Compressor error: System Error = -9074 {Unknown Error: -9074}

You are free to call Apple support, but I discussed this with Pro Apps support on Jan 24, verified they could reproduce it using my procedure, and filed a bug report myself as indicated in this post: Compressor error: System Error = -9074 {U… - Apple Community

The problem was a front-page article by the editor of fcp.co : https://fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/2577-fcp-compressor-batch-export-error-bug

The bug report I filed is #FB9857817, details below:

Title: Compressor transcode hangs followed by error -9074 on x86 Monterey if FCP batch contains titles

Description: If a new batch is sent from FCP to Compressor which contains a clip with titles, then that batch is started using a built-in export preset such as ProRes 422, if on x86 Monterey, Compressor will frequently hang during transcoding then after about 4 min 30 sec system error -9074 is raised. This is unique to x86 and Monterey and does not happen on Apple Silicon or x86 prior to Monterey. The failure is consistently reproducible and persists after FCP and Compressor are removed and re-installed and if using a new MacOS user account.

Reproduced using FCP 10.6.1 and FCP 10.5.3, Compressor 4.6 and 4.5.4 on x86 Monterey 12.1.

Spindump indicates the failure happens within about 1/10th CPU sec and most threads get stuck on synchronization objects.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

(1) Run FCP 10.6.1 and Compressor 4.6 on x86 Monterey 12.1

(2) Set FCP Preferences>Playback>Background render to OFF

(3) Create a default project: File>New>Project, use automatic settings

(4) Go to Titles and Generators - OPT+CMD+1

(5) Select red "Curtain" generator, drag to timeline (convenience; can be replicated using regular 4k/23.98 ProRes 422 clip of 2 sec. length).

(6) In Titles, select "Lower Third 3D", drag as connected clip on top of generator, adjust title edges to about 1/3 to 1/2 length of underlying clip

(7) Go to Libraries - CMD+1

(8) In Event Browser, select project which contains the generator and title

(8) File>Send to Compressor>New Batch

(9) In Compressor, show settings - SHIFT+CMD+1, select Current tab at top

(10) Drag Settings>Built-In>ProRes>Apple ProRes 422 preset to batch in center pane

(11) Press Start Batch button at bottom of center pane

(12) Problem will usually manifest as a beach ball for about 5 sec, then Compressor transcode process will be hung for about 4.5 minutes.

(13) Select "Active" batch tab at top, expand tree and observe transcode progress bar is hung. After 4.5 min the error -9074 will appear.

Comments:

- It is highly reproducible but if it does not happen, try 3 or 4 generator clips and 3 or 4 titles.

- It does not require 3D titles, however some reports indicate the replication is more reliable if using those.

- It is not highly sensitive to export preset but ProRes 422 and Apple Devices 4k seem to make it happen reliably.

- There is some evidence that after the initial failure, something is preserving system state that makes subsequent failures more likely (Compressor helper processes?). E.g, it has been observed after the 1st failure, a project containing a single clip and no titles will manifest the problem, despite restarting FCP and Compressor. After rebooting the machine it seems to require a clip and a title to create the problem.

I've got the same issue. It seems I've managed to replicate the problem:

1. Create FCPX new library (HDR Rec.2020 in my case), event, project (apply video setting based on the first added clip to the timeline).
2. Import clips.
3. Bring clips to the timeline.
4. Send project to Compressor
5. Project loads fine, so the export will be fine as well.
6. Now back to the project in FCPX.
7. Add title before the first clip in the timeline, in my case added Assembler
8. Click on added title and bring up highlights exposure of the title up to the very top in order make title fonts look true white.
9. Add Transition to the title by pressing shortkey: CMD+T
10. Send project to Compressor
11. Wait for the project to load
12. Compressor won't load project and will crash, just wait... (in the meantime if you apply any export settings and press start, you will get that lovely ERROR -9074).
13. Back to FCPX
14. Remove title and transitions
15. Send project to Compressor again
16. No issues, Compressor loads the project perfectly and can accomplish export successfully.

Please advise if anyone can replicate this problem in the same way?

P.S. Tried to insert title in a different way: black background, title over the background and so on... no success.

Seems the obvious problem with the titles that crash Compressor.

Yesterday, reinstalled MacOS from scratch and downloaded FCPX and Compressor one more time from App Store.

