I think I know what you mean. It's quite easy for me as well to take a white noise type of sound and "hear" a certain note that I might decide to imagine. Then

I think I know what you mean. It's quite easy for me as well to take a white noise type of sound and "hear" a certain note that I might decide to imagine. Then change it a little and "hear" that new note in the same sound. Like you, I've always assumed it's just because the noise really contains a whole lot of different frequencies. Interesting to talk about it because I've never really thought much about it before. It's a conscious thing for me. I don't really hear the notes in the noise unless I think them on purpose.