This indicator, referred to as "CTA" in later explanations, has a companion indicator that is discussed in the article entitled MAD Moving Average Difference, authored by John Ehlers. He's providing an innovative double dose of indicator code for the month of October 2021.
Modes of Operation CTA has two modes defined as "trend" and "cycle". Ehlers' intention from what can be gathered from the article is to portray "the strength of the trend" in trend mode on real data. Cycle mode exhibits the response of the bank of calculations when a hypothetical sine wave is utilized as price. When cycle mode is chosen, two other lines will be displayed that are not shown in trend mode. A more detailed explanation of the indicator's technical functionality and intention can be found in the original Cycle/Trend Analytics And The MAD Indicator article, which requires a subscription.
Computational Functionality The CTA indicator only has one adjustment in the indicator "Settings" for choice of modes. The default mode of operation is "trend". Trend mode applies raw price data to the bank of plots, while the cycle mode employs a sinusoidal oscillator set to a cycle period of 30 bars. These are passed to multiple SMAs, which are then subtracted from the original source data. The result is a fascinating display of plots embellished with vivid array of gradient color on real data or the hypothetical sine wave.