The Media of Sound is a course designed and taught by Ross Wightman at Yale University that examines the material, technological, and cultural frameworks through which sound is recorded, produced, and circulated. The course focuses on the design of both sonic works and the physical and digital media that contain them, emphasizing experimental and conceptual approaches to recording technology.

Through hands-on projects, students create sonic and audiovisual works that subvert, reconfigure, or hybridize conventions of music production. These projects are contextualized through the study of historical and contemporary sound art and recording practices, considered both as industry norms and as critical departures from them.

The course explores how sound is transmitted and received across media such as tape, vinyl, and digital formats, alongside the affordances and limitations of recording hardware and software from antiquated multi-track devices to contemporary DAWs. Topics include recording and editing sound, formatting and designing artwork for sound releases, collaborative production workflows, and the creation of both digital and physical media.