I have been mulling over buying an oxygen 8 for bass lines and drums, would that be a good plan to stick with?

For me I like something with pads for drums, no keyboards.
(Also have noted too many lower cost keyboards have premature
deaths of keys used for drumming).

Both of these are in current use here.

Korg padKONTROL (around $199)
AKAI MPD16 (around $99)

thanks for pad advice, but I think I am going to still try out a keyboard.... Anyone know what kicks?

I like Studiologic (Fatar), you can find them at Sweetwater.

The CME line is also good I hear, but I have no hands-on with them.

Others swear by the Yamaha s90. I like it too, but I'm not a good enough pianist to warrant the price tag.

I bought an Oxygen8 for the same thing. The USB connection flaked out soon thereafter, so I now use it via its MIDI OUT into my MTP/AV. I bought a second one (used) off a guy (since it was supposed to be my 'laptop on the couch rig'), and the new one works well, except for a frozen controller knob. Not easy to replace either, since they're PCB mount pots. At least there are 7 working knobs left (for now). They are built really cheaply throughout, and the silver paint won't hold up to any abuse.

On the plus side, their MIDI programmability is good. They don't cost much. You can power them from MIDI, AA batteries, or included wall-wart power. The keys probably have an okay feel for basslines and drums, though they are very 'y', acoustically. I guess my recommendation would be to compare it to the competition. I think M-Audio has a new model that's not so tall, which is something to think about if you plan to carry it in a bag, or mount it on a sliding shelf.

so Johnny the oxygen 8 wasn't very impressive huh? What about the new one?

try the m-audio axiom modells , they have everything you need and a nice keyboard