'Bassist Who Compose With Keys And Bass'

I pretty much primarily compose and record music on keys and bass (with some sneaky guitar here and there), and I would not recommend getting a workstation keyboard. Nowadays, I find the better option to be getting a capable daw such as Logic pro and a good controller. The daw will probably have better patches (depending on the DAW) over a workstation and will allow for a lot more variety. The controller will also probably be higher quality than a workstation since they are more stripped down (that stops happening at a certain price though). I've heard decent things about the Komplete Keyboards, and I personally have, and really love, the first version of the Roland A88 (It is an expensive board, but I got mine used and cheap since MKII is out). The A88 is good example of how a really nice controller is cheaper than an equivalent workstation. The equivalent workstation FA-08 is almost double the price and I personally don't think the keybed is as nice on it, so ymmv.

 

I nearly always hear rhythms first. Superior Drummer for that, then followed by whatever instrument hits me (bass, key, guitar, etc.). Rare occasions I hear a piano part first, build that, then go from there with everything else. Using my trusty old Alesis QS8.1, sometimes for its own sounds more often used with some kind of soft synth or orchestral samples (EWQL).

 

Since I mostly compose solo piano music, I often work at the piano. Wait. What was the question, LOL?

 

I compose and record every which way possible. I also think don’t bother with an expensive keyboard unless you really want weighted keys. The plugin instruments these days are stupid good and cheap. The DSthorne is on sale now for 40$ through plugin alliance and it’s an absolute beast. Most of the time I just use the oxygen8 controller due to it’s small footprint.

 

Forgot to mention, this should probably be moved to the recording section.

 

I compose primarily on keys, and about 5% on both keys and bass. I find the synth bass sounds very useful for what I need.
As MixBass commented, vst plugins are getting cheaper and better lately, but I still use built-in sounds on my keyboard. If you're still on the market for a workstation, check out the Roland FA Series, great sound engine, but some functions may be found deep into the menu system, but according to advanced users, "everything is in there"

 

This is pretty much what I was going to say. Unless you plan to gig with the keyboard, I think its a much better option nowadays to find a controller you like and then start diving into software. I've bought and sold a lot of keyboards over the years. Now I just use this thing that cost me less than $100, plus software that came with Cubase. This is a mini keyboard, there are lots of decent full size keyboards that are dirt cheap, too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFHGQOG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1