To me loops, presets, midi... it's just as valid as collaborating with other people and their ideas. So a particular drum loop isn't exactly what you want. But usually, if the drummer is in the room with you, it's still not gonna be exactly what you had envisioned, but a combination of what you liked, with the player's own style having a strong influence on the outcome. But if you find it cool, and you find a way to modify what you're playing to sound cool with it (collaboration), you might end up with something better than the sum of the parts (hopefully).
It's all blurred the lines between musician, performer, producer, engineer, etc. After all... a lot of the loops ARE real people "moving air". You just have the opportunity to play with what are some of the best in their field, whether they be musicians or programmers or sound designers. And then you have the option to mold and modify it even further depending on your own skills... as an instrumentalist, as a collaborator, as a producer, an editor, an engineer.
To me only the final product matters as a whole piece of recorded art, as a recording that I want to listen to. It's all the same, only different, with more access to sounds, sound designers, and players you may have never had a chance to collaborate with when doing things the "old" way. But the "old" way is just as valid, too. As long as the end justifies the means to you... it's all good. And maybe every once in a while, it turns into something great!