Quote - Thanks for the tips Paolo... I had thought that all the noise was due to the fact that the render had only been baking for 10 minutes and that it would clear up on subsequent passes.

Not that noise. Once you get a bit more experience you will recognize the difference. That amount of really bright spots are actually "fireflies" and will not go away. Check that your specula color brightness is well withing a quarter of the way and that there are no pure white diffuse colors. Also, for the metal parts keep an eye on the polish level, that too might be too high but start with the specular color and glossiness levels first.

Good luck.

Paolo

https://www.preta3d.com
FB: https://www.facebook.com/RealityPlugIn
Tw: @preta3d
G+: https://plus.google.com/106625816153304163119
The Reality Gallery: https://reality-plug-in.deviantart.com