An audiologist once told me that hearing is sort of mechanical; does the vibration in the air stimulate the nerves that send a signal to the brain? Processing i

An audiologist once told me that hearing is sort of mechanical; does the vibration in the air stimulate the nerves that send a signal to the brain? Processing is where we make meaning of the signal. They are distinct functions. I hear just fine (slightly above average 'signal' for my age), but in a noisy environment I struggle to focus on the voice of the person in front of me and exclude the 'noise'. That's processing.