latching

Latching describes a footswitch mode in which pressing the switch toggles an effect on or off, the classic stompbox behavior, as opposed to momentary mode where the effect is active only while the switch is held down¹. Many pedals offer both options, sometimes called flexi-switch, letting the player choose latching or momentary operation depending on how long the switch is pressed¹²³. Latching is also used to describe footswitches and kill switches that stay engaged until pressed again, muting or restoring the signal with each push⁴⁵.