"Breathing" of the air

I agree with Detlof.

As far as "breathing", in vocals and particularly reed instruments, like sax, my experience leads me towards 2 and 3 inch soft dome mids first

These type drivers are well damped and yet extremely light - so you get very little "ringing" or coloration - they usually exhibit a very clean waterfall.

if you stand in a room, you don't hear air. if someone is talking, you don't hear air. if someone is playing a piano, you don't hear air/

you hear an instrumentS) in a recording, but you don't hear air.

one can detect physical space, as when an instrument is recorded in a studio or a church.

one can also observe depth, as whena microphone is placed say, 10 feet from an instrument.

i doubt anyone is hearing air, except when someone is breathing, and in that case, one must be close to the source.

It's a descriptive adjective.

I think tvad and atmasphere (ralph) probally hit it correctly;but there sure a lot of other points of view to consider as well.
Mrtennis there a lot of recordings in which I can hear a artist/player take a breath;or the valves of a instrument opening and closing;what would you consider this,just wondering?