effect chains and instrument racks, or you need a JUCE/C++ audio development partner, Kushview is relevant to both.

What Kushview makes

Kushview's work splits into two areas: its own audio plugins and Element, the modular host they run in.

Element (modular host)

Element is an open-source modular host for building custom effect chains and instrument racks. Its defining trait is that there is no fixed signal path — you patch the routing yourself. It is free and open-source on GitHub, with paid builds that fund continued development.

This matters if your routing needs don't fit a conventional channel-strip model. Instead of being locked into a serial insert chain, you decide how audio and MIDI move between plugins.

Plugins

The site lists these plugins:

Availability is expressed through the same format set as Element: VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, and standalone.

Formats and platforms

• Plugin formats: VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, standalone
• Operating systems: Mac, Windows, Linux

The CLAP and LV2 support is notable if you work in newer or Linux-based hosts, where format coverage is often thinner than on macOS or Windows.

Development services

Kushview also operates as a JUCE/C++ audio development shop, with 15+ years building plugins and audio software, including Element. Listed services include:

• Plugin development (VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2)
• CLAP migration
• Legacy plugin rescue
• White-label plugin hosting

The CLAP migration and legacy plugin rescue offerings are the most specific signals here — they suggest the team takes on porting and modernization work rather than only greenfield plugin builds.

How to decide if it fits

• Choose Element if you need a modular host where you control routing, want open-source code you can inspect or build, and work across Mac, Windows, and Linux.
• Choose the plugins if you want specific tools (a DTMF synthesizer, a bitcrusher, a tone generator) in standard formats.
• Contact Kushview for services if you need plugin development, a CLAP port, help reviving an old plugin, or white-label hosting.

The site presents Element as both a product and a proof of capability — the same engineering behind the host is what the development services draw on.

Element is an open-source modular plugin host from Kushview, the same shop behind a small line of audio plugins. Instead of forcing your plugins through a fixed channel strip, Element lets you patch the routing yourself to build custom effect chains and instrument racks. It runs VST3, AU, CLAP, and LV2 plugins, works standalone or as a plugin, and is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. If you want a host where you decide the signal path rather than accept one, Element is built for that; if you just want to drop plugins into a conventional track layout, a standard DAW will be less work.

What Element actually is

Kushview describes Element as "an open-source modular host for building custom effect chains and instrument racks." Two parts of that description matter:

• Modular host — it hosts your existing plugins rather than replacing them. You bring VST3, AU, CLAP, or LV2 plugins and arrange them.
• No fixed signal path — the routing is not predetermined. You patch connections between nodes, so the order and branching of audio and MIDI are yours to define.

That makes Element closer to a patchbay or modular rack than to a traditional mixer-style host.

How it differs from a normal DAW or plugin host

The practical difference: in a DAW you mostly decide which plugins go in a track and in what order. In Element you also decide how the nodes connect — splitting, merging, and re-routing as needed.

What you can build with it

Because routing is open, Element suits tasks where a linear chain is limiting:

• Custom effect chains — series, parallel, or split paths that a single track insert cannot express.
• Instrument racks — combine instruments and processors into a reusable, self-contained setup.
• Cross-format setups — mix VST3, AU, CLAP, and LV2 plugins in one patch, subject to what your OS supports.
• Standalone or in-DAW use — run it on its own, or load it as a plugin inside another host.

For example, if you want one source split into two parallel processing paths and then summed, that is a routing decision Element is designed to let you make directly.

Availability and licensing

Element is free and open-source on GitHub. Kushview also offers paid builds, which the site says fund continued development. So there are two ways to get it: build or download the open-source version, or buy a paid build to support the project. The site does not state pricing details here, so check the shop for current terms.

Who it is for

• Choose Element if you want to design your own routing, work across multiple plugin formats, or need a host that runs on Linux as well as Mac and Windows.
• Skip it if you mainly need timeline-based recording and arranging, or you prefer a fixed, predictable track layout with no patching to manage.

Kushview itself is a JUCE/C++ audio development shop with 15+ years of experience, and Element is one of its own products — alongside plugins like PulseDial (a DTMF synthesizer), Witch's Brew (a bitcrusher), Tone Generator, Smoothie, Roboverb, and a sale listing for Element. The same team also offers plugin development, CLAP migration, legacy plugin rescue, and white-label plugin hosting services.

Kushview's site splits into two paths: Shop Plugins for the commercial audio plugins, and Explore Element for the modular host. Element is open-source and free on GitHub, while paid builds are sold to fund continued development. If you want to buy plugins, use the shop; if you want the host, start with Element and decide whether to pay.

Shopping Kushview plugins

The homepage lists a Shop Plugins entry point alongside the plugin lineup. The plugins named on the site are:

• PulseDial — DTMF Synthesizer
• Witch's Brew — Bitcrusher
• Tone Generator
• Smoothie
• Roboverb — shown with a "Sale!" marker
• Element — also listed in the shop area, with a "Sale!" marker

That last point matters for the buy-or-use-free question: Element appears both as a shop item and as an open-source project. The site states Element is "free and open-source on GitHub; paid builds fund continued development." So the paid Element build is a way to support the project, not the only way to run it.

Getting Element

Element is described as an open-source modular host for building custom effect chains and instrument racks. There is no fixed signal path — you patch the routing yourself. It runs as VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2, and standalone, on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Two routes to it:

1. GitHub — the free, open-source version.
2. Shop — paid builds, which the site says fund continued development.

If you only need to host and route plugins, the GitHub route covers it. If you want to support development or prefer a paid build, the shop is the entry point.

Plugin formats and platforms

The formats and operating systems apply across Kushview's plugin work, not just Element:

This is also the format list Kushview cites for its development services, so it reflects the shop's technical scope rather than a single product.

Custom development

Kushview describes itself as a JUCE/C++ audio development shop with 15+ years building plugins and audio software, including Element. The services listed are:

• Plugin development (VST3, AU, CLAP, LV2)
• CLAP migration
• Legacy plugin rescue
• White-label plugin hosting

For this, the entry point is Discuss a Project rather than the shop.

Which path to take

• Want the plugins → Shop Plugins.
• Want the host, free → Element on GitHub.
• Want the host and to fund it → paid Element build in the shop.
• Want custom or migration work → Discuss a Project.

The site does not publish prices or login requirements in the material available here, so check the shop pages directly for current pricing and any account requirements before buying.