Big questions!
Lucky the internet is a good resource for people just starting out. Alot of people go to the tweakheads site to start with. Try there for some good info.
Good luck!
Edit: I just realised your Audiophile 24/96 has MIDI I/O. You may not need to buy a seperate MIDI interface (Although it might make life easier). You will however, need to be able to monitor the audio outs of your virus. This can be achieved with a small format mixer, connected to a set of monitors.
How about listing your complete setup/resources?