Cross (panels (a) and (c)) and plus (panels (b) and (d)) polarizations for face-on observers (panels (a) and (b)) and edge-on observers (panels (c) and (d)) feature two characteristic timescales. Short timescales, characterized by high variability, are dictated by the orbit of nonaxisymmetric density waves close to the BH. Modulations on longer timescales (∼0.1 s) in model Cc imply that modes at larger orbits contribute to the GW spectrum in extended disks. See also the animation on Zenodo–doi:10.5281/zenodo.13139529.