Bose Professional

Background

Following a corporate divestiture, Bose Professional began a multi-year initiative to build an advanced ecosystem of audio devices capable of handling multiple levels of digital signal processing (DSP). The project combined hardware with a software ecosystem comprising firmware, DSP algorithms, a middleware layer, and a frontend layer.

Over a 2.5-year partnership, three senior Elixirator engineers helped develop the middleware that connects this ecosystem and supports its end-user application. The application operates in two primary modes:

1. Configuration: Technicians and engineers use the application to configure an audio venue during installation.
2. Command and Control: Venue owners and operators use it after installation to control a defined subset of their audio systems.

Challenge

Divesting from its parent company created significant financial and structural risk for Bose Professional. Building a new internal team was impractical during the transition, while local US agencies offered prohibitively expensive rates. Bose Professional needed senior specialists who could join quickly without compromising the project’s long-term architecture.

The technical challenge was equally demanding. The platform needed a highly performant, adaptable architecture for a multi-year roadmap whose future requirements were not yet fully defined. It required exhaustive testing for dynamic GraphQL queries and mutations, along with a distributed database capable of reliable node discovery, clustering, and performant queries.

The ecosystem also had strict performance constraints. Audio routing and control needed to avoid latency that could disrupt live sound environments, while the underlying architecture had to remain flexible enough to support future products and workflows.

Solution

Rather than treating the engagement as standard staff augmentation, Elixirator worked as a strategic development partner. The team helped Bose Professional determine the best middleware approaches while the wider product scope continued to evolve.

1. Co-architecting for unknown requirements: Elixirator used Elixir and Phoenix to solve distributed computing challenges. Metaprogramming and modular design kept the codebase open to future implementation changes without sacrificing maintainability.
2. Distributed database architecture: The team designed GraphQL schemas and performant queries against Mnesia, including node clustering and discovery strategies that supported reliable data management across the ecosystem.
3. Advanced GraphQL testing: Elixirator implemented broad coverage for GraphQL queries and mutations, including negative paths and edge cases. Advanced Postman scripting handled authentication and data that changed between requests.
4. CI/CD integration: The Postman test suite was integrated into the delivery pipeline with the Newman command-line runner, providing continuous feedback and catching regressions earlier in development.

Results

The partnership established a reliable, adaptable foundation for Bose Professional’s audio device ecosystem while helping the company navigate a major corporate transition.

1. Lower delivery risk: Bose Professional gained senior technical expertise without taking on the risk of rapidly building a permanent team or relying on prohibitively expensive local agencies.
2. Reliable software delivery: Automated GraphQL testing in CI/CD surfaced edge cases earlier, improved feedback cycles, and strengthened reliability for both configuration and command-and-control users.
3. Scalable distributed foundation: Elixir, Phoenix, GraphQL, and Mnesia provided a robust architecture for clustering, distributed data, and continued expansion across the product roadmap.
4. Long-term adaptability: Flexible architecture and close technical collaboration allowed the middleware to evolve alongside requirements that were not fully known at the project’s outset.

Client feedback

“We look at you as our development partners. This is not by any means a ‘hey, we’ve figured it out, now go and do what we say.’ This is full development partnership. We’re looking to all of the Elixirator developers to provide insight and experience and to help us figure out the best ways of developing the middleware.”