There are scenarios in a game where you might want to play different sounds depending on the current status of the game. For example, if a character is running on a concrete surface and then moves onto grass, the sound of the footsteps should change to match the change of surface. To choose between different sounds, use switches.
Using switches and switch containers, the Wwise user can define which sounds are played in each situation. Multiple switch groups can be created in Wwise to match the various cases where you might want to choose between multiple sounds, and each of these groups can contain multiple switches. Switch containers can then use those switch groups and associate sounds to each switch.
For example, your game could contain the following switch groups and switches, which would be defined in Wwise by the sound designer:
For these switches to work as designed by the Wwise user, the game must set the current switch for each switch group whenever required.
Refer to the Wwise documentation for more information regarding switches and switch containers from the sound designer's point of view.
Refer to Integration Details - Switches for an overview of how to integrate switches in your game.