Media Encoder 14.0.1 Fails to Start Export with Custom Audio Plugin

[Chris Spiegl]

Versions:

Premiere Pro: 14.0.1 (Build 71) 

Media Encoder: 14.0.0 and 14.0.1 (Build 70)

Exporting from Premiere Pro with Custom Audio Plugins (VST3 / FabFilter Plugins / Youlean Loudness Meter 2 / dpMeter4) works when exporting through Adobe Premiere Pro.

However, it always fails when going through Media Encoder. This worked a couple months ago but stopped working in the latest versions. I also tried if rendering via software only or METAL makes a difference, it does not.

The issue is active whetherr the plugin is on a active channel, master, or a channel with no information on it, it also persists when the plugin is 'disabled' in the mixer.

I am running the latest version of Youlean Loudness of 2.3.2

If I only use standard Adobe Audio Mixer Plugins, it exports like normal.

This issue persists with and without markers (seems to be a different problem than the flash marker issue).

I hope someone can find something with me to fix this.

Thanks,

Chris

Title edited by Mod

[Shivangi_Gupta]

Hi Chris,

We're sorry to hear that. We have observed some issues with the export using Adobe Media Encoder 14.0.1. Our engineering team is working on a fix. Check out this article to know more: https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro/how-to-solve-encoding-export-stuck-at-0-with-premiere-pr...

However, while reading the issue description as you've mentioned, I wonder if the issue is specific to the version or the project that you are using.

We'd like to offer help in both the cases. Could you confirm if your issue is different from the known issue that we are working on?

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,

Shivangi

[Dmitri Graf]

This is a different issue than the marker problem. I asked Chris to start a new thread. Thanks for doing that Chris.

Chris, can you DM me a sample project that reproduces this problem?

[Chris Spiegl]

I can confirm that it is not the marker issue.

I sent a message to Dima and we'll see if we can figure this out. I'd be very happy to see it working again.

Thanks for the support thus far. We'll keep this thread up to date as we find more information.

[mstegner]

Hi Chris,

Can you try rescanning your effects to see if that helps?

In Premiere, go to "Preferences>Audio>Audio Plugin Manager...".  In the dilog that opens, put a check next to "Rescan existing plug-ins", then press the "Scan for Plugins" button.  When the scan is complete please relaunch AME and try to export again.

-Matt

[Chris Spiegl]

Hi Matt,

I did that, the rescan worked nicely, I also clicked the enable/disable all so that they all were toggled once.

Then I tried exporting something without effects: worked.

Tried exporting with one VST3 on an Audio Track (note there wasn't even audio on it): export got stuck at "Reading XMP" followed by "Source: video (test.prproj)".

But it was just doing nothing for 10+ minutes.

Again: exporting inside Premiere worked with the VST3 plugin.

Hope that gives some insights.

[mstegner]

Ok.  This is strange.  Can you perform a test for me.  Reading your other posts you mention being on a Mac, so I will only post the Mac steps.

Try exporting and get to the state where the application is hung.  Leave AME in a hung state.

1. Open "Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app"

2. Select the CPU tab.  In the upper right corner, in the search bar, type "Adobe Media Encoder"

3. This should filter to only showing AME.  Select AME in the main part of the window.

4.  Execute "View/Sample Process...".  This will take about half a minute, open a new dialog andgenerate a bunch of text.  

5.  Save that text and send it to me, or attach it to this thread.

This should give us some indicator what is happeneing when the hang happens.

Thanks,

Matt

[Chris Spiegl]

Thank you Matt, I will be in contact via email and we'll hopefully be able to update this thread with a solution once we find what the issue is.

At this point, I am also able to report that the same issue shows up when I add the plugin on the clip level.

And the console in AME shows that it can't find the Audio Plugin, despite AME having Full Disc Access on macOS Privacy settings, and the plugins being in the usual `/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3` path.

Let's get this figured out together. Thank you.

[Chris Spiegl]

Hello everybody. In case someone runs across something similar to my situation.

I did sooooooo many tests and finally, I to have found the issue and was able to fix it. Here are my findings:

TLDR:

1. The issue boiled down to the fact that Media Encoder uses DynamiLink when exporting with VST plugins (that's why exporting without any audio effects was not an issue).
2. Look into the logs of Premiere Pro Headless and Dynamic link to see if there are issues.
3. I had old and no longer working plugins there and that crashed Dynamic Link and thus the export did not work with VST plugins.
4. Fixed it by removing folders mentioned below.
5. Now my exports with VST plugins work again :yaya:!

Long Version:

After finding out that this issue also appears without any audio effects but with forced Dynamic Link (Media Encoder Preferences -> General -> uncheck Import sequences natively), I looked into some logs.

After checking the log files, I found more and more that it was something with "PProHeadless.app" and eventually found a log file in the "~/ or /Library/Application Support/Adobe" folder that showed a plugin loading error.

I deleted all Plugins in "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins/"

And then exporting with VST Plugins actually worked again.

