Yeah, my compressor does make noise, but I like that, it makes me feel like I'm doin' man-stuff, ugh ugh ugh!
As far as the brush goes, I'm still working on getting as fine a line as I can with the VL. I use the smallest nozzle they make, but I need to get the right combination of needle position and pressure. I have a tip from a friend in another forum to try using lower pressure. It's taking some practice.