An audio signal that lasts only a short time (usually a few milliseconds) that is often used to test and calibrate amplifiers, loudspeakers, and other audio components. A sinusoidal burst – a sine wave – is called a tone burst. A burst of white noise or pink noise is called a “noise burst.”

The term “burst” has separate and distinct meanings in video systems. A blank video signal (one with only the video blanking pulses present) is sometimes referred to as black burst. A black burst is used to synchronize the frame rates of multiple video decks. A color burst is a short burst of a high-frequency carrier wave that’s modulated with color information.