Knurl Mastering is a music mastering studio founded by engineers Miguel Pinheiro Marques and Clara Araújo, driven by a deep respect for records, sonics, and the pursuit of high fidelity.

Miguel Pinheiro Marques

Miguel Pinheiro Marques

I've known I wanted to make records since I was a teenager. I did a music degree and co-founded Estúdios Sá da Bandeira while still attending. Mastering became my focus from there.

I've been at it since 2010 as a founding member of Bender Mastering Studio, SDB Mastering, and Arda Recorders, and now at Knurl Mastering. Over those years, I have had the privilege of working with both major and independent labels, collaborating with emerging artists and established acts across a wide variety of genres.

I spend my days listening to music on a system that lets me hear all of it. There's a moment that comes with every record, once the work is done, when I listen through the finished master from start to finish before anyone else. Sometimes even before the artist, just me and the record.

What's stayed constant through it all it's the approach: listen carefully, respect the mix, and know when to add something and when to stay out of the way.

Clara Araújo

Clara Araújo

My path into mastering started as a transfer engineer, going through hundreds of recordings on vinyl and magnetic tape, restoring and returning lost music back to life. Mastering felt like a natural next step from there, and since then I've worked with artists across indie, rock, jazz, classical and electronic music, both Portuguese and international, always with the same goal in mind: to bring out the best in each record as the artist intended it.

Selected Discography

mastered by Miguel

mastered by Clara

About Knurl Mastering

Our name is inspired by the crisp, crosshatched knurls formed through metalworking on a lathe and the organic, unpredictable beauty of wood grain in a natural knurl. One is engineered with precision; the other, shaped by nature. This balance between technical accuracy and aesthetic sensibility guides our practice, bridging the science and the art in mastering.

From the coastal mountains of northern Portugal, we collaborate with artists both near and far, across genres and labels, from independent to major. Our studio setup combines analog precision with sonic flexibility, allowing us to create unique signal chains for each record and bring out the best in every album and song we work on.

We've mastered countless records for vinyl and we're on Apple's list of certified partners for the Apple Digital Masters program. Whether your music is headed to turntables or the latest digital streaming platforms, we'll deliver the right masters for each and guide you through the entire process.

See the studio

Frequently Asked Questions

Our mastering rates typically range from €60 to €95 per track (or $70 to $110 USD), depending on the length of the record and the engineer working on the record.

All standard deliverables (high-resolution files, DDP for CD, vinyl pre-masters, etc.) are included in the price, we do not charge extra for different formats.

Feel free to get in touch with your project details, and we'll be happy to send you a precise quote.

We accept all standard audio formats up to 768kHz and 32-bit, including native playback of DSD files. Whether you're working with WAV, AIFF, FLAC, or DSD, we've got you covered. Ideally, send your mixes at the sample rate they were mixed at, don't convert anything to send up to mastering.

Our standard deliverables include:

  • High-resolution masters at 96kHz/24bit for digital distribution
  • Audio for video at 48kHz/24bit
  • DDP image files for CD manufacturing
  • Vinyl pre-master files tailored to your pressing plant's specifications

Other formats or custom deliverables can be provided upon request, just let us know what you need.

We typically deliver the first version of your mastered track or record within 2-3 business days after receiving all the necessary files.

If revisions are needed, we usually turn those around in 1-2 business days, depending on the scope of the changes. We'll keep working closely with you until you're fully satisfied and the final masters are approved.

If you're on a tight deadline, just let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate.

Absolutely! While most of our sessions are handled remotely (clients send us their files, and we deliver the masters for review) we're happy to have you attend the session in person, as long as it's booked in advance.

Just let us know your preference when scheduling, and we'll make the necessary arrangements.

Yes, we have experience with both Dolby Atmos and Surround mastering.

Since the workflow and technical requirements are slightly different from standard stereo mastering, please get in touch with your project details and we'll take it from there.


Get in touch

You might have a project in mind or simply be looking for more info, either way we'd be happy to hear from you. If you'd like details on pricing, availability, or lead times, feel free to reach out. You can use the form below or reach us at

Message sent, thanks for getting in touch.