Two points I've been hammering forever - GOOD MONITORS, and able to follow. The days of "follow the drummer" are over. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE needs to know how to keep time. Right from the start of the machines, I said that every drummer needs to own one. A musician needs to LISTEN, and FOLLOW. Studio cats have to follow a click track, why can't a live drummer, or band? Adrenaline? Alcohol? Ego? Whatever the reason - it's got to stop. Simple, right? Maybe not so, but I think both points are paramount to a groove worth listening to. I sometimes play in a 10 piece band that has a full rhythm section, a full horn section, a live drummer, and we are heavily sequenced. It enhances the overall sound exponentially. The drummer has a wedge aimed at his ear - it's his job to stay with the sequence, not the other way around. It's follow the leader ... and sometimes, the leader is a machine.
My take on things - this is not intended to start any fights.