1. Opened FCPX and changed Untitled library specs to Wide Color Gamut
2. Created new project
3. Imported one clip to timeline
4. Sent to Compressor.
5. Project preview loaded successfully and rendered as well.
6. Back to FCPX and added title Assembler before the clip.
7. Sent to Compressor: project preview cannot be loaded! Didn’t go with export due to it will fail for 100%. Export in Compressor always works once preview can be successfully preloaded.

In my case, titles in FCPX are bottleneck.

As alternative so far, make myself titles in Motion, render them as movie and add to FCPX.

This error already has been submitted to Apple.

Have to confirm: after upgrading to MacOS 12.1, the compressor is still crashes:

1. Create any project in FCPX
2. Add any built-in title.
3. Send to Compressor
4. Compressor crashes upon loading preview.
5. In the meaning, pressing “start batch” in Compressor, before loading preview crash, you get the same error as on MacOS 12.0.1.

As a matter of fact, I do believe it’s an issue related with Compressor only and could be fix by relevant update.

May I kindly ask you to carry out simple test:

1. Create a project in FPCX.
2. Add any short clip.
3. Add built-in title in FCPX.
4. Send to Compressor
5. Check if Compressor can load preview. After 1-3 minutes Compressor will crash. Or you can omit waiting for loading preview and start batch right away. Compressor will get System Error = -9074.

I've got no idea so far.

Tried everything:

1. MacOS reinstall from the scratch
2. Clean install: FCPX, Compressor
3. Tinkered with full access rights.

No success. So far the only workaround:

1. Create title in Motion
2. Export it as video.
3. Import in FCPX.

Hi. Sorry if this has been mentioned before but until a fix by Apple is done you can still do "kind of" batch exports:

• you can select multiple projects in FCPX and use the share button. It will emit one file per project.
• from FCPX you can make a high quality export to a Compressor control folder and make Compressor generate multiple formats afterwards in the background

Hello!

I solved the problem yesterday by talking to Mac support, I was instructed to do the following steps:

1. Shut down your Mac
2. Turn on in safe mode (fast-tap the power button and then hold the shift button until the login screen appears)
3. Enter the password (the information will appear at the top of the screen in the upper right safe mode)
4. Sign in with the password again.
5. After starting, load the screen, restart the Mac (click on the apple icon and then restart)

After that it started working normally again.

------------

macOS Monterey v12.2.1

MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)

1,4 GHz Intel core i5 Quad-Core

8GB 2133 MHz

Intel Irís Plus Graphics 645 1536 MB

Final Cut Pro v10.6.1

Compressor v4.6

I do not know if this is coincidence or merely a run of good luck, but the following steps appears to export successfully for the last few runs:

1. Create NEW Event per project/video, and NAME it...
2. DO NOT name the project in Event in FCPX (Leave untitled)
3. Send to Compressor
4. RE-NAME the video before finalising

I'll update if it stops working...

This worked great to reset FCPx > Compressor and could render; but only for an extremely basic 2 clips back-to-back.

However, still FAILS for me if *ANY Transition, or Generator is between the 2 clips!

(*that's using the built-in Cross Dissolve, and built in Black generator.)

• Using a similar computer to @adrianostone w/ NO add-ons nor motion content.) Extremely basic use here.

Please FIX it Apple!

Im getting the same error, plus a slightly different one.. my last export worked (had no stabilisation or optical flow in)

My first few attempts were exporting and reducing bit rate down to 10mbps

Using fcpx 10.6.1, Compressor 4.6... updated the privacy settings as suggested

I have the same issue since Monterey.

I use to publish 3 versions of each video (comments and titles in 3 languages), so the 3 videos are exactly the same except for titles.

What happens is that the first one works perfectly. Selecting and other language (I use audio and video roles for that) and sending it to Compressor ends in a -9074 error. Systematically .

I also installed Monterey 12.1 today too. But the problem remains.

Luckily sharing in FCP works normally. I hope Apple will do something to solve this problem very soon. It makes Compressor unusable!

Seems there are different situations and different problems.

I rechecked my Macos version and retried with 2 different videos. One which worked yesterday morning and a very old one. None of both worked today.

So please, Mac gurus, keep on investigating this issue...

The same here. New installation macOS 12.1, Compressor 4.6, FCP X 10.6.1. MBP i9. Render to mov HD h264 works, to 4K h264/HEVEC doesn't. Project is 4K, clips from Sony FS5 without tittles, only with colour correction and stabilization. Direct render form FCP works ok.