Thanks for all your comments...finally decided that the extra chatter when FMQ was from the hopping foot banging on the needle holder....now I at least feel more comfortable with the noise and know I'm not stressing out the bobbin area...but what foot do you all recommend for free motion quilting on this...mine is a metal one, when I raised the feed dogs and put the regular sewing foot back on it is much less noisey, so I'm pretty sure it's the speed and motion of the darning foot on it when I'm doing the free motion that is making it loud...mine seems to do the "chucka chucka" sound with the tread in the tension discs and the take up lever when regular sewing...Still interested in what you all use for your quilting foot???????? thanks