Finally… A couple of hours spent worthwhile that I now finally can use Media Encoder again to export and especially queue my exports.

It must have been either the DEFlicker1AE, AF_Impact_motion_Tween, or the GoPro Reframing FX (reinstalled the GoPro one and it still works, so maybe it was some of the other stuff).

I am going to slowly start adding those I actually use again, maybe it's just been some old version that now is removed and cleared the way.

Thank you for the help and support here.

Random ideas for future debugging: Check the logs inside "/Library/Application Support/Adobe/dynamiclinkmediaserver/…/Plugin Loading.log" or "…/adobe/Premiere Pro/…/Headless Plugin Loading.log". These were the ones that pointed me in the right direction.

I have no idea why this randomly started happening. I am not aware of any changes I made to my system. Then again, there are so many things playing into this, it could be anything (OS Update, Adobe Update, System Cleanup, etc.).

Hope this rundown is helpful to anybody.

Cheers, I'll be exporting some stuff now ❤.

Chris

[mstegner]

Thanks a lot for the help with this Chris.

So, it seems that you had some After Effects plugins that were not compatible with Catalina.  Catalina removed support for 32 bit code, and that obiously affects any application that tries to execute it, us Premiere and AME included.

How you hit it was interesteing though.  Using a 3rd party audio effect forces AME to fall back to using Dynamic Link.  When AME falls back to using Dymanic Link, it must have used some old copies of the After Effects plug-ins which stalled the entire application. 

I'm commenting here so anyone in the future that searches for this type of issue can find it. 

[Chris Spiegl]

I am pretty sure that was the issue and I am glad for the change made by Apple in Catalina. Now with this figured out my work flows again and I love it.

Thank you @Matt and @Dima for your help throughout.

Hope others may find this and fix it faster.

Cheers,

Chris

[Perka]

Hello! 

I'm facing the exact same problem as Chris, I'm not able to export via Media Encoder 2019/2020 when there is third party VST/AU plugins involved (Fabfilter & Waves in my case), no problem with native Adobe audio effects. But the fix explained here doesn't work for me because I don't have any additionnal plugin installed.  

Here are the facts : 

- I've no problem exporting with AME 2018, the problem occurs only in AME2019 & AME2020

- I've no additionnal plugin installed in Premiere (in"/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins/"), I've only LUTs there (which I removed for this test)

- I've checked log files in "/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/dynamiclinkmediaserver" and "/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Premiere Pro" and I didn't see any errors here

- I was running High Sierra when the problem occured, so I decided to upgrade to last version of Mojave (10.14.6 - 18G3020), nothing changed (I don't want to update to Catalina yet)

- Exporting straight from Premiere 2019/2020 works

- If i uncheck "Import Sequences Natively" in AME 2019/2020 the encoding doesn't start even if I don't use third party VST/AU (if I do the same in AME2018 : no problem) 

Could you help me fix this issue ? 

Thanks! 

[Chris Spiegl]

Hi Perka,

that does indeed sound like it's very similar to what I experienced and that the issue is stemming from the Dynamic Link system.

• Have you tried exporting a completely new project and sequence?
• Do you have any markers in the timeline (this seems to sometimes be a problem as well)?
• Did you also check if you have plugins in your "/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins"?

Trying to help here, maybe some Adobe peeps can help out too.

[Perka]

Hi Chris, 

Thanks for your help! 
- Yes I've tried exporting a completely new project/sequence : same problem

- I've no marker on the timeline

- I've no plugins in "/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Common/Plug-ins"

Also I'm using a second SSD only for cache files. 

Perka

[ipejoski]

I am having exact same issue, have anyone found any solution to this problem, or Adobe, will you fix it in updates soon, because in older versions it worked as it should, and now this issue is very anoying for me, its totally breaking my workflow...

[mstegner · Accepted solution]

There was a specific problem that was fixed in recent updates.  Please update to the lastest version of Premiere.

[ipejoski]

Thank you, yes, it's working now in latest update.

[sergeyd93660048]

I have the same problem! MediaIncoder cannot find HMP. I work on Mac OS Big Sur.

This problem has already got me!

[schnudiesounds]

The problem seems to be back. I am on a Windows machine and running V 24.0.0

When i export directly from PPRO everythings sounds right. Exporting through Media Encoder, Third Party VST 3's are not reendered. Is there any solution?

[mstegner]

Yes, it was a bug that was identified, the work around is listed here:  
https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-bugs/audio-track-effects-not-working-in-pp2024-v24-worki...

You can work around this by turn off "Media Encoder>Settings>General>Premiere Pro>Import Sequences Natively...."

[DoyleTX]

This solution above worked for me. But it's unfortunate that this keeps happening.

[schnudiesounds]

Here it didn't fix the issue. Adobe? Any suggestion?

[mstegner]

You given no additional information.  Maybe start by listing the effects that are not working?  Or really, any additional information would be helpful.