Daniel M. Ingram:
I guess it sort of depends on what you want to use the noting for.
To gain real insight, you have to have the mind's speed of receptivity be on par with how fast reality is arising, to use relative terms. Reality arises pretty fast.
In my experience, when I note/label concentrated (feel,image,talk.sight,sound,touch) there's three qualities which stand out: visual, auditve, and somatic. (all three are the "inner" and "outer" world -> shinzen stlye noting), these are melted in some way to eachother and when I note I take out one certain aspect. The aspect changes about every second, every half second. I think it's a limit, because I note with words and words take time. When I try to note faster, theres just trying and no "seeing", no "recognicing", no "checking". and when I don't use mental labels the mind loses its "nowness" and wanders off.
I found fast noting of everything made for really fast progress in the early stages. Beyond that, I found chasing every little vibrating anything really fast and game-changing. I didn't note much in Equanimity, preferring something much more direct, full-field, and rich.
To each their own,
Daniel
I'm really not trained in dharmatalk, I thought equanimity was the state before achieving stream entry? I am kind of balanced during noting, although there are often feel "punches" mostly in the chest area, but they pass very quickly.