SuperCollider patterns started without .play(quant:) begin immediately and drift out of phase

An SC pattern’s \dur is measured in beats, not seconds, with tempo living on the TempoClock. When you launch a pattern you can pass .play(quant: 4) to delay its start until the next bar boundary of the shared clock, so it locks in phase with already-running voices. Forgetting quant makes each pattern start the instant it is evaluated, and layered patterns added at different moments drift out of phase with one another. Quantizing the launch is the fix for parts that will not lock together.

Examples

Pbind(\degree, Pseq([0,2,4],inf)).play(quant: 4); // starts on the next bar, locks phase Pbind(…).play; // starts immediately — drifts against other voices

Assessment

Two SC patterns added a moment apart refuse to lock in phase. What launch argument fixes this, and what does its absence do?