Polyrhythm and polymeter both involve more than one repeating pattern, but they are not the same idea. Learning the difference makes the controls easier to understand and, more importantly, makes the sound less intimidating.
What a polyrhythm is
A polyrhythm places different numbers of evenly spaced pulses inside the same span of time. In a 3:2 polyrhythm, one layer divides the cycle into three equal parts while the other divides that same cycle into two equal parts. They begin together and meet again at the next cycle boundary.
It helps to hear it as one shared window divided two ways, rather than as two competing tempos.
How to hear 3:2
Start by listening to only the two-pulse layer. Then only the three-pulse layer. When each is familiar, put them together and listen for the points where they separate and reunite.
Own one layer before following both
Set TempoLock to 3:2 with left/right output. Tap your foot with the two-pulse side and clap the three-pulse side. Then swap roles. Finally, stop moving one layer physically and try to hear both without assistance.
Moving beyond 3:2
Ratios such as 4:3, 5:4 or 7:5 work on the same principle: two equal-length cycles divided into different numbers of events. Larger numbers create more closely spaced interaction points, so it becomes harder to track each stream independently.
Increase complexity only when you can still identify the start of the shared cycle. If the downbeat disappears, reduce the ratio or tempo.
How polymeter is different
Polymeter keeps a shared beat speed but gives each layer a different bar length. For example, 3/4 against 4/4 can share the same quarter-note pulse. One bar resets every three beats and the other every four, so their downbeats realign after twelve quarter-note beats.
TempoLock treats this separately from polyrhythm because the musical question is different. Polyrhythm asks how a shared span is subdivided; polymeter asks how different measure lengths overlap across a shared pulse.
Why stereo separation helps
When two layers use different left/right positions and slightly different tones, your ear can follow them as separate streams. Mono output is useful later because it removes that separation and forces you to recognise the rhythmic structure itself.
If you use headphones, keep the volume comfortable. The goal is separation, not extreme panning or loudness.
How to turn the tool into musical practice
Once you can hear a ratio, move it to your instrument. Keep one layer in a repeated hand, foot or chord pattern and place a simple phrase in the other. You do not need to play the full ratio literally all the time; the training value comes from maintaining one pulse while another pattern tries to pull your attention away.
Return to a normal 4/4 groove afterwards. If ordinary subdivisions feel more spacious and controlled, the coordination work is transferring.