momentary

Momentary describes a switch or mode that is active only while it is held down, as opposed to latching operation where the effect toggles on and off¹. In this mode, the effect is on while the switch is pressed down¹. Pedals use momentary switches for functions such as killswitch muting and bursts of distortion and delay², feedback³, self-oscillation⁴, pitch bending⁵, and infinite sustain of a note or chord⁶. Some pedals offer a flexi-switch that lets the pedal operate as a momentary effect when held⁷, and some can toggle between latching and momentary modes depending on how long the footswitch is held¹.