How do different cultures hear consonances; what are the facts that affect our perceptions and how might a word we use change if it is spoken or sung?

Is the way we hear and sing music unique to all ethnicities? And why, as we become aware by listening to music from around the world, do these differences and similarities arise? What follows is a summarization of two studies on this topic.

These facts show that noise plays an important role in our perceptions. So how is it that a noisy medium (according to all measurements made with devices such as a spectrograph) such as vinyl L.Ps. has come roaring back so that its growth has outpaced compact discs, which are in a steady decline?