im very happy with my firewire 410. i will get a motu very soon though, since I want more INS. M-Audio is not bad at all when it comes to audiocards. I actually think they make some of the best ones out there for none pro engineers. yamaha have a new series of monitors that are nice as fuck. just go and compare on a shop, and you will have to hear.
the argument, that you can not trust your ears if you dont have experience though, is utter crap... of course you can train your ears, to listen for certain things, but in the end, a good engineer has is instinct, and his taste for styles to follow. your ears will never decieve you. Of course you can also be totally fucked, and in that case, no matter how good your monitors, it will still sound crap.........
Midikeyboard, I would still recommend the Novation Remote, since its the best one out there that I have used. NOTHING else has really given me what I want/need.
With regards from a drunk Swede!
Nemo