Recorded Audio Fades In

When I record audio, there is a period of 3-5 seconds, or so, at the very beginning where the volume of the audio goes from low to high (i.e., it fades in). I want to remove this because the first few seconds are at a different volume than the rest of the clip.

Is this a setting? A bug? A feature?

I have been filling the first 5 seconds w/ random talking to get around this, but I'd like to find a real solution.