Switch

A device used to open or close an electrical circuit. Also an electronic device used to alternate between two input signals, in some cases the rate of switching being controllable by a pulse or triggering voltage.

Rapid switching of the on/off variety is called chopping, and can be effected by using a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) triggered by a pulse wave or square wave.

See: Electroacoustic, Sound Synthesizer. Compare: Peak Clipping, Rectification.