where by the intensity of the carrier wave is varied more smoothly between these two extremes: the gentle contours of the sound wave are imprinted on top of the frantic fluctuations of the radio wave. Thankfully, the cats whisker crystal detector also works well to demodulate the signal in the receiver. The one-way-street behavior of the chrystal junction joined with the smoothing effect of a capacitor takes away the high-frequency carrier wave, leaving behind the broadcasters voice or music.