footswitch

A footswitch is a pedal-mounted switch operated by the foot to engage or disengage an effect or function¹. Pressing it can activate the effect, as when the Way Huge Atreides explodes with gnarly fuzz and growly sub-octaves when the footswitch is engaged², or trigger a secondary function such as a high-gain stage on the Jam Pedals Lucydreamer³ or a dedicated boost on pedals like the Fender Santa Ana Overdrive⁴. Footswitches can also work in latching mode, the classic stompbox on/off, or momentary mode, where the effect is on only while the switch is held down¹. Some pedals offer multiple footswitches for separate circuits, such as a booster on its own footswitch within an overdrive pedal⁵, while relay true bypass designs can make a footswitch more resistant and silent, without a click when pressed⁶.